June 16, 1957: Palermo Lazio 2-6
- Simon Basten
- Jun 16
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 23
Lazio hit a six in Sicily
The Biancocelesti massacre Palermo and finish the season third
Also on this day:
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had arrived an excellent 3rd in the company of Inter. Great results with victories over Juventus, Milan (both home and away), Inter away and one of the derbies. The Biancocelesti had started so-so but after manager Luigi Ferrero was sacked and technical director Roberto Copernico left, the team had been taken over by Jesse Carver and Lazio flourished in the second part of the season.
This season Jesse Carver was confirmed and despite numerous difficulties at the club, several interesting players had arrived: defender Adelmo Eufemi (Livorno), midfielders Luigi Moltrasio (Torino) and Umberto Pinardi (Udinese) plus forwards Humberto Tozzi (Palmeiras) and Karl Aage Præst, legendary winger who had made 233 League appearances with Juventus. Leaving were Francesco Antonazzi (Chinotto Neri), Attilio Giovannini (Nissena), Giorgio Bravi (Taranto), Renzo Sassi (Udinese), Angelo Villa (Spal), Brunello Cocciuti (Reggina) and Rinaldo Olivieri (Triestina).
At the club, President Costantino Tessarolo and his deputy Mario Vaselli had had serious economic difficulties. They had promised the players a 2 million lire bonus for the third place but they did not have the cash. The players and managers threatened to strike.
The problems resulted in a terrible start for Lazio, and after eight games they were bottom. But once the economic problems were temporarily solved, the team started to be more concentrated and the Biancocelesti had begun to climb up the table. At the end of the first half of the season Lazio were 4th with Napoli and Sampdoria, just six points away from the leaders Milan.
The positive season continued in the second half too and included a 3-0 thrashing of future champions Milan and an away win against Inter. They were mathematically third, two points behind Fiorentina and nine from Milan. Today was the last game of Serie A.
The match: Sunday, June 16, 1957, Stadio La Favorita, Palermo
Palermo, bottom, but still fighting, immediately went on the attack to create problems for the Biancocelesti and to say arrivederci to Serie A with honour. This lasted exactly seven minutes in which Julio Vernazza took a couple of shots which were parried by Bob Lovati and ended after the Palermo forward got the ball at midfield and ran towards the Lazio keeper but then from just a few metres away tried a shot which went miles over the crossbar.
After the scare Lazio got organised and the game finished here for the Rosaneri. In the 10th minute Humberto Tozzi tried a shot, Roberto Forte parried with his fists, Enzo Benedetti headed the ball back to the keeper but Forte was not expecting it and it was 1-0 for the Biancocelesti.
Eight minutes later the Brazilian forward dribbled past three players and gave a good ball to Lorenzo Bettini. His shot was parried by the keeper but Tozzi with a Marcell Jacobs-like sprint got there first and it was 2-0.
Goal number three arrived in the 24th minute when Lovati gave the ball to Bettini who ran forward and once just outside the penalty area let go of a shot which surprised Forte.
The Palermo keeper was miraculous on more than one occasion, stopping opportunities often in desperate circumstances. Lovati too was called into action in the 38th minute on a Piero Betello shot. In the 44th minute Arne Selmosson to Arnaldo Lucentini who again flew towards the Palermo area and made it 4-0.
Palermo tried an unlikely comeback in the second half and in the 47th minute Walter Gomez hit the woodwork. Ten minutes later Betello to Gianni Sandri, ball to Gomez who dribbled past Umberto Pinardi and Franco Carradori and scored. The Rosaneri insisted and Gomez on a Sandri assist was sandwiched by Pinardi and Carradori and the ref gave a generous penalty to the Sicilians. Vernazza halved the deficit.
It looked like Palermo could continue to press the Biancocelesti but it was Lazio who regained control of the match. Tozzi had a goal disallowed for a dubious offside and then missed a sitter in the 74th minute. The Rosaneri were tired and the Brazilian took advantage in the 83rd minute when, on a Lucentini pass, he volleyed a missile that beat Forte. In the 89th minute Renzo Burini got the ball at midfield, ran towards the Palermo goal and closed the game on 6-2.
