The1956 Latin Cup (Italian:Coppa Latina 1956) was the seventh edition of the annualLatin Cup which was played by clubs of theSouthwest European nations of France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. The tournament was hosted by Italy, and the Italian clubA.C. Milan was the winner of the tournament after defeatingAthletic Bilbao by a score of 3–1 in the final match.
The game between the italians and portuguese started evenly, with a slight dominance by the italian side, until the 18th minute, whenMariani opened the scoring. Benfica tried to respond, but in the 40th minuteSchiaffino increased the advantage for the milanese team. In the second half, Benfica came out more aggressively, pressing their opponent, and in the 52nd minute reduced the deficit with a goal fromColuna. After the goal, the portuguese team intensified its search for an equalizer, but, in the 59th minute, from a free-kick taken by midfielderRadice,Schiaffino scored again, making it 3–1. Seven minutes later,Caiado scored again to make it 3–2. Benfica continued to press in search of an equalizer, but a fourth goal from Milan defined the final result.[3]
In the second semi-final, betweenAthletic Bilbao andNice, the spanish team started dominantly and, by half-time, had already built up the result, thanks to two goals in the 13th and 31st minutes, both scored byMarkaida. In the second half, the course of the game reversed, with the french pressing and creating several goal opportunities, withUjlaki having a goal disallowed, but the result did not change, with the spanish team advancing to the final.[5]
Benfica andNice faced each other in the third-place match on July 3rd. The game was refereed byManuel Asensi Martín of theRoyal Spanish Football Federation. The portuguese side started better, dominating and creating the main opportunities of the first half, including a shot byJosé Águas that hit the post. Nice responded with dangerous counter-attacks, but the first-half ended goalless. In the second half, there were no goals, and the match went to extra time. In the first period of extra time, Nice opened the scoring, forcing the lisbon team to seek an equalizer, which came in the 116th minute, forcing a second extra time. In the second extra time, Benfica regained control and in the following minutes, after a quick attacking move,José Águas scored the winning goal.[7]
The final was played on July 4th betweenMilan andAthletic Bilbao. The spanish side started better and dominated the first half with fast, intense and combative football, led by midfieldersMauri andMaguregui. Despite Bilbao's superiority, Milan took the lead in the 25th minute in a fortuitous play, against the course of the match. The Spaniards also wasted two big chnaces, including a header byArtetxe that hit the post. The equalizer came five minutes into the second half, however, Milan reacted calmly and with organization, imposing greater precision in their passing to neutralize the Basque team's speed. This change resulted in two decisive goals: one byDal Monte and another bySchiaffino, the latter near the end of the match. Milan ended up winning 3–1, preventing the Spanish club from repeating their 1955 title.[9]
Italy
Athletic Bilbao
Benfica
Nice
Juan Alberto Schiaffino
François Milazzo
