Dag Jenkins
- May 9
- 6 min read

May 9, 1954: Lazio Triestina 5-1

Lazio thump Triestina to virtually clinch survival

After initial balance Lazio dominate and cruise to easy win

Also on this day: May 9, 1976, Lazio Milan 4-0. A devilish nightmare for Milan as Lazio outclass them with a 4-0 thumping. Lazio Hero of the day: Gigi Martini

The season so far

The previous year Lazio had finished 10th in Serie A, firstly under manager Giuseppe Bigogno (1-25) and then Alfredo Notti (26-34). Lazio had won both derbies against Roma, 1-0 and 2-0. Top scorers were Paolo Bettolini and Norwegian Ragnar Nikolay Larsen both with 7 league goals.

This season Lazio had a new manager Mario Sperone. Lazio had reshuffled the squad slightly with a few changes especially up front. Three new forwards had arrived: Renzo Burini (Milan), Alberto Fontanesi (SPAL) and Pasquale Vivolo (Juventus). Well-serving Enrique Flamini was back (Reggiana) but he was approaching the end of his career and would not feature at all.

Leaving Lazio were Norwegian midfielder Ragnar Nikolay Larsen after two successful seasons (Genoa) plus forwards Lelio Antoniotti (Torino) and Şükrü Gülesin (Galatasaray-after a loan period at Palermo).

Lazio were currently in 13th position, on 25 points, four points above the drop zone. After 24 games Sperone had been replaced by Federico Allasio. The Biancocelesti had so far won 9 (including Juventus 2-1), drawn 7 (including Roma 1-1) and lost 14. A week earlier Lazio had lost 1-3 away to Genoa. Lazio were currently 13th, almost safe but could not afford to lose today.

Triestina the previous season had finished 15th under manager Mario Perazzolo. Top scorer was José Curti with 9 league goals.

This season the manager was Nereo Rocco (who would later win league titles and European Cups with Milan). The Alabardati had so far won 7, drawn 10 (including Lazio 1-1) and lost 13. The Triestini had 24 points, one less than Lazio and were 14th with a three-point cushion. The Giuliani were not desperate but still had to be careful. One interesting player on their books was a young Cesare Maldini (future Milan legend, Italy manager and father of Paolo Maldini)

The main new players were midfielders Gianfranco Ganzer (Padova), future Lazio Arnaldo Lucentini (Fiorentina) plus forwards Giuseppe Secchi (Padova), Giulio Trevisan (Piacenza) and Licio Rossetti (Siena).

Leaving were defenders Severino Feruglio (retiring), Marco Mariuzza (Catanzaro), Corrado Zorzin (Padova, after 185 league games), midfielder Giovanni Invernizzi (Udinese) plus forwards Enore Boscolo (Torino), Domenico De Vito (SPAL) and Francesco La Rosa (Palermo).

So, a delicate game today with neither team wanting to get drawn into the heat of the relegation battle.

The match· Sunday, May 9, 1954, Stadio Olimpico, Rome

A humid, overcast day saw about 20,000 spectators present.

The first twenty minutes were pretty eventless. Triestina were cautious and Lazio showed no urgency to score.

In the 20th minute however, the Biancocelesti went in front. Alberto Fontanesi received the ball outside the box centrally, he hit it first time and put a great shot into the top left-hand corner. Lazio 1 Triestina 0.

The visitors responded and attacked more. They put the Biancocelesti under pressure with a dangerous Aldo Dorigo cross and one by Gianfranco Ganzer, tipped into corner by the keeper Aldo De Fazio. The Alabardati insisted and in the 32nd minute equalised. A prolonged move was finally finished off by Dorigo heading in from a Giuseppe Secchi shot. Lazio 1 Triestina 1.

The level score line only lasted five minutes as in the 37th the Biancocelesti scored again. Renzo Burini floated a free kick into the area where Pasquale Vivolo picked it up and after taking it forward blasted it past Antonio Nuciari. Lazio 2 Triestina 1.

The visitors' heads dropped and they literally disappeared from the contest. Lazio went into halftime 2-1 up.

In the second half the Biancocelesti dominated. After one minute they scored their third of the afternoon. A Per Bredesen-Fontanesi one-two then saw the Norwegian tee up Sigvard Lofgren who burst through and beat Nuciari with a low finish. Lazio 3 Triestina 1.

The game looked over and Lazio were in complete control. In the 53rd minute they struck again. Burini was tripped in the area by Valente and took the penalty himself, making it 4-1 with a low angled spot kick.

In the 76th minute Lazio definitely closed the game when Burini set up Fontanesi who, helped by a slight deflection by Renato Valente, beat Nuciari again. Final score Lazio 5 Triestina 1.

