From Doubt to Destruction
Game 1, Serie A
Sunday, September 30, 1934
Stadio PNF, Rome
Lazio Livorno 6-1
Lazio overcome a sluggish first half to tear Livorno apart after the interval, scoring four unanswered goals to turn a precarious afternoon into a 6–1 triumph
Today was the first match of the season.
The match
The final score suggested an afternoon of complete Lazio domination. The reality, at least for the first 45 minutes, was very different.
On 30 September 1934, an enormous crowd packed the Stadio PNF to watch Lazio take on Livorno, with the home club's cashier presumably delighted by the attendance. Yet by half-time there was little to suggest that the Biancocelesti would eventually record one of the most emphatic victories of the opening weeks of the championship.
At the interval, Lazio led only 2–1, and even that advantage had been achieved with considerable difficulty. Livorno had spent much of the first half looking the more organised and purposeful side, while Lazio struggled to match their opponents for precision, speed and determination.
The opening goal, however, was beautifully constructed.
After 11 minutes, Silvio Piola released Anfilogino Guarisi, who returned the ball to the Vercellese forward. Wando Persia attempted to clear, but the ball struck the knee of the arriving Antonio Bisigato and ricocheted into the net.
Lazio were ahead, but Livorno were not intimidated.
Their response was led by the extraordinary Ulisse Uslenghi, who was proving almost impossible to contain. After a series of dazzling touches, he burst towards goal and managed to squeeze the ball underneath the crossbar. It struck one post, then the other, before finally crossing the line.
There was no doubt about the equaliser.
Three minutes later, however, Guarisi restored Lazio's advantage. Having dribbled past the final defender, the Lazio forward was about to shoot when Uslenghi brought him down with a perfectly clear foul. The referee, Cimberlini, awarded a penalty and Guarisi calmly converted.
Lazio led, but Livorno had arguably been the better team.
Uslenghi was controlling the midfield, while Alfredo Monza and Giovanni Busoni provided Livorno with an effective attacking threat. At the other end, mario Magnozzi and Nicola Ferrara were equally impressive. The visitors repeatedly exposed weaknesses in the Lazio defence.
There were several warnings.
In the 26th minute, Giacomo Blason was beaten by a shot from Coriolano Pontiggia, only for Armando Del Debbio to perform a miraculous headed clearance on the goal line, preventing Busoni from turning the rebound into an equaliser. Blason himself then produced a superb diving save.
The physical intensity was also increasing. A collision involving Armando Bertagni, Attilio Ferraris IV and Busoni left the two Italian internationals on the ground with blood streaming from their faces. Ferraris and Bertagni would continue, but both were heavily bandaged.
At half-time, Lazio had plenty to think about.
The Biancocelesti had struggled badly against a Livorno side that had defended in numbers while somehow also controlling the match. The question was whether Lazio's celebrated attacking line could finally justify its reputation as a “goal machine.”
The answer came almost immediately after the restart.
Something had changed.
Lazio emerged with greater aggression and determination, while Livorno's defensive organisation began to unravel. The visitors were visibly tiring, and Lazio began to impose the superior athleticism and attacking quality that had been missing during the opening 45 minutes.
Eight minutes into the second half, Virgilio Levratto’s ferocious shot crashed against the post.
Two minutes later, Paolo Lami was forced into a difficult save. Then, after a dangerous Livorno attack, Octavio Fantoni II intervened at the last possible moment to dispossess Pontiggia, who had escaped what appeared to be an offside position.
Lazio were now taking control.
Piola soon released Levratto, who found himself only a few metres from goal. Lami somehow managed to keep out his effort.
But Livorno could not survive indefinitely.
Two minutes later, Piola completed the move that had begun with his own intervention, linking with Joao Fantoni I and Guarisi before finishing the attack himself.
3–1.
The match was transformed.
Lazio suddenly played with the confidence that had been absent before the interval. Giuseppe Viani became increasingly influential in midfield, dictating the tempo and helping to suffocate Livorno's most dangerous player, Uslenghi. The visitors, meanwhile, appeared to be running out of energy.
For roughly a quarter of an hour, Livorno were effectively pinned back.
Piola continued to threaten, Guarisi was increasingly dangerous, and the two Fantonis repeatedly found space. Levratto, whose power had already troubled Lami, remained a constant menace.
In the 30th minute came the fourth.
Levratto carried the ball forward before feeding Piola. The centre-forward suddenly shifted the ball towards the right, where Fantoni I met it perfectly and sent his shot beyond Lami.
4–1.
The resistance was over.
Five minutes later, another sweeping Lazio attack produced a fifth. Guarisi delayed his pass before finding Fantoni I, who completed his personal contribution to a remarkable second-half performance.
5–1.
What had looked like a difficult contest at half-time had become a rout.
And Lazio were not finished.
The final goal originated with Viani, who launched a long ball towards Piola. The centre-forward moved out towards the right, reached the byline and sent a cross back into the area. Guarisi had anticipated the move and arrived at speed to finish the attack.
6–1.
The transformation was extraordinary. Livorno had spent the opening period exploiting Lazio's weaknesses; after the interval, those same weaknesses appeared to have migrated to the other end of the pitch. The visitors could no longer contain the movement of Piola,
Guarisi, the Fantonis and Levratto, while Viani increasingly controlled the game from midfield.
For Lazio, it was a victory that said as much about character as attacking quality.
Who played for Lazio
Blason, Bertagni, Del Debbio, Ferraris IV, Viani, Fantoni II, Guarisi, Fantoni I, Piola, Bisigato, Levratto Manager: Alt
Who played for Livorno
Lami, Persia, Monza II, Arcari II, Uslenghi, Garraffa, Neri, Ferrara, Busoni, Magnozzi, Pontiggia Manager: Hansel
Referee: Ciamberlini
Goals: 18' Bisigato, 34' Uslenghi, 37' Guarisi (pen), 64' Piola, 74' Fantoni I, 79' Guarisi, 81' Guarisi
Sources
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