May 14, 1933: Lazio Pro Vercelli 2-1

Simon Basten
May 14
4 min read

Piola defused

Lazio’s defence cancels Piola as they beat Pro Vercelli thanks to Gabriotti and Guarisi

The season so far

The previous season Lazio had arrived 13th. It was a disappointing year; the club had signed quite a few South America “oriundi” and had hoped for a much better result. Unfortunately, the new foreign players were unaccustomed to following tactics, so it was not easy. Manager Amilcar Barbuy had had several problems and at the end of the season left and went back to Brazil. He was replaced by Austrian Karl Strumer.

The summer transfer session had seen a lot of changes. In came defender Armando Bertagni (Salernitana), midfielder Pietro Buscaglia (Vigevano) and forwards Antonio Bisigato (Bari) and Leonizio Fantoni III (Cruzeiro). Among the players leaving Lazio were Orlando Tognotti (Terni), Mario Malatesta (Milan), Aldo Spivach (Padova) and Carlo Cevenini V (Pisa).

At the end of the first half of the season Lazio were 12th. They had beaten Ambrosiana Inter away and had won the derby. They were currently 10th.

The match: Sunday, May 14, 1933, Stadio PNF, Rome

Lazio began at full speed and Francesco Gabriotti immediately shaved the crossbar with a shot. In the 3rd minute they scored. Free kick taken by Joao Fantoni I and Gabriotti, ball to Octavio Fantoni II, quick pass to Piero Pastore and it was 1-0 for the Biancocelesti.

Lazio did not stop here and Natale Balossino was forced to a difficult save anticipating Enzio Enrique Serafini. His teammate Mario Zanello in the 12th minute almost caused one of the most classic of own goals but the Piedmontese keeper managed to avoid the “brutta figura”.

The Biancocelesti, despite dominating play slowed down a little bit but this did not make much difference to Pro Vercelli. Their star player, Silvio Piola, was always surrounded by defenders and could hardly move. But he still managed to make his presence known to Ezio Sclavi. In the 34th minute the legendary keeper was forced to save a shot from Piola and a minute later he was again called to action after an Enrico Cerutti-Piola one-two.

In the 50th minute Mario Ardissone was forced to leave the field due to injury and six minutes later Anfilogino Guarisi made it 2-0 following a masterful play by the entire squad.

It seemed all down hill for the Biancocelesti especially since Pro Vercelli had been practically null up to then, but in the 62nd minute the visitors reduced the deficit. Piola, moved to playmaker after Ardissone’s forfeit, passed to Cerutti who saw Luigi Bajardi in an excellent position. Ball to him, quick shot, nothing Sclavi could do.

Pro Vercelli put pressure on the Lazio defence but did not really create anything dangerous. The Biancocelesti could have scored their third with Guarisi in the 75th minute and Pastore in the 82nd on the counter attack, but the Vercelli keeper made two excellent saves.

Good win for the Biancocelesti. Silvio Piola looked to be a very interesting player …

Who played for Lazio

Sclavi, Bertagni, Del Debbio, Serafini, Tonali, Fantoni II, Guarisi, Fantoni I, Pastore, Gabriotti, Demaria

Manager: Sturmer

Who played for Pro Vercelli

Balossino, Zanello, Dellarole, Lanino, Ardissone, Pretti, Santagostino, Cerutti, Bajardi, Piola, Casalino

Manager: Ara

Referee: Gonani

Goals: 3’ Pastore, 55’ Guarisi, 62’ Bajardi

What happened next

Lazio arrived 10th at the end of the season. They were very inconsistent, losing against weaker teams, but winning against Juventus, Inter, Milan and Roma. The potential was certainly there to do better.

Enzio Enrique Serafini was the player with most appearances (33) and Joao Fantoni I the leading goal scorer (11).

Let’s talk about Anfilogino Filò Guarisi

Amphilóquio Marques Guarisi, known in Italy as Anfilogino Guarisi, nicknamed Filò, was Lazio’s first World Champion.

Born in São Paulo on December 26, 1905, from Italian immigrant parents, he started his football career with Portuguesa where he played from 1921 to 1925 with 80 appearances and 41 goals. In 1925 he signed for Paulistano and in 1926 was top scorer in the Campeonato Paulista. After 90 games and 46 goals, he moved to Corinthians and won three consecutive titles (1928, 1929 and 1930).

In 1931 he signed for Lazio. It was the famous Brazilazio made up of many Brazilians with Italian ancestry. In the beginning he did not play so well but this was because he was waiting for a special pair of football boots made especially for him. Once they arrived, he became one of the best players of the Italian Serie A. A fast, little winger, he was a great assist man and had a great shot. He was a classical thorn in the side for opposing teams and had great ball control. His managers always considered him fundamental. He played 135 games and scored 42 goals in five years at Lazio, was captain and much loved by his team mates and fans.

In 1936 he went back to Corinthians and won a Campeonato Paulista in 1937, but came back to Rome in 1938, albeit playing only two games. Again back at Corinthians he played there for a year before signing first with Portughesa Santista and then Palestra Italia where he again won the regional championship.

Guarisi was part of the Italian Nazionale that won the World Cup in 1934. He played one game against the USA. In total he earned four caps with Brazil and six for Italy with one goal. He was the first Brazilian to win a World Cup.

He died in Sao Paulo on June 8, 1974.

Lazio Career

Season	Total appearances (goals)	Serie A	Coppa Italia
1931-32	32 (12)	32 (12)	-
1932-33	29 (6)	29 (6)	-
1933-34	33 (11)	33 (11)	-
1934-35	20 (8)	20 (8)	-
1935-36	21 (5)	18 (5)	3
1937-38	2	2	-
Total	137 (42)	134 (42)	3