For the past couple of weeks SempreInter.com’s new editorialist, Richard Hall, has taken a look back at the glorious history of Inter by highlighting a certain match, hero or any other event in Inter’s history worthy of being labelled Nerazzurri Classic’s. Ahead of Sunday’s home fixture against Catania, Richard looks back at a fixture between the two teams which if shown on TV, it would have been in black & white.
In the 1953/1954 season Inter were crowned Champions of Serie A and were enjoying the spoils of their achievement. One year later and things had started to go wrong, mainly because their city rivals Milan had Gunnar Nordahl firing on all cylinders. Highlights were few and far between but the game against Catania was one to remember.
Catania were certainly the new boys in the division and were looking to try and mix it up with the big teams on the main land. Inter provided a fine team with players like Lennart Skoglund, Marco Savioni and Benito Lorenzi and although the season was tough for the defending Champions hopes were still high.
The game was dominated by Inter from the off and the opening goal was one worthy of the Champions they were. A fierce ball across the box saw Savioni knock a difficult back waits height on the edge of the box. The crowd thought the chance had gone until Skoglund contorted his body to twist into an unnatural position and in turn smashed a ball on the volley into the net using the outside of his foot. It was a goal that would have been replayed over and over again in Serie A today, lest mot forget the weight of the ball.
The second goal was not long coming; the only surprise was that it had not come much earlier. This time it was Marco Savioni who, not happy with only an assist decided it was his turn to get in on the action. The ball was whipped across his body and even though his back was to goal he positioned himself quickly and smashed the ball low past the goalkeeper in spectacular fashion.
The final goal also came from the predator Savioni as he proceeded to assert himself for a man of the match contender. The goal came when a badly misjudged clearance fell to Rosa Franco who volleyed it into the keeper’s midriff; fortunately Savioni was at hand to finish it off with his typical ruthless efficiency.
The game was a formality and Inter marched on. The problem for the Nerazzuri was that this was one of few high points in the season and they finished a disappointing eight. Catania on the other hand finished what seemed to be a respectable 12th, but were still relegated along with Udinese Serie B by the FIGC for a corruption case.
