Semi-finals reached
Lazio beat Serie B Marzotto but not without difficulty and qualify for the Coppa Italia semi-final
Also on this day: September 6, 1992, Sampdoria Lazio 3-3. Signori presents himself to the Lazio fans with a brace against Sampdoria. He could be better than Ruben Sosa after all. Player of the day: Renato Buso
Coppa Italia 1958
For today we will concentrate on what happened in the Coppa Italia of 1958.
The Coppa Italia was played in the solar year and for the first time since the end of World War II. The Serie A, as usual when there was a World Cup, had been anticipated by three weeks to allow the Nazionale to train before the competition. However, without Italy’s participation, there was a need to “invent” something for the Italians to think about, so, instead of launching the Coppa Italia in the 1958-59 season as initially planned, they decided to fill the June gap with the new cup.
All Serie A teams were invited with the exception of Atalanta, involved in a case of possible corruption, and Verona, who had a playoff with Bari, plus the best 8 of Serie B and Serie C. The 32 teams were divided into 8 groups of four. The winners would play the quarterfinals in September and automatically qualify for the first knockout round in the next Coppa Italia.
Lazio started the cup with a number of changes. Fulvio Bernardini, former 1920s Lazio player, returned to manage the team. Only a couple of years earlier he had won a historic scudetto with Fiorentina so there were high hopes that the new boss could take Lazio to a higher level.
Unfortunately, the club was forced to sell their star player, Arne Selmosson. Alas, the highest bidders were Roma and despite various attempts to boycott the transfer, plus the fact that the Swede was not really that happy to play for the other Rome team, Selmosson was sold to Roma.
New players arrived and were immediately thrown in the team to play the Coppa Italia: Idilio Cei (goalkeeper from Foligno), Claudio Bizzari (forward, Fiorentina), Carlo Tagnin (midfielder, Alessandria), Maurilio Prini (forward, Fiorentina), Giacomo Del Gratta (defender, Zenit Modena) and Egidio Fumagalli (midfielder, Novese). Later on Franco Janich (defender, Atalanta), Bruno Franzini (midfield, Genoa) and Paolo Carosi (Tivoli midfield) also arrived.
Lazio were in Group H together with Roma, Palermo and Napoli. Whoever came top proceeded to the quarterfinals.
In the first game Lazio demolished Palermo 5-1 with a Humberto Tozzi hat trick and goals from Renzo Burini and Alfredo Napoleoni. Game two saw the Biancocelesti beat Napoli 3-1 (Tozzi double plus Tagnin). Game three was the derby which saw Lazio win away 3-2 (another Tozzi double and Bizzarri). In game four Lazio drew at Palermo 2-2 (Tozzi, Renzo Burini) and in the fifth game the Biancocelesti demolished Napoli away 4-0 (Burini brace, Ugo Pozzan and Bizzarri). In the last game of group stage Lazio drew 1-1 with Roma (Tozzi the scorer). Lazio won their group and proceeded to the next stage which was played in September.
Marzotto, the only team from Serie B to qualify, had surprisingly won their group ahead of Triestina, Udinese and Ravenna.
A big opportunity for Lazio.
The match: Saturday, September 6, 1958, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
First match of the season for Fulvio Bernardini’s Lazio and immediately decisive. There was a lot of curiosity on how the Biancocelesti would play.
In the 13th minute Lazio went ahead. After a good save by Bob Lovati on a Giovanni Rovatti shot, Humberto Tozzi gave a splendid assist to Edgidio Fumagalli who beat Roberto Anzolin.
Marzotto found the equaliser in the 24’ minute. Gianni Tibaldo sent a long pass, one-two Fulvio Mosca-Pietro Biagioli, ball to the winger Giorgio Rumignani who passed to Rovatti who gave it such a whack that Lovati was unable to keep it out of the goal.
Lazio put their foot on the accelerator and the Marzotto keeper was forced to make several saves on shots from Claudio Bizzarri, Tozzi and Fumagalli. In the 32’ minute, Ugo Pozzan passed to Fumagalli in the box who crossed for Tozzi. Fantastic volley, 2-1 for Lazio.
That was basically it for the game. In the second half the Biancocelesti controlled the match trying to get used to the new style of play, very similar to how Bernardini used to organise Fiorentina. Bizzarri and Maurillio Prini did have a few chances but squandered them. Marzotto were too inferior to try anything to get back in the game.
All in all, a good game.
