May 18 1947: Lazio Fiorentina 3-0

Lazio Stories
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Lazio Dominate Fiorentina with Commanding Three-Goal Victory

Flamini and Lombardini lead the Biancocelesti as Fiorentina fade after an early setback and a second-half dismissal.

The season so far

In the previous season the teams from Serie A and B had been grouped together and divided into two groups according to geographical location. This was in order to lessen the burden of travel in a devastated country following the end of World War II. Lazio finished seventh. A mediocre season for the Biancocelesti with a terrible first half and a better second.

The manager, Toni Cargnelli had been confirmed and there had been some new entries as far as players were concerned. Defenders Luigi Cassano (Alessandria), Emilio Carton (Verona), midfielders Antonio Sessa (Pro Gorizia) and Luciano Ramella (Como) and forwards Mario Magrini (Pro Gorizia), Bruno Ispiro (Genoa) and Cesare Ferronato (Bassano). There was a lot of optimism, and Lazio were considered a possible outsider.

But this was not to be. The Biancocelesti had not done as well as expected and after the first half of the season they were 10th. Very inconsistent, the Biancocelesti had some good wins (Bologna 3-1, Sampdoria 4-0) but also some bad losses (4-1 against Fiorentina and 5-1 to Torino). After 25 games they were in the relegation zone, but thanks to Enrique Flamini's return they managed to work their way up. They were currently 12th with a three point cushion over the relegation zone.

The match: Sunday, May 18 1947, Stadio Nazionale, Rome

Fiorentina started aggressively: in the 2nd minute, a fine and fast passing move ended with the ball at Angelo Bollano’s feet, but his shot went just wide. From Corrado Giubilo’s goal kick, Salvador Gualtieri passed forward to Umberto Lombardini; the Lazio player broke away before Zeffiro Furiassi stopped him by conceding a corner. Lombardini himself took the corner, and Arduino Romoli could only parry weakly into the path of Enrique Flamini, who struck from ten metres out — not powerfully, but accurately. The Biancocelesti took the lead.

It could be said that the match effectively ended there. Fiorentina reacted weakly, while Lazio controlled the game. They did not particularly excel in any department. In defence, they relied on one man, Gualtieri, while only Flamini provided order, clarity of ideas, and energy. These two were the pillars of an otherwise modest Lazio side.

In the first half, the chances were fairly even. In the 30th minute, Alberto Eliani delivered a long cross and the ball found Pietro Suppi’s head from three metres out. Giubilo was the only one who believed he could reach it: he launched himself into the air and pushed the ball away, earning thunderous applause from the crowd. In the 41st minute, Aldo Puccinelli and Mario Magrini tried to break through, but the ball ricocheted off Fiorentina defenders and reached Flamini, who was stopped; however, it bounced to Lombardini, who volleyed against the post before Eliani finally cleared the danger. Gregorin’s departure from the field deprived the Tuscans of their remaining hopes of equalising.

In the second half, in the 64th minute, came the second goal: from Henglebert Koenig to Puccinelli, then a cross into the centre, where Lombardini beat Furiassi to the ball and scored from two meters out.

In the 71st minute, Fiorentina also lost Augusto Magli, who was sent off by the referee for foul play. From that moment on, Fiorentina no longer crossed the midfield line and conceded a third goal: Koenig passed to Flamini, who unleashed a magnificent shot that struck the underside of the crossbar and went into the net. In the 83rd minute Romolo Alzani hit the crossbar, and in the 88th minute Koenig rattled the outside of the net.

Who played for Lazio

Giubilo, Cassano, Antonazzi, Alzani, Gualtieri, Ferri, Puccinelli, Magrini, Koenig, Flamini, Lombardini

Manager: Cargnelli

Who played for Fiorentina

Romoli, Furiassi, Piccardi, Eliani, Avanzolini, Magli, Marchetti, Bollano, Gregorin, Gritti, Suppi

Manager: Senkey

Referee: Gamba

Goals: 2’ Flamini, 64’ Lombardini, 78’ Flamini

What happened next

Thanks to a good second half of the season Lazio managed to avoid relegation. In the last 13 matches they lost just one and won five, reaching tenth place.

Aldo Puccinelli was the player with most appearances (36) as well as the top scorer with 13 goals.

Let’s talk about Enrique Flamini

Enrique Domingo Flamini was born in Rosario, Argentina, on April 17, 1917.

He arrived in Italy to play for Lazio in 1939 from Argentinian club Racing Avellaneda. In Argentina he was nicknamed 'El Flaco' (thin in Spanish) for his slim physique. In Italy he was known as Enrico or Flacco (a distortion of Spanish).

In his first year at Lazio he impressed for his sheer determination but also for his speed and shooting accuracy. In his first season he played 26 league games with 5 Goals. One of them was in a derby winning triumph beating Roma 1-0 on the 26th May (?!?!). Over the next three seasons he would play 87 league games with 6 more goals.

With the worsening of the World War II situation in 1944 he returned to South America to play for Penarol in Uruguay. The following year he played in Brazil for Cruzeiro.

With the end of the war he returned to Europe and to Lazio. In the 1946-1947 season he was again representing the blue and white Eagles of Rome. He stayed for six consecutive seasons making 158 appearances and scoring 27 goals (reaching double figures in two seasons 1949-50 and 1950-51).

In 1952 he went to Reggiana in Serie C but would only play 3 times. The following season he was back at Lazio but he would not play again. His career ended in 1954-55 when he played 3 games for Terracina, a small coastal town near Rome, in Serie D.

His competitive career had basically ended in 1952 and what a career it was. At Lazio he played 271 games in Serie A, with 43 goals, 11 games in Coppa Italia, with 1 goal 2 games in the Latin Cup and 2 in the Mitropa Cup. So, a grand total of 286 appearances and 44 goals.

His love affair with Lazio did not end when he hung up his boots. In 1960 Flamini started coaching in the Lazio youth sector. In 1960-1961 he was also joint first team manager with Jesse Carver for a brief period. The following year he was deputy manager and then he went back to work in the youth sector for ten years. In the 1970-71 season he was again called to help out and again acted as deputy manager to Bob Lovati after Juan Carlos Lorenzo was sacked. At Lazio he was later in charge of the talent scout staff and continued to be involved in the running of the youth sector. Maybe not on the level of Bob Lovati but Flamini, in various roles, dedicated the major part of his life to Lazio.

Flamini started off his career as a striker but later developed into a classy midfielder. He had style both on the pitch and off it and was always immaculately dressed, with perfectly gelled back hair. On the field he was quick, hardworking, had an excellent left foot and scored goals, even when he played further back as a playmaker. At Lazio he is considered to be one of the greats. He played for Lazio for ten seasons and then stayed at the club in training roles.

He died in Rome in 1982.

Adios y Gracias “Flaco”.

Lazio Career

Season	Total	Serie A	Coppa Italia	Mitropa Cup	Latin Cup
1939-40	28 (5)	26 (5)	2	-	-
1940-41	34 (3)	30 (2)	4 (1)	-	-
1941-42	32 (1)	30 (1)	2	-	-
1942-43	30 (3)	27 (3)	3	-	-
1946-47	24 (4)	24 (4)	-	-	-
1947-48	26	26	-	-	-
1948-49	22 (3)	22 (3)	-	-	-
1949-50	32 (10)	30 (10)	-	-	2
1950-51	35 (10)	33 (10)	-	2	-
1951-52	23 (5)	23 (5)	-	-	-
Total	286 (44)	271 (43)	11 (1)	2	2