"Catenaccio", the wrong Pin and woodwork deny Lazio

Dag Jenkins
May 5, 2024
4 min read

Season 1956-57

Game 30, Serie A

Sunday, May 5, 1957

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio - Padova 1-1

A solid Padova defensive display and a dose of bad luck force Lazio to settle for a point

So far Lazio, after a bad start (4 defeats in 6 games, including derby), were having another good season and were currently 3rd, on 34 points. Lazio had then won 11 (including Padova 1-0 away and Milan 3-0 at home), drawn 11 (including Inter 1-1, the derby 2-2 and Juventus 3-3 away) and lost 3. Lazio were 3rd with a one-point lead on Inter and three on Udinese and Sampdoria.

Padova were joint 12th, on 26 points with Juventus and Triestina. The Patavini were only three points above the relegation zone (Atalanta on 23). The Biancoscudati had won 7 (including Milan 2-0 and Inter 3-2 at home), drawn 12 (including Juventus 0-0 away) and lost 10 (including Lazio and most recently Torino 1-3 at home).

Lazio were favourites today but Padova were in the thick of the relegation battle so were expected to fight hard.

The match

A sunny day in Rome saw about 15,000 in attendance at the Olimpico.

Lazio were without defender Primo Sentimenti and forward Ermes Muccinelli.

Padova were missing defender Aurelio Scagnellato.

From the start Padova showed off a classic but well organised "Catenaccio". A very low and tight defence, hoping to strike with occasional and sudden counterattacks.

Lazio attacked and in the 2nd minute Arne Selmosson forced the visiting keeper, Antonio Pin, into a difficult save and on the rebound Humberto Tozzi backheeled into the area but defender Ivano Blason cleared.

In the 12th minute after a scramble in the area a Tozzi shot was walled by defenders and then Selmosson's attempt was saved into corner by Pin.

The game then went a bit flat with the only episode being a bad clearance by keeper Bob Lovati but Benito Sarti was unable to take advantage and fired over the bar.

The game revived around the half hour mark when in the 32nd minute Padova's Sergio Pison shot wide and a minute later Pasquale Vivolo headed just over the bar from a Selmosson cross.

In the 35th minute the game was stopped and a minute's silence was observed for the 8th anniversary of the Superga tragedy when the whole Grande Torino squad had lost their lives in an aircrash.

When the game restarted Lazio went extremely close to scoring. In the 36th minute Selmosson shot centrally, Pin saved and the ball spun up and hit the crossbar. In the 43rd minute Lorenzo Bettini too was denied by the Veneto-born keeper.

Despite Lazio's dominance in the 45th minute the visitors could have snatched the lead. Enore Boscolo beat Umberto Pinardi and was one-on-one with Lovati but his shot was weak and central and Lovati saved and then Adelmo Eufemi cleared. Half time 0-0.

At the beginning of the second half the Euganei were forced to move an injured Amedeo Bonistalli out to the wing.

In the 52nd minute Lazio had a scare when Lovati dropped the ball in a crowded area and Silvano Chiumento volleyed towards goal only for Giovanni Molino to pull off a brilliant save... with his hands. Fortunately for the Biancocelesti the penalty was not given as the referee had seen a precedent foul on the keeper.

Lazio came up against the woodwork again in the 59th minute. Franco Carradori took a freekick and Vivolo rose up and headed but hit the crossbar.

Five minutes later Lazio scored. The move was started by Renzo Burini and continued by Tozzi who cleverly laid the ball back to Vivolo whose powerful shot went up into the roof of the net. The visitors protested for a possible offside but after consulting the linesman the referee gave the goal, 1-0.

The Biancoscudati at this point abandoned their defensive approach and started to attack more as a team than with the odd counterattack. In the 68th minute Lovati was called into action on a dangerous header by Bonistalli who was slightly injured but still threatening.

In the 79th minute the Patavini had a penalty appeal. The ball ricocheted between Lovati and a defender and as Pison was about to pounce he was touched on the leg by the keeper causing him to roll to the ground. The referee, perhaps unimpressed by the theatrics, gestured to play on.

Having abandoned their catenaccio the visitors were almost caught on the break themselves. Burini set up Tozzi in front of goal but Pin rushed out of the box and kicked away.

In the 80th minute the Veneti equalised. Chiumento put a high ball into the area and a misunderstanding between Lovati and Molino meant the ball came off Eufemi and went backwards towards the goal where Pison had an easy tap-in, 1-1.

Lazio pushed desperately in the remaining ten minutes. In the 87th minute Tozzi fell over in a favourable position, in the 88th Pin came off his line to slap away a good Carradori cross and in the 90th minute Pin again just anticipated Tozzi. The last chance was for Selmosson but, after Pin had clashed with a defender and lost the ball, the Swede's shot shaved the post. Final score Lazio 1 Padova 1.

Lazio had possibly deserved more but Padova had battled hard with efficient and solid defending so had by no means taken a point undeservedly. The Padovani's tactical approach, an excellent goalkeeper and a bit of bad luck had prevented Lazio from clinching the two points.

Lazio were still 3rd, on 35 points. The Biancocelesti now had a two-point cushion on 4th place (Inter and Udinese on 33).

Padova were now joint 13th, on 27 points with Vicenza and Triestina. They had increased their lead on the second relegation slot to four points (Atalanta who had lost 2-4 in Bologna).

Who played for Lazio

Lovati, Molino, Eufemi, Carradori, Pinardi, Moltrasio, Burini, Tozzi, Bettini, Vivolo, Selmosson