Lazio outrun Bologna and put Rossoblu in trouble
With two goals in last fifteen minutes Lazio clinch good away win but Bologna now seriously risk the drop
Also on this day: May 25, 1958, Lazio Verona 4-0. A convincing display shows Lazio deserve to keep Serie A status. Player of the day: Ugo Pozzan
The season so far
Lazio had finished a positive 4th the previous season, under manager Mario Sperone. The Biancocelesti had won both derbies and beaten Milan away. Top scorer was Norberto Höfling with 11 league goals.
This season the Manager was Giuseppe Bigogno. The main changes to the squad were, arriving, midfielders Luigi Fuin (Palermo), Ragnar Nikolay Larsen (Sandaker) and Sivgard Löfgren (Helsingborg) plus forward Lelio Antoniotti (Pro Patria) and leaving, defender Sergio Piacentini (Chinotto Neri), midfielders Flavio Cecconi (Napoli) plus forwards Dionisio Arce (Napoli) and Norberto Höfling (Pro Patria).
The Eagles were having another good season and were in joint 5th place with Napoli but only one point off 4th placed Fiorentina. Lazio had won 13 (including Juventus 2-0 and today's opposition Bologna 1-0, at home), drawn 11 and lost 9. There was no derby this year as Roma were in Serie B. Top scorer was Turkish striker Gülesin Sukru with 11 league goals.
Bologna had finished 6th the previous season, under Englishman Edmund Crawford and then, for the last two games, Raffaele Sansone. The games against Lazio had ended with a 0-1 away defeat and a 7-2 home win. Top scorer was Gino Cappello with 16 league goals.
This season the manager was first Crawford (1-4), then Raffaele Sansone (5-10) and from the 11th fixture until now Giuseppe Galluzzi.
The squad was pretty much unchanged, only forward Giuseppe Baiocchi had left (Potenza-on loan).
Bologna had struggled all season and were joint 17th with Como. The table was tight, it read: Legnano 11 (relegated), Padova 26, Como 27, Bologna 27, Lucchese 28, Udinese 29, Atalanta 29, Torino 30, Triestina 30, Palermo 30. Basically, nine teams battling to avoid the last two slots with five games left.
Bologna had won 9, drawn 9 (including Juventus 1-1 away) and lost 15 (including Lazio 0-1). Their last win had been on March 16 (Atalanta 1-0 at home). Top scorer was Cervellati with 13 league goals.
Bologna had more to play for but Lazio were ten points ahead and the better team so could be hard to beat.
The match: Sunday, May 25, 1952, Stadio Comunale, Bologna
A cold, grey, blustery day only saw about 10,000 spectators turn up at the Comunale.
Lazio had several absences, Primo Sentimenti V, Francesco Antonazzi, Enrique Flamini and Sigvard Löfgren while Bologna had Mario Tacconi playing in attack but with some physical problems.
Bologna started out on the attack but Lazio's defence was solid. They based their game on quick counter attacks. In the 5th minute Lelio Antoniotti was fouled at the edge of the box but Gülesin Şükrü's free kick went wide.
Bologna then had a few minutes of pressure, but in the 8th minute Lazio scored. Ragnar Larsen started the move in midfield, then Mario Magrini fed Şükrü, the Turk set off like a bullet and could have shot but instead turned inside and dribbled a couple of defenders before beating Glauco Vanz with a low strike. Great goal and Bologna 0 Lazio 1.
Bologna attacked head down. In the 10th minute Tacconi was clear through but Lucidio "Cochi" Sentimenti IV rushed off his line and stopped the shot. The Lazio keeper was kept busy especially in the 20th minute when Tacconi had a powerful close range shot but he pulled off a brilliant save, punching the ball into corner.
Lazio still threatened on the break and in the 21st minute Şükrü repeated his earlier movements but this time his shot shaved the crossbar.
Bologna's pressure however was rewarded in the 31st minute. After a prolonged and scrappy move in the area, Mario Gritti got a shot in which Sentimenti IV parried but Tacconi pounced on the rebound and scored. Bologna 1 Lazio 1.
Bologna continued to attack but the halftime whistle came with the score on 1-1.
The heavens then opened and torrential rain started to pelt down.
The game restarted under a downpour but also with thunder and lightning in the distance.
Bologna started where they had left off and Sentimenti IV was called into action on two José Garcia efforts.
