Today in Serie A – February 13, 1949: The Last Derby of the Grande Torino | OneFootball

They didn’t know that that was going to be their last Derby, those brave, maroon-dressed players from the Grande Torino who took the field against Juventus at the legendary Filadelfia Stadium on February 13, 1949.

Torino were a force to be reckoned with in those days, and ready to put Juve to the sword. The Derby della Mole in Turin was an absolute mismatch and not, as a present-day observer would think, in Juve’s favor. The Bianconeri only sat third in the Serie A table, ten points away from the invincible Granata who were once again dominating the Italian league.

Juve featured 21-year-old Giampiero Boniperti upfront, but the young striker (and future Bianconeri legend) was still no match for the more experienced Granata defenders.

It was Torino’s captain Valentino Mazzola’s name day, and he decided to give himself the gift of a special day with a fine assist for Guglielmo Gabetto, who scored the first goal on 17 minutes.

Juventus managed to equalize early in the second half, but it was a short illusion. Torino quickly put two more in the net, setting the score at 3-1. Both goals were scored by Ezio Loik, an Istrian born in Rijeka when the city was still part of the then Kingdom of Italy.

Three months later, the whole Grande Torino squad perished in a plane crash on the Superga hill near Turin. They were on their way back from a friendly game in Lisbon. It was a heart-breaking ending to perhaps the greatest side ever seen in Serie A. One capable of winning five Scudetto in a row in an absolutely dominating fashion.