Quick and fundamental win
Lazio beat Reggiana and continue in their quest for eighth place, necessary to participate in next year’s first Serie A
Also on this day: June 2, 1935, Lazio Ambrosiana Inter 4-2. By beating Ambrosiana Inter in the last game of the season, Lazio contribute to Juventus’ scudetto. They will do the same in 2002. Lazio Legend of the day: Silvio Piola
The season so far
The previous season had been awful. They came 10th in the National Division and were initially relegated to First Division but a change in plan led to the creation of two divisions for the 1928-29 league. The top eight of each would play the first Serie A in 1929-30.
There were a lot of new signings: Aldo Spivach (Udinese), Silvio Griggio (Vicenza) and Aroldo Vaccari (Modena) to reinforce the attack, Francesco Rier (Modena) Giuseppe Valenti (Viterbese), Carlo Radice (Virtus Goliarda) and Marino Furlani (Pro Gorizia) for the midfield. Renato Sanero went back to Juventus after a year long loan and Camillo Fenilli was sold to Napoli. Manager Franz Sedlacek was confirmed.
Lazio’s first three games were all defeats: 6-2 against Bologna away, 1-0 home to Brescia and 4-2 at Cremona. Sedlacek was sacked and in came former Lazio legend Fernando Saraceni. He did bring an improvement. After the bad start Lazio gradually started to play well and accumulate points. At the end of the first 15 games the Biancocelesti had won three, drawn two and lost all the others. In came new manager Augusto Rangone. In the next 8 games Lazio won three and lost the others so Ferenc Molnar was appointed new manager. The Hungarian made a difference and Lazio won three games in a row (including beating Ambrosiana Inter) but had lost at Genoa the previous Sunday.
The top eight teams would play next season’s first Serie A. The Biancocelesti were eighth together with Napoli, one point ahead of Biellese and Venezia and two above Pistoiese.
The match: Sunday, June 2, 1929, Campo Rondinella, Rome
It took Lazio just seven minutes to close the game. In the 17th Carlo Cevenini V passed to Gino Lamon on the wing, cross into the box and Vaccari headed the ball in. Two minutes later it was Vaccari, this time on the wing, to cross into the box, Spivach beat the Reggiana defenders and with a powerful header made it 2-0. Five more minutes and the Biancocelesti made it three. Lamon in the centre of the area dummied a shot but passed to Spivach who scored his brace.
Game practically over. Reggiana did not have the power to create anything and Lazio comfortably controlled the game. In the 49th minute Vaccari crossed low in the box and Spivach got his hat trick.
A great win for Lazio. Unfortunately, Napoli also won (against Biellese) but at least Venezia did not. It would be Lazio and Napoli until the end for the fundamental eight place.
Who played for Lazio
Sclavi, Saraceni II, Bottacini, Pardini, Valenti, Caimmi, Cevenini V, Lamon, Spivach, Bodrato, Vaccari
Manager: Molnar
Who played for Reggiana
Baldi, Boni, Fornaciari, Bottazzi, Bezzecchi, Bolognesi, Lombatti, Valeriani (II), Bertoli, Casanova, Bresciani
Manager: Ringer
Referee: Giorgio
Goals: 17’ Vaccari, 19’ Spivach, 24’ Spivach, 49’ Spivach
What happened next
In the next match Lazio won in Turin against Juventus and Napoli thrashed Ambrosiana Inter 4-1. The other teams were out of the race. The final game of the season was Lazio Napoli. Eighth position would have meant Serie A for the following year. But the match was a goalless draw so both teams were forced to go to a playoff.
On June 23 1929 at the Stadio San Siro in Milan, Lazio and Napoli played to death but there was no winner. The match ended 2-2. A second playoff was scheduled for June 30 at Padova but it was postponed.
At this point politics took control. Serie A needed to have both Napoli and Triestina because they could not start a national championship with no southern Italian team or clubs from Venezia Giulia that had become Italian only ten years earlier. As a consequence, Lazio too were admitted to the 1929-30 Serie A which instead of being made up of 16 teams, was now going to be 18. The same happened for Serie B so Prato, Legnano, Reggiana and Fiorentina would play in the second tier.
Bottacini and Spivach were the players with most appearances (30) and Spivach the leading goal scorer (13).
Lazio 1928-29
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
National Division | 30 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 47 |
Serie A Qualification play off | 1 | - | 1 | - | 2 |
Total | 31 | 13 | 4 | 14 | 49 |
Top five appearances
Players | Total | National Division | Serie A Qualification Play off |
Bottacini | 30 | 29 | 1 |
Spivach | 30 | 29 | 1 |
Sclavi | 29 | 28 | 1 |
Caimmi | 28 | 27 | 1 |
Furlani | 28 | 27 | 1 |
Top five goalscorers
Players | Total | National Division | Serie A Qualification Play off |
Spivach | 13 | 12 | 1 |
Lamon I | 9 | 9 | - |
Griggio | 7 | 7 | - |
Cevenini V | 7 | 6 | 1 |
Furlani | 4 | 4 | - |
Let's talk about Aroldo Vaccari
Aroldo Vaccari was born on September 13, 1908, in Modena. He started his professional career in his home town and in 1928 signed for Lazio. He did not play much, just four appearances and one goal (though some sources claimed he played and scored in one other match). Ignored by the three previous managers that season (Franz Sedlacek, Fernando Saraceni and Augusto Rangone), when Ferenc Molnar became head coach, he started playing and Lazio benefitted enormously since they won 5, lost one and drew two, including the playoff against Napoli for the eighth place needed to start the 1929-30 season in the new Serie A.
In 1929 he left and joined Parma in the new Serie B. He played regularly and was top scorer with 12 goals that season. The next season he stood out again with 8 goals.
His last two years of active football were with Padova and Carpi but he played very little, just eight appearances in two seasons. But Padova did get promoted to Serie A, arriving second in Serie B.
Vaccari may not have had an outstanding career, but his opening goal against Reggiana was important in giving Lazio a fundamental victory.
Lazio career
Season | Total National Division appearances (goals) |
1928-29 | 4 (1) |
Sources
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