Bologna then suddenly faded and Lazio became more authoritative despite being forced to reshuffle their line-up due to an injury to full-back Zeffiro Furiassi who was moved out to the wing while Magrini went to full-back and Aldo Puccinelli to midfield.
In the 52nd minute Lazio took the lead. Magrini put in a long cross to Şükrü, the big Turk dribbled Guglielmo Giovannini and beat Vanz coming off his line. Bologna 1 Lazio 2.
Bologna, spurred on by the home fans, did not give up and equalised in the 58th minute. Following a corner by Garcia, Aldo Campatelli teed up Gino Cappello who wrong footed Sentimenti IV and made it 2-2.
Bologna however were tiring while Lazio seemed to still have plenty of energy. In the 77th minute Larsen again worked a good ball in midfield and left it to Romolo Alzani who played in Antoniotti but his shot lacked power and Vanz saved into corner. Şükrü took the corner blasting a low strike which crossed the whole goal area until Antoniotti stretched and put it in the back of the net. Bologna 2 Lazio 3.
Bologna were done for and their fans started to whistle them. Lazio, on the other hand, were rampant and even the limping Furiassi came to life with a cross to Antoniotti who teed up Şükrü who with a cracking left foot made it 2-4 in the 82nd minute. It was the Turk's hat-trick.
The home fans turned on their players shouting "In serie B ... In serie B! ..." Lazio decided not to pile more misery on the home side and the game ended without any more noteworthy action. Final score Bologna 2 Lazio 4.
A fine performance by Lazio who had soaked up periods of pressure and then struck late with their superior fitness. Lazio were now solitary in 5th place.
Bologna were in trouble. The Rossoblu were now 18th, two points adrift. If the season ended now Bologna would be down. The table read: Legnano 13, Padova 26, Bologna 27, Como 29, Udinese 29, Torino, Atalanta, Triestina and Lucchese all on 30. With three relegations and four games to go these were worrying times for the Felsinei, who had never been in Serie B.
Who played for Bologna
Vanz, Giovannini, Ballacci, Pilmark, Mezzadri, Jensen, Cervellati, Garcia, Tacconi, Gritti, Cappello
Manager: Galluzzi
Who played for Lazio
Sentimenti IV, Montanari, Furiassi, Alzani, Malacarne, Fuin, Puccinelli, Magrini, Antoniotti, Larsen, Şükrü
Manager: Bigogno
Referee: Marchetti
Goals: 8' Sukrü, 31' Gritti, 52' Sukrü, 58' Cappello, 77' Antoniotti, 82' Sukrü
What happened next
Lazio finished 4th again. In the last 4 games the Biancocelesti won 1 (Triestina 4-1 at home), drew 2 (Milan 1-1 at home and Fiorentina 0-0 away) and lost 1 (SPAL 0-4 away). Another good season for the Romans who only came behind the big three. Top scorer was Gülesin Sukrü with 16 league goals.
Bologna avoided relegation, just. After today's game Galluzzi was sacked and replaced by Hungarian Gyula Lelovics. In the next 4 games they won 2 (Udinese 2-0 away and Como 4-2 at home) and drew 2 (Inter 2-2 away and Palermo 0-0 at home). The Rossoblu finished 16th, one point above the drop zone. Top scorer was Cervellati with 14 league goals.
The Scudetto was won by Juventus for the 9th time. The three unlucky ones heading down to Serie B were Legnano, Padova and Lucchese (after a playoff with Triestina, lost 3-4 on aggregate).
Lazio 1951-52
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie A | 38 | 15 | 13 | 10 | 60 |
Top appearances
Player | Serie A |
Sentimenti IV | 38 |
Alzani | 37 |
Fuin | 35 |
Furiassi | 30 |
Top five goal scorers
Player | Serie A |
Sukru | 16 |
Puccinelli | 9 |
Larsen | 7 |
Lofgren | 7 |
Antoniotti | 6 |
Let's talk about Remo Zenobi
Remo Zenobi was born in Rome on May 23, 1891.
His father was a tailor and Remo was brought up in the central Monti area of Rome.
In his youth he was a decent runner in Lazio's athletics team. He then worked in the aeronautical field.
His first involvement with Lazio came in 1923 when he and five partners set up a company to help finance the expansion and restructuring of the Rondinella stadium's stands.
In 1926, when Lazio officially became SS Lazio with its ten different sports sections, he was on the Board of Directors.
