November 23, 1941: Lazio- Ambrosiana Inter 2-2
- Dag Jenkins
- 3 hours ago
- 6 min read
A game of two halves
Lazio dominate the first half and Inter the second in a 2-2 draw.
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had finished 14th (out of 16) so only narrowly escaped relegation. They had three different managers: Hungarian Géza Kertész (1-6), compatriot Ferenc Molnár (7-17) and Dino Canestri (18-30). The highlight was beating Roma 2-0 with two goals by Silvio Piola, the other derby was 1-1. Lazio reached the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia after eliminating Triestina, Milan and Spezia but then lost to Venezia 1-3 away. Top scorer was Piola with 10 league goals.
This season the manager was Austrian Alexander Popovic and things were going better. The main new players were: defender Maximiliano Faotto (back from Napoli), midfielder Bruno Camolese (back from Vicenza) and Albanian forward Loro Boriçi (Vllaznia Scutari).
Leaving were: midfielder Vittorio Dagianti (Salernitana) and forward Umberto Lombardini (Ala Littoria - on loan).
So, not many important changes to the squad but Lazio were currently joint 9th with Atalanta, Milan and Torino, on 4 points. The Biancocelesti had won 1 (Torino, 4-1 at home), drawn 2 (Triestina 0-0 away on debut and Fiorentina 1-1 at home a week ago) and lost 1 (Sampierdarenese 1-4 away).
In the Coppa Italia the Biancocelesti had beaten Bari 4-2 at home but then been eliminated by Milano (A.C Milan) 2-4 in the last 16.
Ambrosiana Inter had finished 2nd the previous season, behind Bologna. The managers were Giuseppe Peruchetti and Italo Zamberletti together. The Nerazzurri had beaten Lazio 4-2 in Rome and drawn 1-1 in Milan. The top scorer was Pietro Ferraris with 9 league goals.
This season the manager was Ivo Fiorentini. The main new players were goalkeeper Angelo Franzoni (Armando Diaz), defenders Celso Battaia (Udinese), Dino,Bovoli (Atalanta) and Juan Landolfi (Lucchese), midfielders Severo Cominelli (Atalanta), Andrea Milani (Audace SME-Verona) and Victor Pozzo (Atalanta-back from loan), Arnaldo Salvi (Atalanta) plus forwards Oliviero Mascheroni (Torino) and Carlo Alberto Quario (Napoli - end of 7-year loan period with various clubs).
Leaving the "Beneamata" were goalkeeper Orlando Sain (Genova 1893), defender Duilio Setti (Liguria), midfielders Giuseppe Castelli (Liguria), Ugo Locatelli (Juventus), Renato Olmi (Juventus) and Carlo Zoppellari (Rovigo) plus forwards Giorgio Barsanti (Lucchese) and Vittorio Coccia (Pro Patria).
So far, in Serie A the Nerazzurri had won 1 (Sampierdarenese 2-1 at home a week ago) and drawn 3 (Venezia 0-0 away on debut, Torino away and Triestina at home both 1-1). Inter were therefore unbeaten and joint 3rd with Fiorentina, Venezia and Genoa, on 5 points. Roma and Triestina were leading with 6 points.
In Coppa Italia they had been eliminated in October by Modena 1-4 away.
A balanced game was expected today with no clear favourites.
The match: Sunday, November 23, 1941, Stadio P.N.F, Rome
A mild and dry day gathered about 20,000 at the Roman stadium.
Lazio had their best team available while Inter were without goalkeeper Angelo Franzosi and defender Carmelo Buonocore. The Nerazzurri played with Umberto Guarnieri and Vittorio Casaretti up front rather than Carlo Alberto Quario.
Lazio were superior in the first half. The Biancocelesti scored two goals, hit a crossbar and had a goal disallowed.
The first goal came after 16 minutes when Italo Romagnoli beat Angelo Caimo from a Luciano Ramella freekick. The Pescara-born jolly (he could play in all roles) then got his brace in the 21st minute with a spectacular bicycle kick from a Salvador Gualtieri cross, 2-0.
Lazio led by two goals at halftime and Inter had not turned up yet.
Everything changed in the second half as Inter took control. This despite having to move Dino Bovoli out to the wing due to injury.
They pulled a goal back in the 51st minute. Argentinian-born Attilio Demaría beat Uber Gradella after a good through ball by Vitorio Casaretti, 2-1.
The Italo-Argentinian (he won 1934 World Cup with Italy) then equalised in the 79th minute when he got his double and Inter's second by volleying into the back of the net after a scramble in the Lazio area, 2-2.
Inter were by now completely in charge and would have gone on to win the game were it not for a few good Gradella saves, especially on Aldo Campatelli.
