Lazio cynical and ruthless
Another win for Lazio in the Regional Group for the 1912-13 title. Despite great pressure from fellow Rome team Audace Esperia, Lazio controlled the match and produced a great performance.
Also on this day:
The season so far
The 1912-13 season was, as they usually were in the early Italian championships, again divided between North and Centre-South. In the north there were three inter-regional groups with the first two qualifying for the semi-final group. In the centre-south there were also three regional groups: the winner of the Tuscany group would go on to play the winner of the Lazio group in a first semi-final, the two Neapolitan teams played the second semi-final. The winner of this final then had to play against the winner of Northern championship for the scudetto.
Lazio had a good team but had problems in finding a place to play since Villa Borghese was no longer available following a local council decree banning all sport from the park. They started off really well winning three matches and one draw in the first half of the season. Today’s game was the first match of the second half of the regular season.
The match: Sunday, December 8, 1912, Rome, Stadio Nazionale
Audace Esperia, who had lost 5-0 against Lazio in the first half of the season, were determined to win and started positively, opening the score with Galassi I after only five minutes. It did not last long. Lazio equalised thanks to Emilio Folpini, able to convert a good cross from Corrado Corelli. Marcello Consiglio then scored in the 28th minute but the referee mysteriously disallowed it. However the 2-1 for Lazio was on its way. Consiglio put the ball into the net two minutes from half time, following a scramble in the Audace penalty box.
After just four minutes of the second half Consiglio scored again with a volley on the rebound after a Folpini post. Galassi II made it 3-2 in the 61st minute but Lazio then took no more risks and scored three more goals in 11 minutes: in the 64th Correlli took advantage of an Augusto Faccani pass, 7 minutes later Folpini made it 5 for Lazio with an assist from Carlo Maranghi and three minutes later Folpini again took advantage of yet another defensive blunder taking the score to 6-2.
Who played for Audace Esperia
Pellizzari, Caroncino, Del Corona, Marchetti, Galassi (I), Romani (II), Galassi (II), Galassi (III), Cerchia, Gorreni, Fulignotti
Who played for Lazio
Levi I, Maranghi, Donati, Faccani, Fioranti, Zucchi II, Corelli, Folpini, Consiglio, Saraceni I, Coraggio
Manager: Baccani
Referee: Modena
Goals: 5’ Galassi I, 9’ Folpini, 43’ Consiglio, 49’ Consiglio, 61’Galassi II, 64’ C. Corelli, 71’ Folpini, 75’ Folpini.
What happened next
Lazio comfortably qualified for semi-final against Juventusque Livorno. The Tuscans were convincingly beaten 3-1 away and 3-0 at home setting up the final match against Naples. A very tense match in Bagnoli was solved by Lazio at the very last minute (2-1). The return match finished 1-1 meaning Lazio would have to play against Pro Vercelli for the championship final.
Lazio did not stand a chance. To give the game some kind of comparison, it was as if Manchester City played a local amateur team. As a consequence Lazio lost 6-0, but it was a very successful year for the Biancocelesti and reaching the final itself was very prestigious.
The players that played more games that season were Augusto Faccani and Fernando Saraceni I who was also top scorer.
That year Lazio won every single local tournament they played: the Regional Reserves Championship, the 3rd Category regional Championship, the Coppa Branca, the Piccola Coppa Branca, Targa Audace, Targa Audace Reserves and the Targa Tiro A Segno.
Let’s talk about: Corrado Corelli
In looking at the biographies of Lazio players one comes across many surprising people. Corrado Corelli is one of them. He is actually better know as a sculptor.
The son of Italian painter Augusto Corelli, Corrado was born in Rome on August 19 1884. His footballing career started for the Roman team Virtus Roma, a team which was created by Lazio “dissidents” in 1903. Corrado and his brother Filiberto had learnt how to play football at the Irish Catholic Seminary which had taught the first Rome athletes the basics of this new sport.
Legend has it that Lazio was supposed to play a game in Tuscany in June 1908 and the choice of the players was given to Sante Ancherani, centre forward, captain and manager. It was a game in Pisa, an inter-regional tournament organised under the patronage of the local council. Ancherani had tried to get the Corelli brothers to play for Lazio many times but the brothers had always refused. This time they accepted and this can be considered the first “transfer” in Lazio history.
The story continues with Lazio arriving in Pisa the day before the game. On the next morning, while busying being tourists, Lazio were approached by the organising committee and asked to play a game against Lucca. Lazio won 3-0 just before lunch time. While the team were eating, they were asked to play a second extra match, this time against Spes Livorno. 4-0 for Lazio. Time for a rest? No, because here came Virtus Juventusque ready for the scheduled match. The players protested but Ancherani told them to stay back in the front of the goal and stop all opposition attempts (an early form of “catenaccio”?). The game was almost over and it was still 0-0. But Ancherani in the dying minutes scored from a Corelli cross and Lazio won. Ancherani sent a telegram: “Won tournament 3-0, 4-0, 1-0”. No other team in the world has ever won three games on the same day.
That was Corrado’s first day at Lazio and he will continue to play for the Biancocelesti until 1922. His brother Filiberto played for just a year before becoming a full time painter.
One has to consider that Lazio was a very strong team in the early years and played many local games. It is therefore unknown exactly how many games Corelli played and how many goals he scored. What is known is that he was very fast and intelligent.
He participated in both of the World Wars even if he was 56 when he was called for the second one. At the end of the First World War he was asked how he managed to survive three tough years in the trenches: “Thanks to Lazio that nurtured my health and God who protected me”, he replied.
He participated in the March on Rome, but quickly realised his mistake and abandoned the fascist ideals.
When he was called for the Second World War he was put in charge of the rail transportation of men and armaments to the Russian front. He was often stationed in Poland where he saw many merchant trains full of people escorted by the SS. He did not understand why and he found it very strange. He drew a picture of what he saw. Once he got back from the war he realised that those people were being sent to concentration camps. His drawing is exhibited in the Museum of Jewish Heritage in New York City.
As previously mentioned he was a well-known sculptor specialised in small artefacts and gold, silver and copper creations using the embossing technique. His works of art are in many museums and private collections.
He died in Rome on August 26 1968.
Lazio Career
Season | Total games (goals) | Lazio 3rd Category | Roman 3rd Category | National Championship | Other Tournaments |
1908 | 3 | - | - | - | 3 |
1909 | 2 | - | - | - | 2 |
1910 | 8 (4) | 6 (2) | - | - | 2 (2) |
1911 | 5 | 3 | - | - | 2 |
1912 | 10 (10) | - | 9 (8) | - | 1 (2) |
1912-13 | 18 (6) | - | - | 12 (5) | 6 (1) |
1913-14 | 13 (1) | - | - | 10 | 3 (1) |
Total | 59 (21) | 9 (2) | 9 (8) | 22 (5) | 19 (6) |
Sources
Commentaires