Exciting match that ends in chaos
Lazio come back from 3-1 to equalise an exciting match.
The season so far
In the previous season the teams from Serie A and B had been grouped together and divided into two groups according to geographical location. This was in order to lessen the burden of travel in a devastated country following the end of World War II. Lazio finished seventh. A mediocre season for the Biancocelesti with a terrible first half and a better second.
The manager, Toni Cargnelli had been confirmed and there had been some new entries as far as players were concerned. Defenders Luigi Cassano (Alessandria), Emilio Carton (Verona), midfielders Antonio Sessa (Pro Gorizia) and Luciano Ramella (Como) and forwards Mario Magrini (Pro Gorizia), Bruno Ispiro (Genoa) and Cesare Ferronato (Bassano). There was a lot of optimism, and Lazio were considered a possible outsider.
But at the end of the first half of the season Lazio were tenth with only a five-point cushion on the relegation zone and miles away from the top. Very inconsistent, the Biancocelesti had some good wins (Bologna 3-1, Sampdoria 4-0) but bad defeats (4-1 against Fiorentina and 5-1 to Torino). After 25 games they were in the relegation zone, but thanks to Enrique Flamini's return they managed to work themselves up. In the last 12 matches they lost just one and won five. They were currently 12th and safe.
Today was the last game of the season against the mighty Juventus who were second only behind the Great Torino.
The match: Sunday, July 6, 1947, Stadio Comunale, Turin
Since it was the final act of the campionato one might have expected a calm game. It was not.
Juventus opened the scoring in the 10th minute with Pietro Magni, who with a precise shot from outside the box beat Uber Gradella. Lazio surprisingly equalised three minutes later with another shot from outside the area, this time by Enrique Flamini. The Bianconeri at this point put their foot on the accelerator and scored twice before the end of the first 45 minutes. In the 27th, a free kick for Juve, Vittorio Sentimenti crossed, Enrico Candiani deflected it and Gianpiero Boniperti with a spectacular bicycle kick beat the Lazio goalkeeper. Seven minutes later the Juve centre forward got his brace after a Candiani cross.
It took just ten minutes of the second half for Lazio to equalise. In the 47th minute Henglebert Koenig freed himself of Carlo Parola probably with a foul, Lucidio Sentimenti IV stopped, waiting for a referee whistle which never came, and the Biancoceleste forward made it 2-3. In the 55th minute Sentimenti IV punched away a corner cross, ball to Romolo Alzani, 3-3.
The teams then relaxed a little, but both had their chances with Gradella saving on a Cestmir Vycpalek (Zdenek Zeman’s uncle) shot and Sentimenti IV blocking attempts from Salvador Gualtieri and Koenig.
Then in the 87th minute all hell let loose. Magni, disagreeing with a referee decision on a possible foul on Silvio Piola, protested vivaciously with the man in black. Too vivaciously, so Ferruccio Bonivento sent him off. Magni at this point completely lost it and had to be stopped by his teammates as he really would have liked to hurt the ref. To top it all, some Juve supporters also decided to join the arguments on the pitch whereas others contented themselves with pelting the ref with stones and bottles. Bonivento at this point had had enough and called it a day, blowing for full time. There were clashes between fans and police outside the stadium.
A chaotic finish to an otherwise pleasant game.
Who played for Juve
Sentimenti IV, Magni, Varglien II, Cauzzo, Parola, Locatelli, Sentimenti III, Piola, Boniperti, Vycpalek, Candiani
Manager: Cesarini
Who played for Lazio
Gradella, Cassano, Antonazzi, Alzani, Gualtieri, Brunetti, Puccinelli, Magrini, Koenig, Flamini, Ferri
Manager: Cargnelli
Referee: Bonivento
Goals: 10’ Magni, 13’ Flamini, 27’ Boniperti, 34’ Boniperti, 47’ Koenig, 55’ Alzani
What happened next
Lazio finished 10th, overall a decent year but a lot more had been expected. Aldo Puccinelli was the player with most appearances (38) and goals (13).
Lazio 1946-47
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 38 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 56 |
Top five appearances
Player | Serie A |
Puccinelli | 38 |
Gualtieri | 36 |
Cassano | 33 |
Magrini | 31 |
Ispiro | 28 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Serie A |
Puccinelli | 13 |
Koenig | 12 |
De Andreis | 8 |
Lombardini | 7 |
Ispiro | 5 |
Let's talk about Carlo Parola
Carlo Parola is a legend of Italian football. The image of his bicycle kick has been used by the Panini group as their logo for the Calciatori sticker collection.
Born in Turin on September 20, 1921, he started his career with Dopo Lavoro Fiat (now called Sisport), a team made up of Fiat employees that used to play in the Italian leagues but he soon moved to Juventus. He arrived as centre forward but manager Felice Borel moved him to defence and it is here that he made a name for himself. He played for Juventus from 1939 to 1954 with 334 appearances and 10 goals. He won a Coppa Italia in 1941-42 and the scudetto twice (1949-50 and 1951-52). He played 10 times for the Nazionale and was the only Italian to play the 1947 friendly between Great Britain and Rest of Europe. Despite his team losing 6-1 and scoring an own goal, he stood out positively and several English teams, including Chelsea, tried to sign him.
His last year of active football was with Lazio where he made seven appearances.
Once he stopped playing he stayed in Rome and was assistant to manager Luigi Ferrero in the 1955-56 season. He then became head coach of Anconitana, taking them up to Serie B in 1957-58. In 1959 he was chosen to manage Juventus and stayed for three years, winning the scudetto twice and the Coppa Italia twice. His last year at the club was not so good due to the fact that their star player Giampiero Boniperti had retired, plus the fact that John Charles, legendary Welsh centre forward, was marred with injury. He also had a bad relationship with another star player, Omar Sivori, and the Bianconeri arrived 12th, their worst result ever.
He then went on to manage Prato in 1962, winning promotion to Serie B, then Chieri, Livorno, Napoli, as physical trainer, and Novara with another promotion to Serie B. With the Piedmontese he “discovered” two fundamental players in Italian football: Felice Pulici, who would be one of Lazio’s 1973-74 scudetto heroes, and Renato Zaccarelli who won the scudetto with Torino in 1975-76. Back at Juventus in 1974 he won another scudetto. Despite being substituted by Giovanni Trapattoni, he stayed at the club as a scout.
He died in Turin on March 22, 2000.
At Lazio he arrived in his last professional year and only gave a minor contribution on the field.
Lazio Career
Season | Serie A Appearances |
1954-55 | 7 |
Sources
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