That was the end of the season for the Biancocelesti, another excellent third place.
Who played for Palermo
Forte, Nobili, Bettoli, Betello, Benedetti, Zamperlini, Vernazza, Biagini, Gomez, Luosi, Sandri
Manager: Kossovel
Who played for Lazio
Lovati, Molino, Lo Buono, Carradori, Pinardi, Moltrasio, Lucentini, Tozzi, Bettini, Burini, Selmosson
Manager: Carver
Referee: Fornati
Goals: 10’ Benedetti (og), 14’ Tozzi, 25’ Bettini, 43’ Lucentini, 57’ Gomez, 61’ Vernazza (pen), 83’ Tozzi, 89’ Burini
What happened next
Lazio finished third for the second consecutive year. Another excellent result, despite the initial problems.
Molino, Lovati and Selmosson had the most appearances (34) and the Swede the most goals (12).
What happened in Serie A 1956-57
The previous season had seen Fiorentina with their first scudetto. The win had never been in much doubt as halfway the Viola already had a five-point lead. Milan came second, 12 points behind, with Inter and Lazio third.
Obviously, Fiorentina were favourites this year especially because of the convincing way they had won the previous scudetto. During the summer transfer window Milan had sold Gunnar Nordhal to Roma, hence the Giallorossi had to be considered as possible outsiders.
September
Fiorentina crushed Udinese 5-2 away in their first game but then drew at home with Lazio and lost against Torino. A surprisingly bad start for the favourites. Sampdoria and Milan who won all three of the September games were hence leading, but there was still a long way to go.
Sampdoria 6, Milan 6, Juventus 5, Napoli 5, Genoa 4, Roma 4, Fiorentina 3, Inter 3, Torino 3, Lazio 3, Palermo 2, Udinese 2, Atalanta 2, Spal 2, Bologna 1, Triestina 1, Vicenza 1, Padova 1
October
Sampdoria continued their good start and now led alone also thanks to the win in the derby. Napoli, who had beaten Milan away, were just one point behind. The Rossoneri lost in Padua too but drew the derby. The Turin clash also ended in a draw while Roma crushed Lazio 3-0. The Biancocelesti had a terrible start and were last.
Sampdoria 11, Napoli 10, Milan 9, Juventus 8, Inter 8, Torino 8, Roma 8, Fiorentina 8, Triestina 7, Udinese 7, Palermo 6, Genoa 6, Padova 6, Atalanta 6, Bologna 5, Spal 5, Vicenza 4, Lazio 4
November
Milan overtook Sampdoria after a win in Turin against Juventus. Fiorentina finally started to move up and were just a point away. Lazio left the bottom spot after beating Udinese.
In the first leg of the first round of the European Cup, Fiorentina drew at home against IFK Norrkoping but managed to win away in the second leg and go through to the quarter finals.
Milan 13, Sampdoria 12, Fiorentina 12, Inter 11, Napoli 11, Triestina 10, Juventus 9, Palermo 9, Torino 9, Bologna 8, Roma 8, Padova 8, Atalanta 8, Udinese 7, Vicenza 7, Lazio 7, Spal 7, Genoa 6
December
Just before Christmas Inter caught up with Milan after the Rossoneri were beaten in Genoa by Sampdoria and the Neroazzurri beat Fiorentina. But a week after they fell in Udine so Milan closed the year top with the Viola one point behind.
Milan 18, Fiorentina 17, Juventus 16, Inter 16, Sampdoria 15, Napoli 14, Udinese 13*, Padova 13, Lazio 13, Roma 12, Torino 12, Triestina 12, Spal 12, Bologna 11, Vicenza 10, Atalanta 10*, Palermo 10, Genoa 8
* one game in hand
January
Milan increased the lead to +4 as Fiorentina lost 4-0 in Vicenza and drew in Bergamo. Lazio had improved considerably and were only two points behind the Viola. Below, things were looking grim for Torino, but there was still the whole of the second part of the season to be played.
