Bettolini rises above Roma
Lazio win the derby thanks to Bettolini header
Also on this day:
The season so far
In the previous season Lazio had come an excellent 4th for the third year running under manager Giuseppe Bigogno. As usual, there was not much money for transfers so the only good players arriving were midfielder Per Bredesen, Norwegian International, forwards Giovanni Migliorini (Inter) and Paolo Bettolini (Magenta), winger Emilio Caprile (Juventus) plus the returns of Renato Spurio and Aldo De Fazio from the loans.
Leaving Lazio were centre-forward Sukru Gulesin (Palermo) and Leoncino Unzain (Toulon) and alas also fan favourites Enrique Flamini (Reggiana) and Vittorio Sentimenti III (Torino). Vittorio Bergamo arrived from Sampdoria in the autumn.
So far Lazio had played four games, won one, drawn one and lost two.
The match: Sunday, November 12, 1952, Stadio Torino, Rome
The initial skirmishes saw Lazio shoot towards the Roma goal a few times with Paolo Bettolini and once with Per Bredesen, all off target. In the 12th minute Vittorio Bergamo took a free kick that Luigi Albani parried. Two minutes later Bettolini to Bredesen in the Roma box, prompt shot, crossbar!!! Immediately after, Egisto Pandolfini had a chance but his shot was saved by Lucidio Sentimenti IV. The great Lazio keeper was also called to action in the 22nd minute by a Helge Bronee shot which he caught comfortably. In the 25th minute Raoul Bortoletto tried a bicycle kick, but the ball hit the woodwork.
The game was quick, with the ball going from one part of the pitch to the other. In the 29th minute a Bronee shot was saved by Sentimenti IV. This generated a Lazio attack that allowed Bredesen to shoot, parried by Albani who then passed to Arcadio Venturi, ball to Carlo Lucchesi and Sentimenti IV parried at the other end.
In the 32nd minute Carlo Galli was taken off injured. He would return in the second half. In the 39th minute a Ragnar Larsen whack was magnificently parried by the Roma keeper. In the 41st minute Larsen to Aldo Puccinelli who crossed into the box, Bettolini rose higher than the Roma defenders and headed the ball in.
In the 48th minute a Lucchesi header went wide. After a Bredesen shot with no result, Roma took control of the game. A dangerous cross from Bronee did not find either Pandolfini or Stig Sundqvist ready for the tap in. In the 55th minute Bredesen passed to Lelio Antoniotti unmarked in front of the keeper. His shot went wide. In the 64th minute a Bredesen shot was parried and 60 seconds later an Antoniotti missile shaved the crossbar. Immediately after, it was Puccinelli with a chance, but his shot was parried by the Roma keeper. In the 76th minute a Pandolfini shot was parried by Sentimenti IV. A minute later Antoniotti to Bettolini who despite being pressed by Antonio Azzimonti and Armando Tre Re managed to go forward but he was anticipated by Albani.
In the last ten minutes of the game Roma put maximum pressure on the Lazio defence in search of an equaliser. A Lucchesi cross in the 80th minute saw all the Roma forwards ready for the kill but the Lazio defence and Sentimenti IV managed to clear.
A great win for the Biancocelesti.
Who played for Lazio
Sentimenti IV, Antonazzi, Furiassi, Alzani, Sentimenti V, Bergamo, Bettolini, Bredesen, Antoniotti, Larsen, Puccinelli
Manager: Bigogno
Who played for Roma
Albani, Azimonti, Tre Re, Bortoletto, Grosso, Venturi, Lucchesi, Pandolfini, Galli, Bronée, Sundqvist
Manager: Varglien
Referee: Liverani
Goal: 41’ Bettolini
What happened next
The first half of the season was rather positive and Lazio reached 6th place, just four points off second place Milan. Despite losing to future champions Juventus 5-0 in Turin, they had won the derby, beaten Napoli and drawn against Inter. The first match of the second half had seen Lazio triumph 4-0 at Udine but then the Biancocelesti lost 6 out of seven games and Tognotti was fired and replaced by Alfredo Notti. In his first game Lazio beat Roma but then they would only win one more game and finished with three consecutive defeats. In the end they came a disappointing 10th.
Sentimenti IV, Primo Sentimenti V and Bredesen were the players with most appearances (32), and the top goal scorers were Larsen and Bettolini with 7 goals.
Let's talk about Paolo Bettolini
Paolo Bettolini was born on May 26 1930 in Binasco, near Milan.
He started playing football with Magenta in the minor tiers and in 1952 signed for Lazio as backup forward. In his first year he did rather well, making 19 appearances with 7 goals including a winner in a derby. In his second year he played less for the first team and more for the reserves.
In 1954 he was loaned to Monza in Serie B and in 1955 sold to Legnano in Serie B. In his first year there he was top scorer, but then played less and less.
He retired in 1961.
At Lazio he will always be remembered for his goal in the derby
Lazio Career
Season | Appearances Serie A | Goals Serie A |
1952-53 | 19 | 7 |
1953-54 | 2 | - |
Total | 21 | 7 |
Sources
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