September 18, 1938: Ambrosiana Inter Lazio 1-1
A Promising Start at the Arena
Lazio hold reigning champions Ambrosiana to a 1-1 draw in Milan after taking an early lead through Piola
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had arrived eighth under manager Jozef Violak playing well against stronger teams but dropping points with the weaker ones. For the 1938-39 season Violak (or Viola as he was known in fascist Italy) was forced to insert a number of youth players into the squad such as Corrado Giubilo, Renato Ferrarese, Alessandro Ferri, Armando Palma, Luigi Vettraino, Alessandro Capponi, Armando Longhi and Giuseppe Mancini, because the club had no money. Only Luciano Ramella and Luigi Allemandi arrived whereas leaving were Archimede Nardi (Inter), Luigi Stobbe (Pisa), Benedetto Stella (Fiorentina), Giuseppe Viani (Livorno) and Anfilogino Guarisi (Corinthians). It was not going to be easy to avoid relegation.
Today was the first game of the season and a difficult one, away to the league champions Ambrosiana Inter
The match: Sunday, September 18, 1938, Arena Civica, Milan
Lazio began the 1938-39 Serie A season with an encouraging 1-1 draw against reigning champions Ambrosiana at the Arena Civica, leaving Milan with a valuable point from a match in which the visitors arguably had the better of the first half and could even have claimed victory.
More than 26,000 spectators filled the Arena on a bright September afternoon, expecting the champions to make a strong start to their title defence. Instead, it was Lazio who settled more quickly and looked the more harmonious of the two sides. The visitors were well organised, balanced throughout the team and dangerous whenever Silvio Piola found space in attack.
Ambrosiana made the brighter opening, but their early pressure was short-lived. Lazio gradually took control and began troubling the home defence. At the eighth minute, they took the lead.
An attack appeared to have broken down in the crowded Ambrosiana penalty area, but Piola reacted quickest when a gap opened in front of him. The Lazio centre-forward struck a low shot from around ten metres which took a slight deflection off Setti before evading goalkeeper Giuseppe Peruchetti and finding the bottom corner.
The goal unsettled the Italian champions. Piola soon came close to doubling Lazio's advantage, brilliantly working his way past several defenders before failing to take advantage of another excellent opportunity. Had he found the target, Lazio might well have established a two-goal lead against an Ambrosiana side that appeared strangely short of ideas.
The home side eventually recovered, but their attacking play lacked penetration. Pietro Ferraris II, having moved into a more central position, produced their best moment shortly before half-time, sending a low drive towards the corner. Giacomo Blason responded with an excellent diving save to preserve Lazio's lead.
The second half began with Ambrosiana attempting to change the shape of their attack. Attilio Demaria moved to the left wing, Giuseppe Meazza switched to right-half and Ferraris took over as centre-forward. The changes gave the champions greater attacking impetus, while Lazio increasingly adopted a cautious approach, retreating into a compact defensive shape.
Lazio's midfielders dropped deep, leaving Piola increasingly isolated. Nevertheless, the defence remained composed and Ambrosiana struggled to create clear chances.
The equaliser eventually arrived in the 62nd minute. Ugo Locatelli delivered a free-kick following a foul on Annibale Frossi. Blason came off his line to collect the ball but, with the sun affecting his vision, failed to hold it. Frossi recovered possession and laid it across to Meazza, who calmly rolled the ball into the unguarded net.
The goal brought the match back to life. Lazio immediately responded with a series of attacks, and Piola twice went close with headers as the visitors sought to regain the lead. Their attacking threat remained, but the intensity of the first half had disappeared and neither side could find the decisive breakthrough.
Ambrosiana were dealt another blow when Duilio Setti suffered an injury and was forced to leave the field. Antona dropped back into defence, with Demaria moving into midfield and the home side effectively continuing with four forwards.
Lazio continued to press late on, but the game eventually settled into a draw.
For Lazio, the result represented an excellent opening to the campaign. The visitors had demonstrated greater balance and tactical cohesion than the reigning champions, while Piola looked in outstanding form.
And amid the tens of thousands of spectators, there was even an unexpected interruption: a white cat wandered onto the pitch during the first half and stubbornly refused to leave, briefly becoming one of the afternoon's more memorable protagonists.
