January 4, 1948: Lazio Torino 0-0
- Simon Basten
- Jan 4
- 4 min read
Great performance
Lazio stop the Great Torino and could have even won
The season so far
The previous season had been disappointing and Lazio arrived only 10th so, for the 1947-48 season, fans hoped for a better year. Toni Cargnelli was confirmed as manager and the most important new arrivals were Flavio Cecconi from Venezia and Sergio Piacentini from Sampdoria plus Brazilian Orlando Fantoni. Leaving the capital were Luigi Cassano and Henglebert Koenig to Sampdoria, Bruno Ispiro and Antonio Sessa to Triestina, plus Edoardo Valenti to Perugia. In the autumn transfer window, Leandro Remondini from Modena and Romano Penzo were added.
Ther Biancocelesti were currently mid-table in 9th place. They had beaten Inter and drawn away to Juventus but had lost the derby.
The match: Sunday, January 4, 1948, Stadio Nazionale, Rome
Faced against the Great Torino, Lazio played magnificently and could have even won.
They had four clear opportunities to score. The first in the 15th minute when a Costantino De Andreis shot was initially saved by Valerio Bacigalupo, but he fumbled and the ball went into the air and the Granata keeper was forced to take a step back and catch it. Quite a number of the big crowd could have sworn it went over the line, but the referee disagreed.
Eleven minutes later again De Andreis this time all alone in front of Bacigalupo but at the last second he was fouled by Aldo Ballerin and the ball went out. Could have been a penalty but not for Poggipollini.
In the 40th minute Aldo Puccinelli was fouled in the box, and this time a penalty was given. But Leandro Remondini’s spot kick was weak and easily caught by the keeper.
The final chance came in the beginning of the second half when Remondini crossed into the penalty area, De Andreis headed towards the far post, Bacigalupo was beaten but there was no Lazio player ready to tap the ball in.
And the Great Torino? Absent. The Biancocelesti managed to stop all their initiatives and probably the overindulging at the table during the festivities did the rest.
Who played for Lazio
Gradella, Remondini, Carton, Antonazzi, Alzani, Gualtieri, Rosi, Puccinelli, Brunetti, Flamini, De Andreis
Manager: Cargnelli
Who played for Torino
Bacigalupo, Ballarin, Rigamonti, Tomà, Martelli, Castigliano, Menti, Loik, Gabetto, Mazzola, Ferraris II
Manager: Sperone
DT: Copernico
Referee: Poggipollini
What happened next
At home Lazio were a force to be reckoned with, but away from home their performances were pretty dismal. After the first half of the season Lazio were 13th with 17 points, just two points off the relegation zone. Cargnelli was sacked and replaced with Orlando Tognotti.
The new manager was able to improve things. Lazio continued to be disappointing away from home, just one game won … against Roma, but at home they beat Inter and Bologna plus a great 5-0 win against Fiorentina. Lazio finished 10th with 39 points. One could not really ask for more especially since with 12 away losses out of 20 there was not much chance of a higher position.
Romolo Alzani was the player with most appearances (38), Romano Penzo scored the most goals (17).
Let’s talk about Valentino Mazzola
Valentino Mazzola was one the best Italian players of all time. A great number ten, he was part of the Great Torino that won five consecutive scudettos in the 1940s.
Born on January 29, 1919, in Cassano d’Adda near Milan, he started his career with Tresoldi while still working at the same time. In 1938 he signed for Alfa Romeo in Serie C. He had been offered to play for Milano, but he needed the money and opted for the third-tier team so he could also work. He played there for just one season before signing for Venezia and debuted in Serie A on March 31, 1940, in the away defeat to Lazio. That season they won the Coppa Italia beating Roma in the final. In the first leg after half an hour they were losing 3-0, but he scored an incredible goal and Venezia then found the strength to equalise. In the second leg, they won 1-0 and lifted the cup.
After two seasons he joined Torino and it is there that he showed all his abilities. The Granata won the scudetto in 1942-43 before the war and then the first four leagues after. He played a total of 200 games for the Piedmontese with 123 goals. He was top scorer in 1946-47 with 29 goals.
In the Nazionale he made 12 appearances with 4 goals, all friendlies (for obvious reasons). The Italy team was almost entirely made up of players from Torino; they were that strong.
The dominance of the Grande Torino was tragically interrupted by a plane crash.
On Saturday April 30, they played in Milan against Inter. It was the Nerazzurri’s final attempt at reducing the Granata's lead but it ended in a goalless draw. Torino then flew to Lisbon where on May 3 they played a friendly against Benfica. The day after the team flew back home but the weather conditions over Turin were terrible: strong winds, rain, low clouds. The plane smashed into the Superga hill. Nobody survived.
His two sons followed in his footsteps. Sandro became a legend at Inter, Ferruccio had a good career at Lazio.
Voted by Four Four Two as one of the top 100 players of all time, Mazzola was a legend. One of the most complete players of all time. He was an excellent dribbler, great aerial abilities despite not being very tall. He was able to shoot with both feet, so it was difficult to determine if he was right or left footed.
His career was cut short, he would have certainly continued to play reaching new hights, if it was not for that tragic accident.
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