Missed opportunity
A missed opportunity for Lazio who had created numerous chances
Also on this day: February 4, 1996, Lazio Bari 4-3. Four penalties plus a number of other errors from the ref ruined what could have been a great match. Manager of the day: Zdenek Zeman
The season so far
Lazio, as usual, did not have much money for the summer transfers. All the same, three interesting players arrived from South America: Evaristo Barrera, Silvestro Pisa plus Enrique Flamini. They all arrived via boat in February of 1939 together with many other “oriundi” trying to be signed by an Italian club. The three could not play in the 1938-39 season so they were signed for the next one.
The Biancocelesti had also a new manager, Kertesz Geza, who substituted Luigi Allemandi.
Lazio did pretty well in the first half of the season, beating Milan, Napoli and Juventus and drawing against the formidable Ambrosiana Inter. They were currently third together with Inter, two points behind Genoa and three from Bologna.
The match: Sunday, February 4, 1940, Stadio PNF, Rome
Silvio Piola was placed at midfield and he started the game very well, giving a hand in defence too. Enrique Flamini however, moved to the right wing, blatantly made it clear that he was not happy with this new position. After thirty minutes great chance for Lazio. Piola crossed for Barrera who passed to Pisa. The powerful shot was deflected by Arrigo Morselli and spun up in the air. Luigi Vettraino decided it was too risky to volley it towards the goal and passed back to Barrera who had to decide with which foot he would attempt to score. Once he decided he angled it too much and the ball shaved the post. The applause however indicated that the fans appreciated the attempt.
Five minutes later Piola put Barrera in front of the goalkeeper but the new centre forward shot over the crossbar. Piola then missed an easy chance when Barrera headed a perfect assist to him. Towards the end of the first half, first Pisa and then Giuseppe Baldo had shots well saved by Luigi Griffanti.
In the second half manager Geza Kertesz put Piola at the centre of the attack again and in the first ten minutes the Viola keeper was called to action four times to parry shots and headers from Barrera, Vettraino, Flamini and Pisa. But in the 59th minute he could do very little on a marvellous acrobatic bicycle kick from the great Silvio, but the ball hit the crossbar. A minute later penalty for Lazio. Morselli fouled Piola in the box and the referee indicated the spot kick. Who was going to take it? Surprisingly Pisa collected the ball and took the penalty. His powerful but central shot hit the goalkeeper and bounced back to him. It was an easy chance but Pisa made the same mistake again and Griffanti managed to save.
At this point Fiorentina thought that this was a good omen and started to attack even if it was Pisa again who only just missed the target in the 67th minute.
Kertesz in the 70th minute changed everything in attack once more. Vettraino was moved to centre forward and Piola left winger. In the 72nd minute Giacomo Blason had to save a Morselli freekick into corner but two minutes later it was the Biancocelesti who scored. Splendid cross from the left from Piola and Vettraino headed the ball in.
Piola and Vettraino changed roles again but Fiorentina scored the equaliser. In the 80th minute Romano Penzo, with a foul, stole the ball off Luciano Ramella and passed to Giuliano Tagliasacchi who with a slow but precise shot beat Blason.
Kertesz changed the attack again but to no avail. On the contrary, if there was one team that could have scored it was Fiorentina who with Morselli and Mario Celoria gave Blason work to do.
A missed opportunity for Lazio who had created numerous chances. But there had been too many changes in attack which, instead of creating confusion in the Viola defence, only created confusion in the Biancoceleste attack.
Who played for Lazio
Manager: Kertesz
Who played for Fiorentina
Griffanti, Simontacchi, Piccardi, Ellena, Bigogno, Morselli, Frigo, Grolli, Penzo I, Celoria, Tagliasacchi
Manager: Galluzzi
Referee: Bertolio
Goals: 74’ Vettraino, 80’ Tagliasacchi
What happened next
Lazio played really well and arrived 4th just behind Juventus. It could have gone even better but some losses denied the team a better position. However, Ambrosiana Inter who won the scudetto and Bologna were way too strong.
Alfredo Monza and Ramella were the ones who played most games (33 in total between Serie A and Coppa Italia) and obviously Piola was the leading goal scorer (10).
Serie A finished on June 2 1940. Eight days later, on June 10, Benito Mussolini declared war on France and Great Britain.
Lazio 1939-40
Comeptition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 30 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 36 |
Coppa Italia | 3 | 2 | - | 1 | 5 |
Total | 33 | 14 | 11 | 8 | 49 |
Top five appearances
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Monza | 33 | 30 | 3 |
Ramella | 33 | 30 | 3 |
Baldo | 31 | 28 | 3 |
Milano | 30 | 28 | 2 |
Vettraino | 30 | 27 | 3 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Total | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
Piola | 10 | 9 | 1 |
Pisa | 9 | 9 | - |
Vettraino | 8 | 7 | 1 |
Barrera | 7 | 6 | 1 |
Flamini | 5 | 5 | - |
Busani | 5 | 5 | - |
Lets talk about Maximiliano Faotto
Maximiliano Faotto was born on April 3, 1910, in Montevideo. He started playing football professionally with Nacional Montevideo in 1929 and in 1931 signed for Racing. In 1932 he moved to Italy and started playing for Palermo where he stayed until 1937 appearing in 120 games with three goals.
In 1937 he moved to Rome to play for Lazio. He stayed three years with the Biancocelesti but was mainly a reserve with the exception of his final year where he made 26 appearances and Lazio arrived fourth.
In 1940 he signed for Napoli on loan but a year later he was back in Rome though he was used rarely. In 1942 he moved to Ascoli and became player-manager. After the war he was back at Palermo and was player-manager for a couple of years before retiring after a final year with Nissena.
Faotto was a good defender and made 59 appearances for Lazio.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
1937-38 | 6 | 5 | 1 |
1938-39 | 18 | 17 | 1 |
1939-40 | 26 | 24 | 2 |
1941-42 | 9 | 7 | 2 |
Total | 59 | 53 | 6 |
Sources
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