Game 18, Serie A
Sunday, January 20, 1952
Stadio Torino, Rome
Lazio Fiorentina 1-0
A free kick by Sükrü after fifteen minutes and a solid defence give Lazio a precious victory
The first game of the season had been a disastrous 4-0 defeat at Sampdoria but Lazio had since picked up. They had 20 points after 8 wins, 4 draws and 5 defeats. A week earlier they had well beaten Spal 4-1.
Last season the two teams had won a game each and today too promised to be an evenly matched affair.
The match
It was a cold but sunny January day in Rome with a crowd of 25,000.
Lazio appeared in difficulty right from the start. Fiorentina controlled the midfield and Lazio only occasionally got out of their own half. In one of these, however, came the decisive moment of the match.
In the 15th minute Vittorio Sentimenti III was fouled clearly inside the area by Sergio Cervato but the referee pointed to the edge of the box for a free kick. There was not any ensuing controversy as Lazio then scored. Turkish striker Sükrü Gülesin curled a magnificent free kick over the wall and into the right-hand corner. The keeper Leonardo Costagliola did not move and his positioning could certainly have been better. Lazio 1 Fiorentina 0.
Fiorentina continued to attack, but their pressure seemed to fade once they got near goal. Their defence and midfield showed quality and quantity but once the moves arrived to the forwards they slowed down and were wasted. It was Lazio, despite long periods in defence, who had the better chances with a Ragnar Larsen volley (20'), two more shots by the Norwegian (24', 38') and two more wide by Sükrü. Almost all the Lazio initiatives were started by a brilliant Lelio Antoniotti. Half time Lazio 1 Fiorentina 0.
The second half was no different. The "Gigliati" going forward but rarely threatening Lucidio Sentimenti IV, with one exception in the 62nd minute, when the visitors had their biggest chance of the game. It fell to Egisto Pandolfini who, despite falling, after a challenge by Luigi Fuin, managed to get a shot in with Sentimenti IV coming off his line, but the ball went only just wide of the post. Pandolfini would then go on to play the Roman derby against Lazio over the next four years but that's another story.
The game ended with a 1-0 victory to Lazio. Fiorentina felt a bit hard done by but at the end of the day, despite all their pressure and quality build up, the Lazio keeper had not really dirtied his gloves. Lazio had not played well, far too defensive, but Sükrü's superb freekick was enough to give them an important win over rivals of a similar level.
Who played for Lazio
Sentimenti IV, Antonazzi, Furiassi, Alzani, Sentimenti V, Fuin, Sentimenti III, Larsen, Antoniotti, Lofgren, Sükrü
Manager: Bigogno
Who played for Fiorentina
Costagliola, Magnini, Cervato, Chiappella, Rosetta, Magli, Vitali, Pandolfini, Roosenburg, Ekner, Della Torre.
Manager: Magli
Referee: Silvano
Goal: 15' Sükrü
Sources
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