Game 17, Serie A
Sunday, January 13, 1952
Stadio Torino, Rome
Lazio Spal 4-1
Lazio defeat high flying Ferraresi and overtake them in the table
The Eagles were having another good season and were joint 6th with Novara on 18 points. Lazio had won 7, drawn 4 and lost 5. The most recent match had been a 1-1 away draw to Milan. There was no derby this year as Roma had been the first team from the capital to be relegated to Serie B.
SPAL were doing well and were in joint 4th place with Palermo on 19 points. The Estensi had won 6, drawn 7 (including Juventus and Milan both 1-1 away and Inter 1-1 at home) and lost 3. They came from two consecutive wins (Palermo and Napoli).
So, a high table clash today. Lazio could overtake the Ferraresi today but had to watch out against the high-flying newcomers.
The match
A rainy day in the Eternal City with the pitch in an awful state with large muddy patches. A crowd of about 20,000 at the Torino stadium today.
Lazio had defender Stefano Malacarne and forward Aldo Puccinelli out, while the visitors had no injury problems.
Lazio played well at the start forcing SPAL on the backfoot. In the 11th minute the Romans took the lead even if it was with an own goal by Raffaele Guaita, who put the ball past Ottavio Bugatti. Lazio 1 SPAL 0.
SPAL however, showed why they were so high up in the table. They played fast, precise football and Lazio had to defend for most of the half, fending off the waves of intense attacks by the visitors. Halftime Lazio 1 SPAL 0.
The second half had barely started when Norwegian Ragnar Larsen scored in the 47th minute.
The Estensi however, did not give up and pulled a goal back in the 58th minute. Their best player so far, Dane Niels Bennike, was fouled in the area and Aulo Gelio Lucchi scored the spot kick. Lazio 2 SPAL 1.
SPAL's game nevertheless started to be affected by the heavy pitch. Their style was based on high-speed movements and passes and they started to tire.
It was then Bugatti who kept the visitors in the game with impressive saves from Larsen, Enrique Flamini and Sukrü Gülesin.
More Lazio goals came towards the end. In the 83rd minute big Turkish forward Sukrü scored and then two minutes later Lelio Antoniotti got Lazio's fourth. Lazio 4 SPAL 1.
The Turkish forward was the protagonist of a funny episode during the match. The muddy conditions made the players' shirts and numbers almost unrecognisable after only 10-15 minutes, but for a long period the sturdy Turk's remained immaculate. It was a great disappointment to the crowd when Sukrü finally went flying into the muddy water and joined his filthy looking teammates.
The game finished 4-1 but the result was a bit generous to Lazio. The Biancocelesti had possibly the better players but SPAL had played well until their energy ran out also due to the heavy pitch.
A bit harsh on the Ferraresi but a good win for Lazio who leapfrogged today's opponents and were now joint 4th with Palermo. SPAL meanwhile were down to 6th.
Who played for Lazio
Sentimenti IV, Antonazzi, Furiassi, Alzani, Sentimenti V, Fuin, Flamini, Larsen, Antoniotti, Löfgren, Sukrü
Manager: Bigogno
Who played for SPAL
Bugatti, Guaita, Lucchi, Ørnvold, Macchi, Nesti, Quaresima, Colombi, Bülent, Bennike, Fontanesi I
Manager: Janni
Referee: Liverani
Goals: 11' Guaita (og), 47' Larsen, 58' Lucchi, 83' Sukrü, 85' Antoniotti
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