Always good to win a derby

Simon Basten
Mar 4, 2024
3 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

Season 1944-45

Game 6, Roman War Championship

Sunday, March 4, 1945

Stadio Nazionale, Rome

Lazio Roma 2-0

A Koenig brace gives the Biancocelesti a special win

The season so far

The previous season had seen Lazio triumph in the Roman War League. This year the Federation decided to organise a Mixed National League with Serie A, B, and C teams. The organisation was left to the Regional Organising Committees and the best teams of each region would face each other for the title. Only the Southern Italian clubs would have played since the northern part of the country was still under fascist rule. The league should have started in November but it was postponed to January 1945.

Initially eight qualified: Lazio, Roma, MATER, Juventus Roma, Ala Italiana, Albaerotecnica, Vigili del Fuoco and Avia. However, the latter two dissolved but some elements of both set up the Italia Libera team. So, there was a need to choose a final eighth participant. In a round robin with STEFER and Trionfale, Trastevere won and qualified.

Today was the 6th fixture. Juventus Roma, Italia Libera and Roma were at the top on 8 points, Lazio were behind on 5 but with one match in hand.

The match: Sunday, March 4, 1945, Stadio Nazionale, Rome

The match unfolded in two clearly contrasting halves, each controlled by the side playing with the wind at its back.

Roma started strongly, asserting territorial dominance, but their advances repeatedly broke down near the penalty area under the steady defending of Renato Ferrarese and Edoardo Valenti. In the opening ten minutes, Amedeo Rega was called into action only once, dealing with a dangerous effort from Enzo Cozzolini.

Roma’s best opportunity arrived in the 24th minute: after a well-timed through ball from Paolo Jacobini, Naim Krieziu met it with a close-range header, but the attempt flew over the bar. The Giallorossi won four corners in the first half-hour and then tried to shake things up by swapping Ermes Borsetti and Cozzolini in attack.

The final minutes before the interval, however, tilted in Lazio’s favour. All told, it was a lively first half—Roma energetic but ineffective in front of goal, Biancocelesti composed and secure in defence. To consider that Rega sprained his right wrist during the first half and could only use one arm. But Roma hardly ever shot at goal.

Lazio struck almost immediately after the restart. In the 46th minute, Costantino De Andreis laid the ball off to Henglebert Koenig, who unleashed a low shot from roughly 25 meters. Cesare Francalancia appeared to have it covered, but the ball slipped through his grasp and trickled between his legs into the net.

Buoyed by the breakthrough, the Biancocelesti pushed forward with conviction. In the 61st minute, Jacobini was forced off following a collision with Petar Manola. He returned around the 75th minute, limping and repositioned on the wing, while Omero Urilli dropped back into midfield. Roma’s difficulties mounted in the 76th minute, when Cozzolini also left the field injured after a challenge with Michele Andreolo.

In the 79th minute, Koenig tested Francalancia again with a powerful drive that the goalkeeper saved impressively. By then Roma had recovered from the shock of the opening goal and managed a brief spell of attacking pressure lasting about ten minutes, though without producing a clear finish.

In the 83rd minute, Lazio sealed the result: Koenig won a challenge with Renato Pastori just beyond the halfway line, surged forward unopposed, and finished confidently past Francalancia to double the lead.

Always good to win a derby!!!!

Who played for Lazio

Rega, Ferrarese, Valenti, Gualtieri, Andreolo, Manfrè, Mancini, Manola, Koenig, Capponi, De Andreis