Lazio demolish Fortitudo
A Saraceni hat trick sweeps away Fortitudo. Other goals came from Furia and Bernardini
Also on this day: April 2, 1939, Liguria Lazio 0-1. Lazio win in Genoa with a Vettraino goal. Player of the day: Giovanni Riccardi
The season so far
The 1921-22 season was a rather complicated one due to the schism in the Italian Football Federation which led to the creation of the Confederazione Calcistica Italiana (CCI – Italian Football Confederation). The clubs had asked for a cut in the number of football teams participating in the league and Vittorio Pozzo, who will be future Italian Coach winner of two World Cups, had devised a plan but this had been refused by the Federation. Therefore the major clubs had formed their own federation (CCI) and had organised their own league. Lazio joined the major clubs.
The CCI championship was divided into two Leagues, a northern one and a southern one. The latter included the clubs of Lazio, Campania, Marche, Puglia and Sicily. After a semi-final group with the winners of all the regions, the winner would then meet the winner of the Northern League in the final.
There were nine teams in the Lazio group and the Biancocelesti were not doing well. They were fourth and far behind the leaders Fortitudo. The main problem was that they were playing badly and hence not scoring as much as they used to do the in past. Today’s game, which should have been the last match of the National Championship but Lazio had two games in hand, would have no impact on the final table whatever the score.
The match: Sunday, April 2, 1922, Campo della Rondinella, Rome
The game was played mainly at midfield and there Lazio was far stronger than their opponents. The Biancocelesti scored in the 13th minute with a great goal from Giuseppe Furia following a free kick. Four minutes later Lazio made it two. Huge scrum in front of the Fortitudo goal and Luigi Saraceni II was quick in sending the ball in the back of the net. In the 26th minute the Biancocelesti scored again with Saraceni with a tap in after a Vittori save. By the end of the first half Fulvio Bernardini had made it 4-0.
In the 67th minute Saraceni advanced towards the penalty box and once he was in he was fouled by a Fortitudo player. It should have been penalty, but the Lazio forward got up, dribbled another defender, and scored his hat trick.
At this point the Biancocelesti called it a day and Fernando Canestrelli scored two goals, the first on a penalty, to lessen the humiliation.
A good win for Lazio who demonstrated what they could have done during the season if they had been more focused.
Who played for Lazio
Salineri, Saraceni I, Dosio, Faccani, Parboni, Orazi I, Saraceni II, Filippi, Ottier, Bernardini, Furia
Manager: Baccani
Who played for Fortitudo
Vittori, Lommi, Ferraris, Sansoni II, Ferraris IV, Sansoni III, Sansoni IV, Bramante, Bianchi, Alessandroni, Canestrelli.
Goals: 13’ Furia, 17’ Saraceni II, 26’ Saraceni II, 40’ Bernardini, 67’ Saraceni II, (minute of goal not known) Canestrelli (pen), 70’ Canestrelli.
What happened next
Lazio ended up fourth in a disappointing season. They did however win the Canalini Cup and the reserves championship. Interestingly enough, starting from this season, the Lazio star player Fulvio Bernardini began to play centre-forward instead of goalkeeper and the results would be seen in the next season when Lazio reached the championship final.
Augusto Faccani and Spartaco Orazi topped the appearances (19) and Dante Filippi was top scorer with 10 goals.
Fortitudo would go on to reach the final this season and lose to Pro Vercelli. Five years later, they would merge with Alba Audace and Roman to create AS Roma.
Lazio 1921-22
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals Scored |
Prima Divisione | 16 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 35 |
Canalini Tournament | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | 8 |
Total | 19 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 43 |
Top Five Appearances
Player | Total | National Championship | Canalini Tournament |
Faccani | 19 | 16 | 3 |
Orazi I | 19 | 16 | 3 |
Filippi | 18 | 16 | 2 |
Parboni | 18 | 16 | 2 |
Saraceni I | 17 | 14 | 3 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Total | National Championship | Canalini Tournament |
Filippi | 10 | 10 | - |
Bernardini | 6 | 6 | - |
Varini | 4 | 4 | - |
Fioranti | 4 | 3 | 1 |
Saraceni II | 3 | 3 | - |
Let's talk about Luigi Saraceni II
Luigi Saraceni was born in Rome on September 28, 1903.
Younger brother of Fernando Saraceni, one of the legendary figures of the early Lazio days, he started playing for the Biancocelesti in 1921. For three years he played alongside his brother (together they reached the National Championship final of 1923), and was one of Lazio’s more talented players. Perhaps not as technical as his brother, he however was more powerful and had a greater resistance.
He played 105 games for Lazio and scored 8 goals. Once he stopped playing he worked for the club in various roles even when there were difficult times from a financial point of view.
He died in Rome on April 20, 1972.
Sources