Lazio capitalise on goalkeeper mistake
Gabriotti, Demaria and Fantoni I give Lazio a deserved victory
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had arrived 13th. It was a disappointing year; the club had signed quite a number of South America “oriundi” and had hoped for a much better result. Unfortunately, the new foreign players were unaccustomed to following tactics, so it was not easy. Manager Amilcar had had a number of problems and at the end of the season left and went back to Brazil. He was replaced by Austrian Karl Strumer.
The summer transfer session had seen a lot of changes. In came defender Armando Bertagni (Salernitana), midfielder Pietro Buscaglia (Vigevano) and forwards Antonio Bisigato (Bari) and Leonizio Fantoni III (Cruzeiro). Among the players leaving Lazio were Orlando Tognotti (Terni), Mario Malatesta (Milan), Aldo Spivach (Padova) and Carlo Cevenini V (Pisa).
At the end of the first half of the season Lazio were 12th. They had beaten Ambrosiana Inter away and had won the derby. They were currently 13th. Good opportunity today as Pro Patria were joint last.
The match: Sunday, April 16, 1933, Stadio Comunale, Busto Arsizio
Lazio started well and in the early minutes of the game Joao Fantoni I had an opportunity but his shot went wide. In the 10th minute Mario Lovetti could have opened the score for the hosts but his shot also went wide, as did an Italo Rossi attempt five minutes later. In the 25th minute after a throw-in, Francesco Gabriotti collected the ball, dribbled past Paolo Agosteo and scored. The lead did not last long. In the 34th minute Rossi found the gap in the Lazio defensive wall and beat Ezio Schiavi.
In the second half Pro Patria were more organised and the Biancocelesti seemed to be waiting for the right moment to score. And they did. In the 55th minute an Alejandro Demaria- Gabriotti one-two gave an opportunity to the Brazilian who did not miss. The hosts attacked en masse and in the 74th minute, in a big scramble in the Lazio penalty box, Mario Dalfini managed to equalise.
The Biancocelesti had a last spark of energy left and the hosts seemed tired. In the 34th minute Demaria had a powerful shot parried into corner by Gaetano Colombo II. On the corner kick, Fantoni I got the ball and shot towards the keeper who, surprised, let it go under his legs. Pro Patria 2 Lazio 3. Game over.
Who played for Pro Patria
Colombo II, Agosteo, Mara, Borsani, Dusi, Arnoldi, Rossi, Stella, Masera, Loetti, Dalfini
Manager: Szalay
Who played for Lazio
Sclavi, Bertagni, Del Debbio, Fantoni II, Tonali, Serafini, Buscaglia, Fantoni I, Bisigato, Gabriotti, Demaria
Manager: Sturmer
Referee: Bevilacqua
Goals: 25’ Gabriotti, 34’ Rossi, 55’ Demaria, 74’ Dalfini, 81’ Fantoni I
What happened next
Lazio arrived 10th at the end of the season. They were very inconsistent, losing against weaker teams, but winning against Juventus, Inter, Milan and Roma. The potential was certainly there to do better.
Enzio Enrique Serafini was the player with most appearances (33) and Joao Fantoni I the leading goal scorer (11).
Lazio 1932-33
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 34 | 12 | 9 | 13 | 42 |
Top appearances
Player | Appearances Serie A |
Serafini | 33 |
Sclavi | 31 |
Fantoni I | 30 |
Bertagni | 30 |
Top 5 goal scorers
Player | Goals Serie A |
Fantoni I | 10 |
Demaria | 7 |
Guarisi | 6 |
Bisigato | 6 |
Pastore | 5 |
Let's talk about Francesco Gabriotti
Francesco Gabriotti was born on August 12, 1914, in Rome. He grew up in the Lazio youth sector winning a “Ragazzi” (Boys) national championship in 1929 and winning it a second time a year later with Alba. In 1932 he became part of the Biancoceleste first team squad where he stayed until 1937, making 27 appearances with six goals. He was a tactical winger, a bit ahead of his time as far as his role on the pitch was concerned.
In 1936 he was called up to be part of the Italy squad for the Olympic Games, together with teammate Giuseppe Baldo. In the first round the Nazionale beat the US 1-0 and Japan 8-0 in the second. The Azzurri won their semi-final against Norway and had to face the formidable Austrian team in the final for the gold medal.
Austria had only just made it to the final. In the quarters, they were winning 2-0 against Peru but the South Americans managed to equalise in the last 15 minutes of the game. In extra time, Peru scored five times, three were however disallowed. This was a big upset in a tournament that had already seen Germany beaten by Norway. The Austrians demanded a re-match because allegedly some Peruvian supporters had run onto the pitch, one of whom with a gun. Some of the players also stated to have been hit by the fans. As a consequence, the Olympic Committee and FIFA decided on a replay and summoned the Peru delegation so that they could present their defence. But they never turned up at the appointment, allegedly held back in traffic as there was a parade. The two boards, seeing that nobody showed up, gave the victory to the Austrians. It is unknown what really happened at the match, but many believe Germany and the Nazi party had something to do with it. Austria then beat Poland in the semis.
In the final, Italy, with both Gabriotti and Baldo in the team, beat Austria 2-1 in extra time.
Gabriotti returned as a hero, but his fame was short-lived. A couple of weeks after winning the gold medal he suffered a serious injury that put an end to a very promising career.
He died in Rome on February 11, 1987.
Lazio Career
Season | Serie A Appearances (goals) |
1932-33 | 8 (2) |
1933-34 | 5 (1) |
1934-35 | 9 |
1935-36 | 5 (3) |
Total | 27 (6) |
Sources
Comments