Lazio dominate but Pro Vercelli’s keeper holds firm

Simon Basten
Oct 27, 2023
2 min read

Season 1928-29

Game 4, National Division, Group B

Sunday, October 28, 1928

Campo Rondinella, Rome

Lazio Pro Vercelli 1-1

Cevenini’s strike cancels out an early Seccatore goal, but Cavanna keeps Vercelli in the game with a string of stunning saves

Lazio’s first three games were all losses: 6-2 against Bologna away, 1-0 home to Brescia and 4-2 at Cremona. Manager Franz Sedlacek was sacked and in came former Lazio legend Fernando Saraceni.

The match

Lazio took control early, dictating the pace for the first twenty-five minutes, though Pro Vercelli rarely looked in serious danger. The Piedmont side tested goalkeeper Ezio Sclavi in the 25th minute after a corner, and a minute later Giuseppe Cavanna parried a dangerous Aldo Spivach shot. At 31 minutes, Cavanna was again on hand to deny a Silvio Griggio effort. The remainder of the first half saw both teams battle in midfield, with goalkeepers largely untroubled.

Early in the second half, referee Casetta — who had overseen the match effectively — sent off Mario Zanello for persistent rough play. Lazio pushed forward, trying to capitalize on the numerical advantage, but in the 10th minute a swift counterattack between Luigi Bajardi and Giuseppe Seccatore allowed the latter to beat Sclavi, helped by a moment of hesitation from Dino Canestri.

Lazio struck back just four minutes later. Carlo Cevenini V, set up by Spivach, unleashed a precise, angled shot from fifteen meters that left Cavanna no chance. The final thirty minutes turned into a relentless Lazio siege on the Vercelli goal. Yet Cavanna stood tall, turning aside three attempts from Spivach, Francesco Rier, and, in a truly spectacular save, Leopoldo Caimmi — keeping his side in the game.

Who played for Lazio

Sclavi, Canestri, Bottacini, Marcacci, Furlani, Caimmi, Cevenini V, Rier, Spivach, Bodrato, Griggio