Rare win
Not a vintage game, but Lazio capitalized on Reggiana’s defensive mistakes
Also on this day:
February 26, 1984, Roma Lazio 2-2. The Biancocelesti were two up after 24 minutes, but Roma equalised also thanks to Manfredonia's sending off. After that, they managed to hold off the Giallorossi attacks and clinch a well-deserved and much needed point.
February 26, 1978, Lazio Inter 1-0. A goal from Clerici in the dying minutes gave Lazio a well-deserved win.
The season so far
The Serie A was still in an experimental phase and the 22 teams of the National Division (a type of Serie A) were divided into two groups of 11. The top four would continue to the national final group, the bottom three should have been relegated to the First Division, but in the end only who came last actually went down as the Federation decided to have a transitional year and divide the 32 teams into two divisions for the 1928-29 championship so that for the season after there would be Serie A and Serie B.
Lazio in 1926-27 had been promoted to the National Division and played in the A Group. The refusal to join the newly formed AS Roma meant that there was little time to create a good team. The squad was strong in some areas and weak in others. There was a new manager, Austrian Franz Sedlaceck, and many new players: defenders Renato Bottacini (Bologna) and Dino Canestri (Prato), midfielders Luigi Bodrato (Sampierdarenese), Piero Cappa (Prato), Pio Maneschi (Alba Roma), Paolo Paganini (Spal) and forwards Carlo Cevenini V (Milan), Camillo Fenilli (Juventus), Gino Lamon (Treviso) and Renato Sanero (Juventus, on loan).
So far, Lazio had done pretty poorly. They had won three games (including Milan), drawn three and lost twelve. They were second from last and would have been facing relegation, but it was clear to everybody at this point that the rules were going to be changed and that another transitional league would be created.
Today Lazio faced bottom placed Reggiana.
The match: Sunday, February 26, 1928, Stadio Mirabello, Reggio Emilia
Today was not exactly what one could call a vintage match. The papers at the time were rather harsh. Reggiana were dire with little training and even less enthusiasm to play, Lazio did not play well either.
The game immediately began with a chance for the home team when a defensive mistake from the Biancocelesti allowed Pietro Bresciani and Ottorino Casanova to be completely unmarked in front of Bruno Nicolini but the former was too eager and shot wide. In the 13th minute Riccardo Okeley III opened the scoring when his volley went into the net following a cross from the left.
Reggiana reacted and had a couple of chances with Enrico Botazzi on a free kick and Leandro Codeluppi. Towards the end of the first half Vivaldo Fornaciari, pressed by Luigi Bodrato, passed back to the keeper who fumbled and the Lazio midfielder had an easy chance which he did not miss.
In the 65th minute Lazio made it three. Bodrato dispossessed the Reggiana attack and ran towards the goal, pass to Carlo Nesi, 3-0.
At this point, the home team began to play with more positivity but with few chances. They did however, pull one back with Casanova, who in the 73rd minute after a corner kick, acrobatically volleyed the ball in. Further attacks continued but it was Lazio who missed their fourth in the 83rd minute with Gino Lamon, but Archimede Valeriani parried his close-range shot.
Not a game to remember.
Who played for Reggiana
Valeriani, Fornaciari, Simonini, Bedogni, Mazzoli, Bottazzi, Benatti, Codeluppi, Berpecchi, Casanova, Bresciani
Manager: Zsigmond
Who played for Lazio
Nicolini, Canestri, Bottacini, Nesi, Pardini, Berti II, Okely III, Paganini, Bodrato, Maneschi, Lamon
Manager: Sedlacek
Referee: Enrietti
Goals: 13’ Okely III, 44’ Bodrato, 65’ Nesi, 73’ Casanova
What happened next
Lazio finished second from last. Two weeks after the end of this first part, the Italian Federation established that in 1928-29 there would be two groups of 12 teams, meaning that only Reggiana and Verona, who had come last, would be excluded. This was further amended on June 28 when instead of 12 teams each, the groups would be made up of 16, hence even Reggiana and Verona would participate.
Lazio went on to play the Coppa Coni. The Coppa Coni was a tournament that took place in 1926-27 and 1927-28 between the 14 teams that did not make it to the final round for the scudetto. The Biancocelesti ended third in the group, missing out on the final by just one point.
The player with most appearances in the national division had been Luigi Bodrato (20) whilst top scorer was Renato Sanero with 4 goals plus 2 in Coppa Coni. If we include the Coppa Coni, the player with the most games was Paolo Paganini (27).
Let's talk about Luigi Bodrato
Luigi Bodrato, born in Genoa, first started playing for Sampierdarenese in 1921 and was there until 1927 with the exception of a year at Corniglanese in 1925-26. In 1927 he joined Lazio and stayed in Rome for two years. It was an experimental period as far as first tier football was concerned and the Biancocelesti were not in a good position either financially, or politically.
Bodrato was a good midfielder with quite a good shot. He made 40 appearances with four goals. In 1929 he went back to Liguria to play first for Sestrese for a season, then Liguria (18 league appearances and 3 goals) for another in Serie B and finally three years with Sampierdarenese again, in the second tier playing 54 games with 10 goals.
Lazio career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | National Division | Coppa Coni |
1927-28 | 25 (3) | 20 (2) | 5 (1) |
1928-29 | 15 (1) | 15 (1) | - |
Total | 40 (4) | 35 (3) | 5 (1) |
Sources
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