Fun draw

Simon Basten
Jun 26, 2025
2 min read

Season 1920-21

Game 4, Interregional semifinal group, First Category

Sunday, June 26, 1921

Campo della Rondinella, Rome

Lazio Naples 4-4

Lazio come from behind to draw their final game of the season

Lazio managed to achieve second place in the Rome National Championship group, five points behind Fortitudo, who had won all of the games except one, and five ahead of Juventus Audax. The Biancocelesti had won 10 games, lost only twice (Fortitudo at home and Juventus Audax away), and drawn twice (Fortitudo away and Vittoria). They qualified for the centre-south semi-final group and were paired with Livorno and Naples.

Alas they had lost all three of their games. Livorno had won all of theirs and were mathematically in the final where they would meet Pisa in a Tuscan derby.

Lazio and Naples had nothing left to say for this season.

The match

The appointed referee did not show up. By mutual agreement, the two clubs accepted that the match would be officiated by Mr. Bellucci.

The game began with both teams playing cautiously, but in the 6th minute Giuseppe Fioranti unleashed a powerful shot toward the Naples goal. Goalkeeper Guido Cavalli parried it into the path of Alessandro Varini, who had no difficulty tapping the ball into the net.

Lazio continued to press forward, but in doing so left themselves exposed, and in the 29th minute Ernesto Ghisi finished off a lightning-fast counterattack to score.

The Biancocelesti were not discouraged and resumed their dominance. In the 34th minute Varini took a corner kick, and Fioranti timed his run perfectly, beating Cavalli with a decisive finish.

Naples responded vigorously, first equalising through Vincenzo Valente and then, just before halftime, taking the lead through Carlo Bruschini II.

After the restart, Naples tried to control the match but still looked dangerous going forward, and the speedy Ghisi scored in the 54th minute to make it four goals for the Neapolitans.

At this point Lazio had nothing to lose and threw the entire team into attack. Their courage was rewarded because, after several miraculous saves by Cavalli, Aldo Fraschetti pulled one back in the 56th minute, and the young Dante Filippi secured the equaliser for Lazio in the 78th minute.

Who played for Lazio

Bernardini, Saraceni II, Dosio, Orazi I, Parboni, Orazi II, Varini, Raffo, Fioranti, Filippi, Fraschetti