Almost a friendly
Lazio close the season with a goalless draw and an 11th place.
The season so far
The previous year had been a disappointment so a lot was spent on reinforcing the side. Alberto Fontanesi, Pasquale Viviolo and Renzo Burini arrived in the summer and fan favourite Enrique Flamini returned from his spell at Reggiana in the autumn transfer window.
In the first half of the season Lazio were 8th on 17 points, but in the second part there were four consecutive losses between March and April and the Biancocelesti were just one point above the relegation zone. But a few home wins took the team out of trouble so the last games of the season were played in relative comfort.
The match: Sunday, May 30, 1954, Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa
Today’s game was the final match of the campionato. Sampdoria were safe too so not much was expected out of this game, also because it was sunny and hot. Lazio lost Giovanni Di Veroli at the last minute due to flu so had to put Renzo Burini in defence.
The Biancocelesti were the first to be dangerous when an Aldo Puccinelli – Pasquale Viviolo one-two allowed the former to take a shot in the 13th minute which was just wide. Pierluigi Ronzon had a massive opportunity in the 21st minute when, after dribbling past Burini and goalkeeper Aldo De Fazio, he kicked the ball towards the goal but a great recovery from the Lazio goalkeeper saved the Biancocelesti.
From this point, the Romans took control of the game and had chances with Alberto Fontanesi and Puccinelli but were they well saved by Antonio Pin.
Early in the second half Ermanno Righetto hit the woodwork. For quite a lengthy spell, the players seemed to prefer sunbathing to actually playing football, but the pace of the game picked up towards the end when Mario Pistacchi twice had the chance to score but was stopped by Sampdoria defenders. The last excitement of the game came in the 77th minute with an indirect free kick for Lazio. The ball, after ricocheting through a number of legs, was cleared off the line by Righetto.
This was not a game full of entertainment but was appreciated by the fans who applauded both teams at the end of the game.
Who played for Sampdoria
Pin, Mialich, Podestà, Mari, Fommei, Coscia, Righetto, Gotti, Ronzon, Tortul, Baldini.
Manager: Tabanelli.
Who played for Lazio
De Fazio, Antonazzi, Burini, Fuin, Malacarne, Bergamo, Puccinelli, Viviolo, Bredesen, Pistacchi, Fontanesi
Manager: Allasio
Referee: Griggi
Season conclusion
Lazio played well in the first part of the season but not in the second. A lot more was expected. In the end they finished 11th just like the previous campionato. Francesco Antonazzi was the player with most appearances (33) and the top scorers were Fontanesi and Vivolo with nine goals each.
Lazio 1953-54
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 34 | 10 | 9 | 15 | 40 |
Top five appearances
Player | Serie A |
Antonazzi | 33 |
Bredesen | 32 |
Burini | 32 |
Sentimenti V | 30 |
Viviolo | 30 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Serie A |
Viviolo | 9 |
Fontanesi | 9 |
Bredesen | 6 |
Burini | 6 |
Puccinelli | 3 |
Let's talk about Luigi Fuin
Luigi Fuin, nicknamed “Gegé”, was born in Cologna Veneta near Verona on February 22 1928. He started playing football locally in Serie C before being noticed by Verona who signed him for the 1947-48 season. In his first year he played mainly with the youth team but in his second he was a first team player in the Verona attack in Serie B. His good performances attracted the big teams of Serie A and in 1949 he signed for Palermo.
He stayed two years in Sicily, progressively getting better match after match. He was a rather docile human being so he lacked the hunger, but he could play and at Palermo he put on more muscle and moved to midfield.
In 1951 Fuin signed for Lazio. He stayed for seven years and participated in the last of the three consecutive 4th places (1949-1952) and in the two consecutive third places (1955-56 and 1956-57). He played 147 games, all in Serie A, with 3 goals.
In 1958-59 he signed for Juventus but only played a year with 8 appearances. At the end of the season he quit active football.
Fuin then became a manager but was not very successful. He was assistant to Enrique Flamini for the Lazio youth teams in 1963-64 and coached Viterbese in 1966-67.
He was a great player, fast, intelligent, great stamina, he could play with both feet and despite not being all that tall (1.77) he also was good at headers. His only fault was that he was too nice on the pitch. He was a favourite among the fans, who really appreciated his kind, reserved nature.
Fuin died at Morlupo near Rome on November 5 2009.
Lazio Career
Season | Serie A Appearances | Serie A Goals |
1951-52 | 35 | - |
1952-53 | 14 | - |
1953-54 | 28 | 1 |
1954-55 | 20 | - |
1955-56 | 19 | 2 |
1956-57 | 13 | - |
1957-58 | 18 | - |
Total | 147 | 3 |
Sources