December 21, 1930: Lazio-Juventus 2-1
- Dag Jenkins
- 2 hours ago
- 5 min read
Lazio topple league leaders Juventus
Pastore and Cevenini V give Biancocelesti prestigious win
The season so far
Lazio had finished 15th the previous season. The manager was Ferenc Molnar briefly replaced by Pietro Piselli and then Molnar again. Top scorer was Luigi Ziroli with 11 league goals.
This season they had added Brazilian duo Octavio Fantoni II and Joāo Fantoni I (Cruzeiro), Aldo Mattei III and Giovanni Zanni (both from Juventus). Having left Lazio were Francesco Rier (Juventus) plus Luigi Saraceni and Ugo Ciabattini (both retired). The manager, Hungarian Ferenc Molnar, was confirmed.
Lazio were currently in 5th position on 16 points. The Biancocelesti had won 7 (including Milan 1-0 away and Genoa 5-0 at home), drawn 2 (including Roma 1-1 away) and lost 3. The top scorer so far was Piero Pastore with 6 league goals.
Juventus had finished 3rd the previous season, under Scotsman William Aitken. The Bianconeri had defeated Lazio 1-0 in Rome and 3-1 in Turin. The top scorer was Raimundo Orsi with 15 league goals.
This season the new manager was Carlo Carcano. The main new players were: defender Aldo Vollono (Triestina), midfielder Francesco Rier (Lazio) plus forwards Giovanni Ferrari (Alessandria) and Giovanni Vecchina (Padova).
Leaving the Bianconero side of Turin were: defender Giuseppe Mortarotti (Atalanta), midfielders Edmondo Della Valle (Bari), Giovanni Greppi (Casale), József Viola (Atalanta) plus forwards Luigi Cevenini (Messina), Alberto Merciai (Fiorentina), Renato Sanero (Atalanta) and Giovanni Zanni (Lazio).
Juventus were top of the table on 21 points. The Bianconeri had won 10, (including Milan 3-0 away and the derby 2-0 at home), drawn 1 and lost 1 (Napoli 1-2 at home).
A big match in Rome today for Lazio against league leaders and Scudetto favourites Juventus.
The match: Sunday, December 21, 1930, Stadio Rondinella, Rome
An overcast and cold day in the capital for this much awaited clash. The stadium was full and the demand for tickets hugely exceeded the 20,000 sold. It was so packed that a part of the stand would later give way during the game but fortunately no-one was injured.
Lazio had no absences while the Bianconeri were missing attacking midfielder Renato Cesarini (so less possibility of late drama…).
The first twenty minutes were extremely balanced with both sides dangerous.
The deadlock was broken in the 20th minute as Lazio scored. The Biancocelesti had a freekick into the box cleared by the defence, it was then picked up by Alfredo Foni who swiftly passed it to Piero Pastore whose shot gave Gianpiero Combi no chance, 1-0.
Lazio almost made it two in the 39th minute but Combi saved well on a powerful Foni freekick. Halftime Lazio 1 Juventus 0, a deserved lead so far.
Lazio started strongly in the second half too but in the 51st minute the Bianconeri equalised. A prolonged and scrappy move was then resolved successfully by Giovanni Ferrari who hit a long-range effort which caught Ezio Sclavi off guard, 1-1.
At this point Juventus were forced on the defensive as Lazio piled forward. Lazio accumulated a series of corners and finally made the breakthrough in the 74th minute. Mario Malatesta went forward on the right and fed Luigi Ziroli who despite being challenged by Carlo Bigatto managed to put in a precise cross, Carlo Cevenini V running in hit a first-time belter which beat Combi, 2-1.
Juventus reacted putting Lazio under pressure but did not create any clear-cut chances. In the 82nd minute it was Lazio who scored again with Pastore but Malatesta was judged to have been in offside.
Juventus had two last possibilities, first Giovanni Vecchina was caught offside but he continued and scored anyway and then Sclavi had to parry a thundering Federico Muneratti drive in the dying seconds. Final score Lazio 2 Juventus 1.
A fantastic win for Lazio against league leaders and Scudetto favourites Juventus. The Biancocelesti had played well but had also possibly been favoured by the "Old Lady's" defensive approach after their equaliser. Lazio had taken control of the midfield and got the winner.
Lazio were now 5th on 18 points. Juventus were still top on 21 points but only one ahead of Roma (who had beaten Torino 4-1 away) and two ahead of Bologna (Brescia 7-1 at home) and Napoli (Milan 3-2 away).
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Molnar
Who played for Juventus
Combi, Rosetta, Caligaris, Bigatto I, Varglien I, Mosca, Munerati, Rier, Vecchina, Ferrari, Orsi
Manager: Carcano
Referee: Gonani
Goals: 20' Pastore, 51' Ferrari, 74' Cevenini V
What happened next
Lazio did not keep up the pace with the frontrunners. In the next 13 games Lazio only won 2, drew 2 and lost 9 and fell to 12th place. The Biancocelesti then won five out of the last eight games, plus a 2-2 draw in the derby, and finished a more respectable 8th. From the 27th fixture Cesare Migliorini had become manager and then for the last three matches Amilcar became player-manager. The top scorer was Piero Pastore with 13 league goals.
Juventus won their 3rd Scudetto. In the remaining 21 games the Bianconeri won 15 (including Lazio 3-1), drew 4 (including derby 1-1) and lost 2 (Bologna 0-4 and Roma 0-5!). The top scorer was Raimundo Orsi with 21 goals (20 in A).
In the Central European Cup, played in the summer of 1931, Juventus went out in the quarterfinals against Sparta Prague (2-1, 0-1 and then 2-3 in the playoff). The cup was eventually won by First Vienna FC (who had defeated Roma 6-3 in the semis).
Let's talk about Gianpiero Combi
Today in our opponents series we will talk about one of Italy's best ever goalkeepers.
Gianpiero Combi was born in Torino, on December 20, 1902.
At 16 he joined the Juventus youth setup and from then on never left the Bianconeri.
He made his first team debut on March 5, 1922, and he went on to play thirteen seasons defending the "Old Lady's" goal. It was not a great debut as he conceded seven goals in a 1-7 defeat at Pro Vercelli. With hard work and dedication in training however he then became a formidable keeper.
He played 351 league games (conceding 336 goals) and won the Scudetto five times (1926, 1931, 1932, 1933 and 1934). His managers were Jenő Károly, József Viola, William Aitken and Carlo Carcano (for the four consecutive titles). Along with defenders Virginio Rosetta and Umberto Caligaris he formed one of the best lines in Italian history, for both club and country.
He earned 47 caps for Italy. With the Azzurri he won the 1934 World Cup as captain and an Olympic bronze in 1928.
After retiring he was director of Juventus' swimming and ice-hockey sections. He then became an industrialist and business manager.
Combi was nicknamed "Fusetta" (little bundle or dumpling) for his agility. He was no giant at 1.74 and 72 kilos (he was rejected by Torino for his size before joining Juventus) but he was incredibly reliable and consistent. He was not flashy but safe and a born leader. He was excellent on high balls and a specialist in saving penalties. He was rarely injured, jumping only 9 games out of 398 in total.
At the time, along with Ricardo Zamora and František Plánička, he was considered one of the best keepers in Europe. He has been voted 16th best European keeper of the 20th century (IFFHS). From 1926 until 1994 he held the longest unbeaten record in Serie A, 934 minutes, then beaten by Gianluigi Buffon.
Combi died of a heart attack on August 12, 1956, in Imperia while driving back from Sanremo where his family were on holiday.
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