November 14, 1937: Lazio Livorno 3-0

Simon Basten
Nov 14, 2025
4 min read

Piola Shines as Lazio Overpower Livorno 3–0

Blason and Bulgheri star in goalkeeping duel, but Lazio’s class and sharp finishing prove decisive

Source Il Calcio Illustrato on Lazio Wiki

The season so far

The previous season Lazio had arrived second just three points behind league winners Bologna. They had played exceptionally well and if it was not for the numerous injuries, they may have even won the scudetto. Leaders after the first half of the season, the Biancocelesti then fell back but later recovered to clinch a historic second place.

The manager, Jozsef Viola, had obviously been confirmed and there were just a few movements in the summer transfer window. In came defender Maximiliano Faotto (Palermo) and forward Emilio Capri (Vicenza) and out went Luigi Uneddu (Vigevano) and Walter D’Odorico (Torino).

Before the beginning of the season, Lazio had to play the final of the Central European Cup (or Mitropa Cup). They had reached it after beating Hungaria (4-3 on aggregate) and Grasshoppers (8-4 in the two games) just before the summer. They did not play the semi-final since Genoa and Admira had been excluded. On September 12, 1937, they played Ferencváros in Budapest and lost 4-2. The refereeing had not been up to par. In the return game in Rome under belting rain Lazio had even managed to go 4-2 ahead but in the end collapsed after Silvio Piola had missed a penalty, and lost 5-4.

This season in Serie A the Biancocelesti were doing very well and were third, in the company of Bologna and Ambrosiana Inter, just one point behind leaders Roma and Juventus.

The match: Sunday, November 14, 1937, Stadio del PNF, Rome

At the Stadio PNF in Rome, Lazio produced an entertaining clash full of pace, chances, and goalkeeping heroics—but it was Silvio Piola and his teammates who ultimately made the difference, sealing a 3–0 victory over Livorno.

The opening stages were frantic. Livorno started brightly, with Giacomo Neri and Angelo Pomponi testing Giacomo Blason, while Attilio Bulgheri denied Giovanni Riccardi at the other end. Both keepers were in top form, and the crowd roared with every end-to-end break. Livorno looked the more adventurous side, forcing corners and moving the ball with freedom, but they couldn’t find the breakthrough.

Instead, Lazio struck first. After Piola missed a golden chance in the 37th minute, he made amends almost immediately. Umberto Busani beat his man on the right and crossed. Piola, completely unmarked, stunned the crowd with a spectacular overhead finish to put Lazio 1–0 up.

Livorno responded with spirit—Pomponi’s free kick brought another fine save from Blason, and Neri went close just before the interval—but the visitors went into halftime trailing.

The second half began with Lazio on the front foot. Piola threatened again, while Livorno’s Bruno Arcari IV saw two opportunities wasted—one high over the bar, the other smothered by Blason. As Ostillio Capaccioli struggled with injury, Livorno gradually lost momentum, and Lazio took full advantage. In the 32nd minute, Libero Marchini’s incisive pass released Busani, who cut inside Pietro Del Buono and slotted home for 2–0.

From there, Lazio never looked back. With Livorno’s defence caught up trying to contain Piola, Riccardi found himself free on the counterattack and calmly scored Lazio’s third in the 38th minute. Livorno’s final push produced only a wayward effort from Aldo Querci, while Bulgheri kept the score line from getting worse with a few late saves.

In the end, Lazio’s clinical finishing and composure under pressure proved too much. Livorno had their moments, and Blason was outstanding at the back, but Piola’s brilliance set the tone for a decisive home win.

Who played for Lazio

Blason, Zacconi, Monza II, Camolese, Viani, Milano, Busani, Riccardi, Piola, Marchini, Capri

Manager: Violak

Who played for Livorno

Bulgheri, Bertagni, Del Buono, Querci, Uslenghi, Garraffa, Neri, Montanari, Arcari IV, Capaccioli, Pomponi

Manager: Lelovich

Referee: Moretti

Goals: 38’ Piola, 77’ Busani, 84’ Riccardi

What happened next

Lazio’s top spot lasted one game since in the next fixture they were beaten at home by Ambrosiana Inter. After the first half of the season Lazio were fifth together with Roma, Milan and Torino and just one point behind second place. But in the second half they did not do as well. They lost to weaker teams (Bari 5-1 is a prime example) and could not keep up the pace of the first part of the year. In the end the Biancocelesti finished 8th with a lot of “what ifs”.

The players with most appearances were Monza, Busani and Viani (33) and the leading scorer was obviously the great Silvio Piola with 18 goals.

Let’s talk about Angelo Pomponi

Born in Rome on June 7, 1912, Angelo Pompini started playing football with Romana Virtus and in 1929 he signed for Cesarea.

He arrived at Lazio in 1930-31 and the season after he was a regular with the reserves team. In 1933 he debuted in Serie A on February 19 in the match against Napoli at home. He made four appearances that season and, in the summer, due to the fact that he had to do his military service, he was loaned to Pisa in the first division. The club was promoted to Serie B and he stayed there another three years making 112 appearances with 49 goals.

In 1937 he signed for Livorno in Serie A (23 appearances with 7 goals). He then went on to play for Lucchese for a year on loan the subsequent season only to return to Livorno for one last year in 1939. His last years of active football were played with Savona and Verona, then from 1943 he played in minor Rome based teams until 1947.

He died in Rome on November 25, 1982.