JUVENTUS 2-3 UDINESE
Juventus: Gaspari; Sarti and Bozzao; Emoli, Bercellino and Castano; Stacchini, Rosa, Nicolè, Charles and Stivanello. Coach: Parola.
Udinese: Zoff; Burelli and Valenti; Sassi, Tagliavini and Del Pin; Pentrelli, Salvori, Rozzoni, Segato and Selmosson. Coach: Foni.
Referee: Varazzani of Parma.
Goalscorers: Selmosson at 10`, Del Pin at 20`, Stacchini at 34`, Charles at 35`, Rozzoni at 76`.
August 27, 1961. The first matchday of the season: Juventus-Mantova ends 1–1. Looking at the Bianconeri lineup, Giuseppe Boniperti`s name is nowhere to be found. The long-serving captain, after securing his fifth personal Scudetto, had decided to retire on a high note, displaying courage equal to the class he always showcased.
It soon became clear on the pitch just how crucial the man with the `magic wand` was for the team`s fortunes, despite Omar Sivori`s attempts to prove otherwise. Omar, who had been the first player in Italian football to win the Ballon d`Or the previous year, alternated between brilliant performances and disconcerting moments, and Juventus suffered greatly from this inconsistency.
Coach Carlo Parola tried to establish an acceptable structure for the team. However, players like the `oriundo` Rosa couldn`t replace Boniperti`s influence. Anzolin took over as the new goalkeeper, and the defense saw many rotations, with even John Charles occasionally deployed as a stopper.
Things weren`t much better in the European Cup. The Bianconeri team was eliminated in the third round by Real Madrid. Yet, Juventus acquitted themselves with honor, forcing a playoff in Paris against the Merengues after securing a memorable victory at the legendary Chamartín Stadium with a goal from Sivori.
Securing only two points in the first four matchdays immediately highlighted the team`s difficulties, and a defeat in the derby effectively put an end to any Scudetto aspirations. Halfway through the season, Juventus found themselves in the middle of the table, accumulating 17 points compared to Helenio Herrera`s Inter with 27.
Sivori`s expulsion in the match against Sampdoria near the end of the season, following a heated confrontation with the referee, underlined the tension within a team that, lacking Boniperti`s leadership, was now also fragile in morale.
A run of one draw and nine defeats in the last ten matches resulted in Juventus finishing the season in twelfth place, a significant 24 points behind champions Milan and just six points above Padova, who were relegated to Serie B.
One of these late-season defeats occurred on the penultimate matchday when Udinese visited the Comunale. The Friulian side was firmly rooted at the bottom of the table and facing certain relegation.
Juventus fielded a team missing several key players, including Mora and Sivori, both suspended. Anzolin was also absent, with Gaspari stepping in as goalkeeper.
In the Udinese lineup, the name of Dino Zoff stood out. He was just over twenty years old at the time. The Udinese attack also featured Swedish international Arne Selmosson, nicknamed `Moonbeam` for his blonde hair.
There`s a peculiar anecdote connected to this particular match involving Dino Zoff. In those years, it was customary for the home team to change their kit if there was a color clash. Thus, Juventus appeared in an elegant black kit. Zoff`s goalkeeper shirt was also entirely black, and the referee requested the young keeper wear a different color. Since Udinese didn`t have a reserve goalkeeper`s jersey (goalkeepers were not mandated to be on the bench according to the rules of that era), the match risked being postponed. To resolve this, the Juventus kit managers intervened and lent Zoff a Juventus shirt – the standard white one with two black hoops around the collar – from which the Scudetto shield and star were quickly unstitched. Dino Zoff couldn`t have known it then, but in April 1962, he wore the first of what would be nearly 500 appearances in a Juventus shirt.
From “STAMPA SERA”
The only positive aspect of this match is, thank heavens, that it`s the last one Juventus played at the Stadium in this peculiar championship. While the Bianconeri had faced difficulties in other seasons, never before had a team dissolved like snow in the sun as they did this year. After the efforts put into the famous matches against Inter at San Siro and against Real Madrid in Spain and Paris, the champion eleven of Italy simply ceased to exist. In the last six matches, they consistently lost both at home and away.
It cannot be said they lacked commitment, nor that they always played poorly. Three consecutive 0-1 results registered in this `black streak` suggest that, at least on an competitive level, the Bianconeri fought; however, when summing up the points, the total is zero, a truly humiliating zero.
The public, who followed the final phase of Juventus`s season with considerable, albeit understandable, absenteeism (yesterday at the Stadium, there were barely 3800 paying spectators with gate receipts just over three million, figures typical of Serie C) – this public, I was saying, no longer even had the energy to be indignant. They simply endured the disappointment of the decisive goal, scored a quarter of an hour from the end by the seemingly inevitable Rozzoni, who always seems to find it easy against Turin teams, and didn`t wait for the final whistle to express mild protests.
A cursed year.
Sivori and Mora, the two `exiles` due to suspension, had returned to Turin that morning from Bardonecchia but were naturally confined to the stands alongside Anzolin, Garzeria, and other first-team members. These absences, however, do not fully explain, or at least only partially explain, the Juventus defeat.
