Lazio Run Riot in Seven-Goal Masterclass

Simon Basten
Nov 26, 2023
3 min read

Season 1922-23

Game 2, National League, Southern Division, Lazio Regional Group

Sunday, November 26 1922

Campo Lungotevere Flaminio, Rome

Alba Lazio 2-7

Bernardini dazzles as Biancocelesti crush Alba 7–2 with flair and firepower

The 1922-23 season saw the participation of 56 teams divided into a Northern League and a Southern one.

In the North, the 36 teams were divided into three groups of 12 with the top club moving to the semi-final stage. Pro Vercelli won Group A, Genoa Group B and Padova Group C. These three teams would now have to face each other in a final group to determine who would play the national final.

In the South there were four groups: Campania with 5 teams, Lazio with 6, Apulia with 5, Sicily with 3 and Marche with one team that went directly to the semi-final group.

Savoia and Internaples qualified for Campania, Pro Italia Taranto and Ideale Bari for Apulia, Libertas Palermo for Sicily and Anconitania for Marche.

Today was just the second fixture in the Lazio group. In the first the Biancocelesti had won 3-2 away against Juventus Audax.

The match

Lazio’s clash with Alba began at a furious pace. Barely a minute had passed when Attilio Buratti’s free kick was nodded on by Giovanni Degni into the path of Pierino Rovida, who finished clinically to leave Ettore Agazzani helpless. The Biancocelesti, however, hit back almost instantly: in the 4th minute Augusto Parboni launched Pio Maneschi, whose thunderous strike was parried by Italo Ricci, only for Ottavio Regazzoni to pounce on the rebound and level the score. Moments later, Mattei struck the post as chances flowed freely in a breathless opening.

By the 25th minute, Lazio seized the initiative. Aldo Fraschetti led a counterattack and slipped the ball through to Regazzoni, who raced clear and fired home to put his side ahead. Just six minutes later, a sweeping team move carved open Alba’s defence, setting up Maneschi for a spectacular overhead kick that gave Ricci no chance. The third goal left Alba stunned, and worse was to come.

On 35 minutes, 16-year-old Fulvio Bernardini announced himself in style: dribbling past half the opposition with the ball seemingly tied to his feet, he coolly slotted past the advancing Ricci. Barely two minutes later, Bernardini struck again, unleashing a precise shot from the edge of the box to make it 5–1 before the break.

Alba emerged for the second half with renewed determination and clawed one back in the 55th minute through Degni in a crowded penalty area. Yet Lazio refused to ease up. Just three minutes later, Bernardini danced past his markers once more and teed up Regazzoni, who hammered the ball into the net. The final word belonged to Maneschi, who collected possession near the halfway line, strode forward, and unleashed an unstoppable drive to seal a resounding 7–2 victory for Lazio.

Who played for Alba

Ricci, Torta, Mattei, Matiello, Buratti, Garofoli, Proietti, Rovida, Degni, Moretti, Corbyons

Manager: Piselli

Who played for Lazio

Agazzani, Dosio, Saraceni I, Faccani, Parboni, Orazi I, Fraschetti, Filippi, Bernardini, Maneschi, Regazzoni