Final score 2-2. A strange game with Lazio on top in the first 45 minutes only to then disappear and allow the visitors to do as they pleased in the second.
Lazio were now 9th, on 5 points with Genova while Inter were 6th, on 6 points with Fiorentina, Milano, Juventus and Torino.
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Popovic
Who played for Ambrosiana Inter
Caimo, Bovoli, Landolfi, Battaia, Pozzo, Campatelli, Casaretti, Cominelli, Guarnieri, Demaría, Candiani
Manager: Fiorentini
Referee: Galeati
Goals: 16' Romagnoli, 21' Romagnoli, 51' Demaria, 79' Demaria
What happened next
Lazio finished joint 4th with Genoa. In the next 25 games they won 13 (including Bologna 5-1, Triestina 5-0, Liguria 4-0, Juventus 2-1 at home, Inter 1-0 and Milan 5-2 away), drew 6 (including a derby 1-1) and lost 6 (including the other derby 1-2). The top scorer was Piola with 21 goals (18 in A) while Silvestro Pisa got 14. An honourable season for the Biancocelesti.
Ambrosiana Inter finished a poor 12th. At the end of March, after the 22nd fixture (0-3 away defeat to Livorno), Fiorentini was sacked and replaced by Hungarian and former Lazio coach Ferenc Molnár. After today's draw they won 6 (including Juventus 4-1), drew 8 (including Milan 2-2) and lost 11 (including Genoa 1-6, Milan 1-2, Juventus 0-4 and Lazio 0-1). The top scorer was Carlo Alberto Quario with 6 league goals.
It was a season influenced by several players having to get involved in the war effort in various forms. The league title went to Roma while Modena and Napoli were relegated..
Let's talk about Aldo Campatelli
Today in our opponents series we will talk about a great midfielder.
Aldo Campatelli was born in Milan, on April 7, 1919.
He made his Serie A debut for Inter at only 17. He started off as a forward but then moved back to midfield.
He stayed at Inter for fourteen seasons (1936-50) establishing himself as one of the best midfielders of his generation. He played 297 league games and scored 39 goals. With the Nerazzurri he won the Scudetto twice (1938, 1940) and a Coppa Italia (1939). His managers in these triumphs were Armando Castellazzi (‘38) and future Lazio Tony Cargnelli (1939, ‘40). One of his teammates was the great Giuseppe Meazza.
In 1950 he finally left Inter and played three seasons for Bologna. He played 46 games in Serie A and scored 7 goals. The Rossoblu finished 6th, 16th and 5th His managers included Edmund Crawford, Raffaele Sansone, Giuseppe Galluzzi, Gyula Lelovics and Gipo Viani. In his last season Campatelli only played 5 league games and he then retired at 34.
He won 7 caps for Italy and took part in the 1950 World Cup.
After retiring he became a coach. In 1954-55 he was with Vicenza in Serie B and won promotion by winning the league.
In 1955-56 he was back at Inter but was replaced after 12 games by former teammate Giuseppe Meazza. Inter then finished 3rd.
In 1956-57 he returned to Bologna. The Felsinei finished 6th.
The following season he was technical director from the 12th fixture onwards at Zenit Modena in Serie B. The Canaries finished 7th.
In 1958-59 he worked for Inter again as a consultant.
In 1959-60 he started the season as Inter coach again but was replaced after 23 games by Camillo Achilli with Inter in 4th position, which would also be their final placement.
From 1962 to 1965 he was Rapallo Ruentes coach. The Ligurians were in Serie D and in three years won promotion, were relegated and then won promotion again to Serie C.
In 1965-66 Campatelli was in charge at L.R Vicenza in Serie A. The Biancorossi had a positive season and finished 6th. The highlight was defeating Milan 1-0 at home. The squad included future Lazio manager Luìs Vinicio (1976-78), who was top Serie A scorer with 25 goals, and former Lazio forward Mario Maraschi (1961-64)
Campatelli's next club were Rapallo Ruentes in 1967 only for some months as he took over during the season and finished 8th in Serie C.
His last club were Genoa. In December 1967 he took over from Livio Fognaro and finished 17th and then stayed up after an endless series of playoffs (7 games…) with 3 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats.
He stayed at Genoa the following season but only until November 4. He was then recalled on December 23 but replaced again on January 20. Genoa eventually finished 6th. Those months with the Grifone were his last as a coach.
Campatelli is a legend at Inter. For 14 seasons he was a pillar of their midfield winning two league titles. He was not a physical midfielder but a slim and elegant player who could play with both feet and had an excellent shot.
He was less successful as a coach but won one promotion to Serie A and two to C plus decent campaigns in A with Bologna and Vicenza. He was not so fortunate with his Inter.
Campatelli died on June 3 1984, in Milan, at 65 years of age.
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