Every week SempreInter.com editorialist, Richard Hall, takes 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 the match against Torino, Richard looks back to the 1956/1957 season where Inter beat Torino with 3-0.

When Torino travelled to Milan to face Inter, it certainly was a tale of two goalkeepers. For one it was the best of times, the other the worst. The two teams met on March the 25th and gave the crowd in the San Siro something to remember, for one side however, it was more something they wanted to forget.

Inter in 1956/57 were coached by Luigi Ferrero for most of the season. At the end of the campaign he was replaced (with four games to go) by the legendary Giuseppe Meazza. The Nerazzurri finished third that year which goes to show that even in those days coaches didn’t get much time. President Angelo Moratti even fired and re hired technical director Annibale Frossi this year, an action perhaps linked to their group stage exit in the Fairs Cup.

The Nerazzurri boasted the talents of goalkeeper Giorgio Ghezzi, defender Livio Fongaro, Swedish midfielder (with most appearances) Lennart Skoglund, Argentinian forward Oscar Massei and Swiss born striker Roger Vonlanthen. They also notably had 1982 World Cup winning Coach Enzo Bearzot in their ranks that day.

Torino had had a mixed season and the Executive Committee in charge of their team acted first and thought second. Fiorvante Baldi, Argentinian Antonio Vespucio Liberti and Oberdan Ussello were all fired before Yugoslav Blagoje Marjanovic was put in charge. Who said football was much more simple back then?

These constant changes meant that Torino finished the season in seventh place and despite having players like Swede, Hasse Jeppson, Gino Armano, Argentinian Eduardo Ricagni and Paraguayan Dionisio Arce in their team they still managed to be inconsistent.

When the two teams met late on in that season the Torino squad had were however coming off the back of four straight wins. Triestina, Vicenza and Roma had all been put to the sword before they destroyed Juventus in the Turin Derby 4-1.

Inter kicked off the game and were straight on the attack, the game was only five minutes old when Bearzot smashed a loose ball forward from the half way line, the ball deflected heavily of Torino midfielder Claudio Rimbaldo and flew with pace into the air. Vincenzo Rigamonti in the Torino goal was way too far out of his box and the ball lifted over him and embarrassingly trickled in.
It was 1-0 to Inter but Torino were not going to lie down. From here on in until the 70th minute the away side peppered the Nerazzurri goal. As the rain came down Inter keeper Ghezzi was forced to save well on his near post. Moments later he was called into action again as he had to hold a ball from Armano.
At the end of the first and through the second half the barrage continued as Jeppson first smashed one past the post and then found himself one on one with Ghezzi. He was out quickly and smothered the ball with incredible speed. Next Arce hit a superb shot which produced an incredible reaction save from the Nerazzurri keeper. The crowd witnessed two more superb saves before Inter once again regained a foothold. One of these was a great stop from a clear one on one opportunity.

When the Nerazzurri attacked next it was really against the run of play. Swiss striker Vonlanthen drove a hopeful ball low into the corner; his shot went under the despairing Rigamonti who was having a nightmare game, unlike his opposite number.

Inter found themselves in the Torino box moments later and the legendary Benito Lorenzi jinked and turned in the box before smashing the ball home. There was little the Torino keeper could do with this one.

The quality of the goalkeeping on display on this rainy March day in Milan was poles apart. Two men with equally lonely parts to play had equally different games. Ghezzi had saved Inter whilst Rigamonti had let his colleagues down in dismal fashion.

Inter 3-0 Torino 1956/57