March 4, 1934: Genova 1893 Lazio 1-2

Sclavi gives Lazio a precious win

Magical saves from Sclavi allow Lazio to win in Genoa

Also on this day:

March 4, 1990, Lazio Inter 2-1. The Biancocelesti beat Inter on the day when Malgioglio returned to Rome, years after spitting on the Lazio jersey.
March 4, 1962, Lazio Napoli 0-0. A free kick from Seghedoni had gone into the goal only to come out of a hole in the net. The goal was not given and Lazio had to stay an extra year in Serie B.

The season so far

The previous season had been pretty anonymous for the Biancocelesti, who despite winning against Juventus, Ambrosiana Inter, Milan and Roma, had thrown away points against lesser teams and arrived 10th. Manager Karl Strumer had been confirmed.

The summer transfers were practically zero. Lazio did not have a lot of money and since the youth teams had done so well, President Remo Zenobi decided to use the youngsters. There were only two major signings: Raggio Montanari from Foggia and Giovanni Battioni from Anconitana, both midfield players.

The Biancocelesti were currently eighth. They had initially not played well and had lost heavily with Milan, Roma and Inter, but since mid-November they had picked up, winning 5 games (including a 4-0 hammering of Milan) and drawing three.

The match: Sunday, March 4, 1934, Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa

It was a beautiful sunny day in Genova and there was a good crowd present. The locals started strongly with three consecutive corners but in the 5th minute Alejandro Demaria had a chance but was anticipated by the goalkeeper. 180 seconds later Joao Fantoni I passed to Demaria who dribbled past Amilcare Gilardoni and Juan Fernando Pratto, ran towards the left and near the spot kick beat Ugo Amoretti with a low powerful but precise shot.

In the 12th minute Genova could have equalised when Giuseppe Ferrari hit the crossbar. They continued to attack but lacked organization so they were unable to create chances. Demaria was again dangerous in the 19th minute after he dribbled past a couple of defenders and found himself once more in front of the keeper but this time he distractedly touched the ball with his hand and the ref was forced to stop him. In the 21st minute Sposito had a chance on a Ferrari cross but his header was weak and Ezio Sclavi saved. In the 26th minute an Alfredo Mazzoni shot went over the crossbar and five minutes later came the biggest chance to equalise for the hosts. Luigi Patri took a shot towards the goal, Sclavi parried but the ball went back to the forward who tried again but Armando Del Debbio managed to save into corner. Sclavi again was called to action on the subsequent corner and a few moments later he saved a Patri shot with his fists. On the cusp of the first half, Genova equalised. Free kick taken by Rodolfo Orlandini; the ball reached Guillermo Stabile who tried a header. He missed, thus wrong footing Sclavi, and the ball went into the goal.

Genova continued to attack in the second half. In the 54th minute Mazzoni tried a shot but Sclavi made an excellent save and three minutes later he tried again but this time it was Del Debbio who cleared the danger.

In the 71st minute Lazio manoeuvred on the right, Anfilogino Guarisi passed to Demaria, the Genova defence were caught unawares, and the Lazio forward made it 2-1.

The Ligurians attacked head down and Sclavi was forced to save on crosses from Ferrari in the 77th minute, Orlandini in the 79th, and on a Mazzoni shot in the 83rd. Again, the Lazio keeper was forced to save on a Mazzoni shot in the 85th minute deflected by Del Debbio and a minute later he saved a Gilardoni header. In the 89th minute Sposito headed towards goal from an Orlandini free kick but the ball hit the woodwork.

Lazio brought the two points back to Rome. A marvellous match by Sclavi.

Who played for Genova 1983

Amoretti, Gilardoni, Pratto, Sala, Pastorino, Orlandini, Patri, Esposto, Stabile, Mazzoni, Ferrari

Manager: Nagy

Who played for Lazio

Sclavi, Bertagni, Del Debbio, Montanari, Tonali, Fantoni II, Guarisi, Fantoni I, Demaria, Buscaglia, Remigi

Manager: Sturmer

Referee: Bonivento

Goals: 8’ Demaria, 44’ Orlandini, 71’ Demaria

What happened next

The club’s main objective for the 1933-34 season was to avoid relegation, consequently the modest 10th place achieved the desired result. The highlights were drawing 2-2 against the mighty Juventus and beating Milan 4-0. Lazio lost 8-1 to Ambrosiana (but had been reduced to 9 men due to two injuries, with no possibility at the time for substitutions) and 5-0 to Roma, but got a partial revenge in the return match when trailing 0-3 they managed to draw with an Alejandro Demaria hat- trick.

Armando Bertagni and Anfilogino Filò Guarisi were the players with the most appearances (33). Filò was the top scorer with 13 goals.

Let’s talk about Raggio Montanari

Raggio Montanari was born on May 12 1912 in Reggio Emilia.

He was a midfielder and began playing for Reggiana, debuting in the National Division (the first tier of the time) in the home game against Lazio on January 13, 1929. At the end of the season his club was relegated to Serie B and in the following one they went down again. He continued to play there until 1931 when he signed for Foggia in Serie C where he made 64 appearances with 24 goals. His good performances in Puglia allowed him to move to Serie A and sign for Lazio. He made 17 appearances with the Biancocelesti with three goals and Lazio arrived 10th.

He then went back to Foggia for a season in Serie B and then signed for Livorno where he played for three years, winning a promotion to Serie A in 1936-37. After a final year in Tuscany, he then went on to play three seasons for Modena, two of which in Serie A. His final two years of active football were with Reggiana in Serie B, though he rarely played, and Padova again in the second tier.

He died in Milan on May 2, 1987.

Lazio Career

Season	Serie A appearances	Serie A Goals
1933-34	17	3

Sources

Il Messaggero

Wikipedia