Milan 25, Fiorentina 21, Inter 20, Napoli 19, Sampdoria 19, Lazio 19, Juventus 18, Bologna 17, Roma 17, Triestina 17, Padova 16, Udinese 16, Atalanta 15, Genoa 15, Spal 14, Vicenza 13, Palermo 13, Torino 12
February
Milan went off alone and now had a six-point lead over Inter. Lazio demolished Fiorentina 3-0 and moved to third place. Below Torino moved up one place. A lot of teams in just a few points, anything could still happen in the relegation battle with ten games to the end of the season.
In the quarter finals of the European Cup, Fiorentina beat Grasshopper 5-3 on aggregate. They won the first leg 3-1 in Florence and drew the second 2-2
Milan 32, Inter 26, Fiorentina 25, Lazio 25, Sampdoria 24, Roma 22, Napoli 22, Juventus 21, Bologna 20, Udinese 20, Spal 20, Padova 19, Atalanta 18, Triestina 18, Genoa 18, Vicenza 17, Torino 16, Palermo 15
March
Despite losing in Udine, Milan increased the lead to +8 and the scudetto was virtually theirs. The Rome derby ended in a draw, Juventus crushed Inter 5-1 but lost the derby, the Milan intercity clash finished 1-1. Five games left with four teams, Atalanta, Vicenza, Genoa and Palermo, fighting to avoid the two relegations.
Milan 39, Fiorentina 31, Inter 30, Sampdoria 29, Lazio 29, Roma 27, Napoli 27, Udinese 27, Spal 27, Bologna 24, Juventus 24, Torino 24, Padova 24, Triestina 24, Atalanta 22, Vicenza 20, Genoa 20, Palermo 20
April
Lazio continued their good season by beating Milan 3-0. The Rossoneri still had a six-point lead over Fiorentina. The Biancocelesti were now third since the Viola beat Inter. With five matches left, Palermo looked doomed but there were still a lot of teams involved in the relegation battle, to some extent even Juventus.
Fiorentina qualified for the final of the European Cup. They were faced with Red Star Belgrade and won away 1-0 to then draw 0-0 in the return match. They would face the mighty Real Madrid who had eliminated Manchester United.
Milan 43, Fiorentina 37, Lazio 34, Inter 33, Sampdoria 31, Udinese 31, Spal 30, Roma 29, Napoli 29, Torino 28, Bologna 27, Juventus 26, Padova 26, Triestina 26, Vicenza 25, Genoa 24, Atalanta 23, Palermo 20
May
With a 2-2 draw against Torino, Milan won the scudetto three games early. Fiorentina had lost at home to Atalanta. Lazio consolidated their third place winning away at Inter. Juventus moved out of trouble but it was still rather uncertain who would join Palermo in Serie B.
Real Madrid beat Fiorentina 2-0 in the final of the European Cup held in the Spanish capital.
Milan 46, Fiorentina 38, Lazio 37, Udinese 34, Inter 33, Sampdoria 33, Roma 31, Torino 31, Juventus 30, Spal 30, Bologna 29, Vicenza 29, Napoli 29, Padova 28, Triestina 27, Genoa 26, Atalanta 25, Palermo 22
June
With the scudetto race over, all eyes were on the relegation battle With two games to go, and one place left, Atalanta and Genoa were on 27 points, Vicenza and Triestina on 29. In the penultimate matches, Atalanta beat Roma, Genoa and Vicenza drew, Triestina lost against Juve. Coming into the final game, Vicenza 30 points, Triestina and Atalanta 29, Genoa 28. The last battles were Vicenza-Milan, Genoa-Napoli, Triestina-Atalanta.
After the first 45 minutes, Genoa were winning, the other two games were still goalless. But in the second half Atalanta scored and won and Vicenza beat Milan, hence it was Triestina to go down to Serie B together with Palermo.
Top scorer was Dino Da Costa (Roma) with 22 goals.
Coming up from Serie B were Verona and Alessandria.
Final table: Milan 48, Fiorentina 42, Lazio 41, Udinese 36, Inter 35, Bologna 35, Torino 35, Sampdoria 35, Juventus 33, Spal 33, Vicenza 32, Napoli 32, Padova 32, Roma 31, Atalanta 31, Genoa 30, Triestina 29, Palermo 22
Sources
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