THE MEETING OF THE LATIN SISTERS
— Gabriel Hanot | 29/05/1924 —

At the Antwerp Games, Denmark, twice runners-up in the Olympic Football Tournament (in London in 1908 and in Stockholm in 1902), and the big favorite in the 1920 competition, was eliminated in the first round, 1 goal to 0, by Spain, an underdog that no one expected. On Sunday, at the Colombes stadium, Spain, one of the favorite nations in the 1924 Games, was knocked out in its first match by Italy, whose chances seemed irretrievably compromised against such a formidable opponent. Such is sport!

The Colombes match was, moreover, one of the most moving we have ever seen. No phase was indifferent, even the beginning, where both teams, nervous, tense, and overexcited by the importance of what was at stake, played almost in slow motion, without method, without precision, without unity. The spectators, even the most ignorant of sports, then understood the moral importance of the tournament, even though there was nothing at stake other than the simple title of Olympic champion.

Little by little, the game got organized, although a torrential downpour made the pitch slippery and the ball difficult to control. The players were then able to be distinguished and their respective merits assessed. The teams were as follows:

Spain. — Goal: Zamora; backs: Vallana and Pasarin; half-backs: Gamborena, Larraza, and Pena; forwards: Piera, Samitier, Monjardin, Carmelo, and Aguirrezabala.

Italy. — Goal: de Pra; backs: Rosetta and Caligaris; half-backs: Barbieri, Burlando, and Aliberti; forwards: Conti, Baloncieri, Della Valle, Magnozzi, and Levratto.

The characteristics of the match were as follows:

1st: both teams overused the charge, even kicking and tripping. It was clear that they were not willing to hold back; Larraza's sent off was justified, but his opponent, Della Valle, also deserved to be sent off the field;

2nd: the Spanish gave the impression of playing below their level and form; they achieved individual feats, without achieving a coordinated, coherent, or complete game, if one can put it that way. In this respect, the Italians, and especially their attacking line, provided a fine display of excellent passing from man to man, from wing to wing. In short, the Spanish had better technique, and the Italians had better tactics and more esprit de corps;

3rd: overall, the Spanish held a slight advantage. De Pra, the Italian goalkeeper, had much more work to do and was exposed to far greater danger than Zamora. The corners were almost all awarded to the Spanish;

4th: as a corollary to the previous proposition, it can be said, without wishing to diminish their merit in the least, that it was not the Italians who scored the winning goal, but that the Italians owed their success to the Spanish full-back Vallana. The latter, the best player on the pitch, had the misfortune of deflecting a shot from Baloncieri into his own net, which went wide of the goal.