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Bernardini
Who played for Marzotto
Anzolin, Ruffinoni, Padulazzi, Sacchiero, Porrà, Tibaldo, Rumignani, Rovatti, Biagioli, Mosca, Rosato
Manager: Senkey
Referee: Marchese
Goals: 13’ Fumagalli, 24’ Rovatti, 32’ Tozzi
What happened next
In the semis, Lazio had to play against Juventus, a very difficult game. Juventus had a super attack with Giampiero Boniperti, John Charles and Omar Sivori, but the Biancocelesti won 2-0, again with goals from Fumagalli and Tozzi. In the other semi-final Fiorentina beat Bologna 4-2.
The final was therefore between Lazio and Fiorentina at the Stadio Olimpico and the Biancocelesti won with a Maurilio Prini goal. The first silverware for the club, 58 years from their foundation. Captain Bob Lovati lifted the cup. A marvellous achievement seeing that they were certainly not the strongest team. Manager Fulvio Bernardini was finally able to win something with the team he played for as a youngster.
Lazio Coppa Italia 1958
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Coppa Italia | 9 | 7 | 2 | - | 23 |
Appearances and goals
Player | Appearances | Goals |
9 | - | |
9 | 2 | |
9 | 10 | |
9 | 1 | |
8 | - | |
8 | - | |
8 | 1 | |
7 | - | |
7 | 2 | |
6 | 1 | |
6 | 5 | |
3 | - | |
3 | - | |
2 | - | |
2 | - | |
2 | - | |
2 | 1 | |
1 | - | |
Dante Castellazzi | 1 | - |
Let's talk about Humberto Tozzi
Mad. Crazy. Lazy. Genius. These are four of the many words which fans and media used when they had to describe Humberto Tozzi. A centre-forward with great potential, he did not like training much and sometimes did not even feel like playing, but he could change the course of a game in a second.
To help understand the type of player he was, we can take as an example the game against Bologna on December 21, 1958. Humberto literally did not move for the entire game. If the ball came his way, he just let it pass. The entire Stadium was booing him and manager Bernardini did not know what to do (at that time you could not substitute players). Lazio fell behind at the end of the first half. In the 78th minute, quite by chance, the ball hit him and he woke up. He got the ball, dribbled the entire Bologna defence, then the goalkeeper, and equalised. Ball back to the centre of the pitch, Tozzi got the ball and repeated what he did for the first goal. 2-1 for Lazio. Tozzi triumphs!!!
His career is interesting. Born in São João de Meriti near Rio de Janeiro on April 4, 1934, he started showing potential in Rio de Janeiro’s team São Cristóvão in 1950 and at 18 he was called up to represent Brazil at the Helsinki Olympic Games, where he scored the first ever Brazilian goal at the Olympics.
Back home, in 1953 he moved to Palmeiras where he won the golden boot of the Sao Paulo league. He was called up by the national team against Chile and played in the qualifiers for the 1954 Swiss World Cup. In the latter he played just one match, the last, when Brazil were eliminated by Hungary and he was also sent off. He won the golden boot again in 1954. In 1955 he scored his first and only goal for Brazil.
Lazio bought him from Palmeiras in 1956 and declared him oriundo (an immigrant with Italian ancestry, therefore not considered a foreign player). The Italian Federation was not particularly convinced but, in the end, Tozzi played his first game for Lazio in December.
He was a fundamental part of the Lazio team and formed a spectacular attacking partnership with Selmosson. He often had disagreements with managers, was always late for training, loved spending money and loved partying. But he did score goals and was an exceptional player, so everything was forgotten and forgiven.
He played 103 games for Lazio (92 in Serie A and 11 in Coppa Italia) and scored 45 goals (32 in Serie A and 13 in Coppa Italia). He was a key member of the team that won the Coppa Italia in 1958, Lazio’s first ever national trophy.
He went back to Palmeiras in 1960, after refusing to be sold to Torino and despite Lazio offering him a big increase in wages. He won the Brazilian national championship in 1960 and was runners-up in the Copa Libertadores the following year. Later in his career he played for Fluminense, Portuguesa and Olaria.
He died in 1980, at 46 years of age.
He will always be remembered as one of Lazio’s legendary players.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
1956-57 | 19 (9) | 19 (9) | - |
1957-58 | 31 (16) | 25 (7) | 6 (9) |
1958-59 | 37 (18) | 33 (14) | 4 (4) |
1959-60 | 16 (2) | 15 (2) | 1 |
Total | 103 (45) | 92 (32) | 11 (13) |
Sources
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