The Turin team took the field in the black shirt that had brought them luck in Madrid when, by beating the Spanish champions 1-0, Juventus had achieved their best result of the entire season. Yesterday, however, the black did nothing to favour the outcome of the contest. In the 10th minute, Selmosson, well-served by the young and promising Del Pin, surprised Gaspari with a sudden shot. Sixty seconds later, a deflection by Stacchini was headed clear by Burelli with the goalkeeper beaten. Udinese held their lead and doubled it in the 20th minute when young Del Pin, a reliable and precise midfielder strong defensively and capable of pushing forward, advanced to the edge of the Juventus area and, with his left foot, curled in a powerful shot. Grazing the post to Gaspari`s right, the ball settled in the net.
Juventus responded with determination. It was evident that each Juventus player`s pride had been stung. Nicolè was ineffective on the day; it was Charles and Emoli, the two best players for the Turin side, well supported by Stacchini and Stivanello, who spurred their teammates into attack. The ever-present Burelli saved again from a Stacchini shot, then the same right winger retrieved a ball from a corner cleared by Udinese and scored from close range. Thirty-fourth minute. A minute later, in the finest move of the day, Emoli passed to Charles who, in full stride and from about twenty meters, unleashed an unstoppable low shot past Zoff.
The teams were level and seemed lacking in aspiration in the second half. The spring sun encouraged a calmer pace, and this invitation was cordially accepted by the twenty-two athletes, while the young referee Varazzini, making a willing debut in Serie A under the watchful eye of his `master` Bellé, intervened with meticulous energy to stifle any hint of a foul. Only John Charles, jostled by a couple of opponents (Segato and Tagliavini took turns marking him), showed some protest, but this was not enough to ignite passion in this end-of-season contest. In the 31st minute, Varazzini saw an irregularity in a firm tackle by Sarti on Selmosson – in our opinion, a fair challenge as the defender clearly played the ball and not the opponent`s foot. In any case, no one protested excessively. While the Juventus players moved back and forth forming the wall, trying to find the regulation nine-meter distance, that old fox Valente seized the opportunity to send a well-judged lob towards Rozzoni. A precise header, and the Juventus defeat became a melancholy reality.
Charles fought with all his power to find the equalizer, but luck was against him. A frustrated header sent the ball far over the goal, just missing the crossbar. Half a minute from the end, Charles found Stacchini free and passed him a ball that struck an Udinese player`s foot. Stacchini was offside, but this intervention by an Udinese player put him back onside. The referee, however, flagged for offside just as the Juventus player scored and disallowed the goal. A final cruel twist in a disastrous match.
Udinese totaled 14 points throughout the entire season, collecting six of them at the expense of the Turin teams (four of which were earned right in Turin). Yesterday, the Friulian team gave further experience to some young players. Goalkeeper Zoff, in his third Serie A match, midfielder Del Pin in his second, and debutant Salvori (eighteen years old, plenty of stamina but naturally limited experience) did not look out of place against their more established opponents. Del Pin, in fact, impressed, notable for the certainty of his interventions, and Zoff also made excellent saves. Segato, alternating between playing as a sweeping defender and marking Charles, was once again among the best, as was Rozzoni (who is reportedly about to move to Roma).
What more can be said about Juventus that hasn`t already been stated and repeated endlessly? It is a team psychologically disarmed; or rather, it`s barely a team at all, as each player gives the impression of fighting solely for himself. Let`s hope they awaken and rediscover their team spirit, at least for the Coppa Italia and Mitropa Cup competitions that still await them.
Sivori and Mora`s recent rest period spent in Bardonecchia ended rather eventfully. Yesterday, driving towards Turin, the players` car, a Fiat 1300 driven by Sivori, was involved in an accident. Fortunately, it resulted in a lot of fright but only minor damage.
Sivori preferred not to discuss it much: “It happened just above Susa. There was quite a lot of traffic, and we were driving in a long queue. Coming out of a bend, another 1300 coming the other way drifted too wide, crossing the white line, and practically ran into us. The driver probably thought they could overtake the car in front, but they couldn`t make it. Anyway, we weren`t hurt at all, although the car was dented all along the side.”
John Charles, meanwhile, was set to leave for Cardiff that morning. In his hometown, he was to be presented with the `Athlete of the Year` award plaque, organised by Scottish newspapers. Charles was expected back on Thursday.
From the locker room news, it`s worth noting the joy of young Del Pin on his Serie A debut and some interesting rumours about upcoming transfers. Udinese officials confirmed that Roma, Bologna, and Genoa had submitted offers for center-forward Rozzoni.
Juventus`s immediate schedule was quite busy. On Wednesday, the reserve team would play the `mini-derby` against Torino, and on Thursday, the first team players were scheduled for a friendly against Casale. The following Sunday, for the final matchday of the season, Juventus would travel to Venice. Then, on April 25th and May 1st, Coppa Italia matches awaited them, while the first round of the Mitropa Cup was scheduled for May 13th.