Who played for Ambrosiana Inter
Peruchetti, Buonocore, Setti, Locatelli, Olmi, Antona, Frossi, Demaria I, Meazza, Ferrari, Ferraris II
Manager: Cargnelli
Who played for Lazio
Blason, Zacconi, Monza II, Baldo, Ramella, Milano, Busani, Riccardi, Piola, Camolese, Costa Manager: Violak
Referee: Scorzoni
Goals: 8’ Piola, 62’ Meazza
What happened next
After the end of the first half of the season they were fifth together with Genova and had won the “away” derby. After four games of the second round of fixtures, the club gave Violak permission to leave and coach Milano. The new manager was Luigi Allemandi, who hence became player-manager, with Alfredo Di Franco.
At the end of the season Lazio arrived 10th, a comfortable four points above the relegation zone. Perhaps a little more had been expected, but worse was also feared. Silvio Piola was top scorer with only 9 goals, but he had suffered several injuries. Alfredo Monza topped the appearances with 32 games.
Let’s talk about Giuseppe Meazza
Giuseppe Meazza was one of the greatest footballers of the interwar era and the first Italian player to achieve genuine international superstar status. An elegant, technically gifted forward with exceptional dribbling ability, vision and finishing, he was the central figure of the Italian national team that won consecutive World Cups in 1934 and 1938.
Born in Milan on 23 August 1910, Meazza grew up in the Porta Vittoria district of the city. He joined the youth ranks of Gloria F.C. before being recruited by Inter, then known as Ambrosiana, in 1927. He made his first-team debut at just 17 years old during the 1927-28 season and quickly established himself as one of the most exciting young forwards in Italian football.
Meazza's breakthrough came during the inaugural Serie A season in 1929-30. Playing primarily as an inside-forward, he scored 31 goals in 33 league appearances as Ambrosiana won the championship. His extraordinary scoring record immediately made him one of the country's leading players.
He remained the star of the Milanese club throughout the 1930s. Meazza combined extraordinary close control with intelligence and an ability to read the game several moves ahead. Although he was not physically imposing, he was remarkably difficult to dispossess. His repertoire included precise finishing, delicate chips and an ability to beat defenders in tight spaces.
With Ambrosiana, Meazza won three Italian championships, in 1929-30, 1937-38 and 1939-40. He finished as Serie A's leading scorer on three occasions and remains one of the competition's most prolific goalscorers.
His international career was equally remarkable. Meazza made his Italy debut in February 1930 against Switzerland and soon became an indispensable part of Vittorio Pozzo's side. He was a key member of the team that won the 1934 World Cup on home soil. Four years later, despite being well into his twenties and beginning to suffer from physical problems, he captained Italy at the 1938 World Cup in France as Pozzo's team successfully defended the title.
Meazza scored 33 goals in 53 appearances for Italy between 1930 and 1939, making him the national team's record scorer at the time. He also represented Italy in the 1936 Olympic tournament, winning the gold medal.
His club career became more complicated during the late 1930s. A serious injury and circulatory problems limited his availability, and in 1940 he left Ambrosiana after more than a decade with the club. He joined Milan, crossing the city's great divide, before subsequently playing for Juventus, Varese and Atalanta.
Meazza's final playing years were inevitably a shadow of his peak. Nevertheless, his reputation had already been established. He was one of the defining players of Italian football's first golden age and one of the few Italian footballers of his generation whose name became famous beyond the country's borders.
He retired from playing in 1947 and subsequently embarked on a coaching career. He managed several clubs, including Atalanta, Inter, Beskitas, and Pro Patria, and also worked with the Italian national team. However, he never approached the same level of influence from the touchline that he had enjoyed on the pitch.
Meazza died in Lissone, near Milan, on 21 August 1979, two days before his 69th birthday.
His legacy remains particularly strong in Milan. In 1980, San Siro was officially renamed the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza in his honour. It remains one of the rare major European stadiums to bear the name of a footballer.
Meazza's importance, however, goes far beyond the stadium that carries his name. He was the outstanding Italian forward of the period between the two World Wars, a three-time Serie A top scorer, a three-time Italian champion, an Olympic gold medallist and a two-time World Cup winner.
For a generation of Italian supporters, Giuseppe Meazza was the face of football itself.
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