Force 3 Lazio
The Biancocelesti sweep away Ideale Bari and go top
Also on this day: May 20, 2009, Lazio Reggina 1-0. A Zarate goal is the final nail in the coffin for the Calabrians who go back to Serie B. Player of the day: Ettore Mendicino
The season so far
In the summer Lazio had had to say goodbye to Giuseppe Fioranti and Carlo Maranghi who had been among Rome’s pioneers as far as football was concerned. They were replaced by Ettore Agazzani and Ottavio Regazzoni who were doing their military service in Rome.
The 1922-23 season saw the participation of 56 teams divided into a Northern League and a Southern one.
In the North, the 36 teams were divided into three groups of 12 with the top club moving to the semi-final stage. Pro Vercelli won Group A, Genoa Group B and Padova Group C. These three teams would now have to face each other in a final group to determine who would play the national final.
In the South there were four groups: Campania with 5 teams, Lazio with 6, Apulia with 5, Sicily with 3 and Marche with one team that went directly to the semi-final group.
Savoia and Internaples qualified for Campania, Pro Italia Taranto and Ideale Bari for Apulia, Libertas Palermo for Sicily and Anconitania for Marche.
As far as the Lazio group was concerned it had been a battle between Lazio, Alba and Fortitudo. By battle, we really mean battle, since there were brawls on the pitch, between fans and even referees joined in. Some of the matches had to be suspended and repeated. Lazio won their group by winning 8 games, drawing one and losing one against US Romana. Alba were the other team to qualify for the next phase.
The qualifiers were divided into two groups of four. Lazio were paired with Ideale Bari, Libertas Palermo and Internaples. They started off very well winning the first two games, 4-0 against Internaples at home, and 3-2 away at Palermo.
Ideale Bari had also won their first two games. The match at Bari was fundamental.
The match: Sunday, May 20, 1923, Campo San Lorenzo, Bari
A lot was at stake and the two teams studied each other for the majority of the first half. Nothing really happened until the 40th minute. Pio Maneschi passed the ball to Fulvio Bernardini who, just outside the box, took a powerful shot at goal. 1-0 for Lazio.
In the second half, the Biancocelesti made sure Ideale could make no attempt to try anything and in the 67th minute Aldo Fraschetti sent a wonderful pass to the centre of the box and Bernardini scored his double.
In the last minute of the game Lazio made it three. Luigi Saraceni’s powerful whack from outside the Ideale penalty box first bounced off Bernardini and then a Bari defender and went into the back of the net.
Great win for Lazio, now top of the table.
Who played for Ideale Bari
Sebastiani, Lomienti, Turchiarulo, Alboreto, Vacca, Piscopo, Ugenti (IV), Maselli, Guidobaldi, Solfrizi, Geruzzi.
Who played for Lazio
Agazzani, Saraceni I, Dosio, Nesi, Parboni, Orazi I, Fraschetti, Filippi, Bernardini, Maneschi, Saraceni II
Manager: Baccani
Referee: Alfieri
Goals: 40’ Bernardini, 67’ Bernardini, 89’ Saraceni II
What happened next
Lazio topped their group winning every game (including beating Libertas Palermo 10-2 and Ideale Bari 6-0). In the Southern final Lazio had to play Savoia. They drew 3-3 in Campania and won 4-1 at home.
For the national final Lazio played against Genoa. Impossible for the Biancocelesti to win, the difference between the two teams was enormous, 10 of Genoa’s players were in the Nazionale. Lazio lost 4-1 away and 2-0 at home. However it was a great achievement for the Biancocelesti.
Lazio’s top scorer was Fulvio Bernardini with 20 goals.
Lazio 1922-23
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
First division | 20 | 15 | 2 | 3 | 65 |
Top five appearances
Player | First Division |
Agazzani | 20 |
Saraceni I | 20 |
Fraschetti | 20 |
Filippi | 20 |
Bernardini | 20 |
Maneschi | 20 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | First Division |
Bernardini | 20 |
Filippi | 15 |
Maneschi | 14 |
Regazzoni | 4 |
Fraschetti | 3 |
Let’s talk about Augusto Parboni
Augusto Parboni was born on February 24, 1900 in Rome. He was an excellent defender and one of the best players Lazio had in those years. He was elegant and had a good insight into the game.
He started playing football in the youth teams of Pro Roma but after the first World War was better known as an athlete. He won the 800m steeple-chase of Rome and the two-man 800m relay in 1918.
He joined Lazio in 1920 and played until 1927 with 83 appearances and six goals. He was part of the team that reached the national finals in 1923. He was probably the player who wrote a letter to the Director of the magazine Il Calcio complaining about the way Lazio had been treated by the media, who were already celebrating Genoa’s victory even before the beginning of the contest. Some things never change!!!
He got a degree in Medicine after he quit football and began to work as a journalist. In 1927 he even challenged Umberto Gentili, director of the journal Rivistissima, to a duel over a dispute. The Swordfight ended with a win for Parboni.
Parboni died in Rome on July 12, 1984.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | National Championship | First Division | Other |
1920-21 | 10 | 10 | - | |
1921-22 | 18 (1) | 16 (1) | 2 | |
1922-23 | 17 (1) | 17 (1) | - | |
1923-24 | 13 | 13 | - | |
1924-25 | 14 (1) | 14 (1) | - | |
1925-26 | 9 (2) | 9 (2) | - | |
1926-27 | 2 (1) | - | 2 (1) | - |
Total | 83 (6) | 79 (5) | 2 (1) | 2 |
Sources