In 1929 the first single national Serie A tournament was played. Lazio's president was Ettore Vanni while Zenobi took charge of Lazio's football section. He chose Ferenc Molnar as manager, replaced him with Pietro Piselli and then called Hungarian back. Lazio finished 15th.
In this period, he not only followed the sporting aspects but also focused on improving Lazio's financial situation.
In 1930-31 Lazio finished 8th and Zenobi started his Brazilian phase. He signed the two Fantoni cousins, Juan and Octavio, who would be followed by several others to form what became as the "Brasilazio" period.
The disappointing 13th place and criticism of his choices led him to resign on June 14, 1932.
He then changed his mind and returned after four months and became Commissioner of the Lazio football section. He chose Austrian Karl Sturmer as manager due to his ability in developing young player and the club focused increasingly on the youth sector.
It was in this period that the Lazio "Pulcini" side (9-11 age) hugely impressed Vienna and not only when they drew with the formidable Wacker team, aged 12 to 14.
On April 30 1933, Eugenio Gualdi became SS Lazio president and Zenobi became president of the football section. The two had different styles as Gualdi had a more business-like and modern approach while Zenobi was more old school wanting to run the club like a family. The two clashed and Gualdi took over both roles.
In these years Lazio finished 10th, 5th (in Silvio Piola's first year), 7th, 2nd and 8th.
This changed on April 29, 1938 when Gualdi resigned and Zenobi became president of the football section again. He brought in manager Jozsef Viola but then replaced him with Luigi Allemandi after 19 games and Lazio finished 10th.
Zenobi was careful with his spending and improved the club's financial situation. He gained a lot of power inside the club, he was a gentle, friendly character but could also be hard and stubborn. Such as when he left Olympic champion Libero Marchini out of the squad for a year after discovering had negotiated a move to Torino.
Zenobi also had clashes with the press and he often kicked overly critical journalists out even if they belonged to powerful pro-regime newspapers.
On April 9 1940 Zenobi became General President of S.S. Lazio.
The early 40's were difficult years with the powers that be deciding a lot of what went on also in the football context.
The war then intensified and it was rumoured Zenobi was about to abandon the football world.
His love for Lazio however convinced him to continue. He took on Alexander Popovich who introduced a more modern style of play.
In 1943 however, with the Nazi occupation in Rome, Zenobi declared that the SS Lazio Board of Directors had resigned, him included, and that the club was placed in the hands of a committee of founder members whose task was to promote athletics, football and general healthy exercise for the moral and physical education of the younger generations. He also stated that Lazio was independent and had nothing to do with any political or religious beliefs.
In the meantime, numerous Jews and people wanted by the nazi-fascists were hosted and hidden in the "Circolo Canottieri Lazio" (Lazio Rowing Club) in line with Lazio's original values of solidarity.
After the war the president was Andrea Ercoli and in 1948 Renato Bornigia briefly.
The Lazio Board only met again in May 1949 and Zenobi became president again. This time he collaborated with Gualdi and chose Mario Sperone as manager. These were good years for Lazio with the arrival of Lucidio Sentimenti IV, Primo Sentimenti V, Zeffiro Furiassi, Norbert Höfling, Dionisio Arce to name a few. Lazio finished 4th three times, won 5 derbies out of 6, with one draw, and had three players included in the Italy national team.
They were positive years under Sperone and then Giuseppe Bigogno but also ones of missed opportunities as the big northern clubs modernised and evolved Lazio remained anchored in its patriarchal and family style approach. Zenobi was unwilling to invest and was accused of being unambitious. His opposition to the signing of Vittorio Bergamo from Sampdoria was an example, Bergamo then arrived anyway.
It was in this period that the new Olympic Stadium, which he was all in favour of, was being built at the foot of Montemario hill. One of his excuses for not investing enough was his famous phrase, "Without a great stadium one can't have a great team".
On April 14 he resigned but left the assembly hall amid emotional applause and was given a gold medal for his services to Lazio. Antonio Annunziata took his place and then Costantino Tessarolo.
It is possible he planned to return again once the new stadium was completed but he never got the chance as he died suddenly on May 11, 1953, from a heart attack on the island of Ischia. Six days later on May 17 the Stadio Olimpico was inaugurated.
Zenobi is an important figure in Lazio history. He was president of Lazio football from 1929-32, 1932-33, 1938-39 and 1949-53 plus general president from 1940-43. He was known as the "Presidentone" (The Big President /Boss). He coined the famous phrase, then copied by Roma fans, "Lazio should not be questioned, only loved".
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