An ultimately easy win for Lazio as the game had only been balanced for about 37 minutes. Once Lazio got their second there was no way back for the "Muli" (The Mules). Lazio were now joint 10th with Atalanta and Genoa on 27 points and five above Legnano in 17th (out of 18, with two going down). They were not arithmetically safe but with seven teams behind they were all but home and dry.

Triestina were now 14th with only a two-point advantage on Legnano. They would have to fight harder than today if they were to stay up.

Who played for Lazio

De Fazio, Antonazzi, Di Veroli, Fuin, Spurio, Bergamo, Burini, Bredesen, Vivolo, Lofgren, Fontanesi I

Manager: Allasio

Who played for Triestina

Nuciari, Maldini, Valenti, Petagna I, Travaglini, Ganzer, Lucentini, Curti, Secchi, Dorigo, Rossetti

Manager: Feruglio

Referee: Corallo

Goals: 20' Fontanesi, 32' Dorigo, 37' Vivolo, 46' Lofgren, 53' Burini (pen), 76' Valenti (og)

What happened next

Lazio finished 11th, on 29 points. In the last three games the Biancocelesti lost 1 (Milan 2-3 away) and drew 2 (Atalanta 2-2 at home and Sampdoria 0-0 away). Top scorers were Alberto Fontanesi and Pasquale Vivolo with 9 league goals each.

Triestina finished 13th, on 28 points. In the last three games they won 2 (SPAL 3-0 and Novara 3-1 both at home) and lost 1 (Inter 2-4 away). Top scorers were José Curti and Erling Sørensen with 7 league goals each.

The scudetto was won by Inter for their 7th title while Palermo (after a playoff with SPAL and Udinese) went down with Legnano (the Lilacs have never been back since).

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 Renato Spurio

Renato Spurio was born in Rome on June 10, 1930.

He joined the Lazio youth setup at 16 with other kids basically saved from street life. In 1948 he won the Juniores league title and in the same year began to be called up to the first team squad.

In 1948-49 the manager was first Orlando Tognotti (1-10) and then Mario Sperone. The Biancocelesti finished 13th and Spurio played 3 league games. He made his debut on December 8, 1948, in a 1-4 defeat to Triestina.

In 1949-50 Sperone stayed on and Lazio finished an excellent 4th. Spurio played 5 league games.

In 1950-51 he was loaned to Anconitana in Serie B for a year. The managers were Giovanni Degni (1-6), Giostra (7) and Giovanni Corbyons (9-42) and the Dorici were relegated. Spurio played 34 league games. He played alongside former Lazio teammates Guido Tavellin and legend Salvador Gualtieri (1940-50) plus former Lazio keeper Corrado Giubilo (1939-48).

In 1951 he returned to Lazio but was immediately sent out on loan to Prato in Serie C. The manager was Ferrero Alberti and the Biancazzurri were relegated to Serie D. Spurio played 24 league games.

Spurio then returned to Lazio and stayed two seasons. He was a reserve and Lazio finished 10th (under Giuseppe Bigogno and then Alfredo Notti) and 11th (under Mario Sperone and then Federico Allasio). Spurio played 6 league games plus 26 for the reserve team who won the league title.

In 1954-55 he spent a year on loan at Monza in Serie B. The Brianzoli finished 13th under first Fioravante Baldi (1-10) and then Carlo Alberto Quario (11-34). Spurio played 15 league games.

In 1955-56 he came back to Lazio again but played for the reserves. The Biancocelesti, under first Luigi Ferrero (1-14) and then Englishman Jesse Carver, had a great season and finished 3rd. The Reserves meanwhile won the league title.

Spurio then played a season with Federconsorzi Roma in Serie C before returning to Anconitana in 1957 where he stayed three more seasons. The Biancorossi were in Serie D but won promotion and then finished 11th and 6th. Spurio played 35 league games. One of his managers was former Lazio player Carlo Parola (1954-55) but above all Juventus legend (334 league games) and manager.

Spurio then retired at 30.

He had two brief coaching experiences, with Anconitana in 1963-64, in Serie C finishing 11th and then in 1978-79 with Colleferro near Rome in the 5th tier but the Rossoneri were relegated.

Spurio was a midfielder although early on he played as a forward. His main assets were his speed and his heading skills. He played 14 games in Serie A and 49 in B.

At Lazio he played 14 games in Serie A over five seasons. He faced stern opposition for places in midfield as at the time Lazio had players like Romolo Alzani, Enrique Flamini, Mario Magrini and Vittorio Sentimenti III, all club legends.

Renato Spurio died in Rome on May 19 2015.

Lazio Career

Season	Total appearances	Serie A	Latin Cup
1948-49	3	3	-
1949-50	6	5	1
1952-53	1	1	-
1953-54	5	5	-
Total	15	14	1

Sources

Lazio Wiki (1)

Lazio Wiki (2)