Penalty draw
Two penalties in the second half produced a draw in Ferraris IV’s first derby against his former team
The season so far
The previous year Lazio had arrived tenth. The club’s main objective had been to have a comfortable year and to avoid relegation, so in the end mission accomplished. For the 1934-35 season the club was more ambitious. The Biancocelesti had signed a promising centre forward from Pro Vercelli, Silvio Piola, another forward Felice Levratto plus midfielder Giuseppe Viani from Ambrosiana Inter, goalkeeper Giacomo Blason from Triestina and the World Champion Attilio Ferraris IV. Leaving Lazio were Pietro Buscaglia (Torino), Bruno Bedosti (Anconitana), Duilio Salatin and Pepe (Brazil), Giovanni Battioni and Augusto Mattei (Aquila), Mario Tonali (Pisa) and Raggio Montanari (Foggia).
The season had started very well. After the first five games, Lazio had won them all except one, beating Livorno 6-1 and Juventus 5-3, and were top of the table together with Fiorentina.
The match: Sunday, November 18, 1934, Campo Testaccio, Rome
Before the game, the six Nazionale players received an award from Roma. These were Attilio Ferraris IV, Enrique Guaita, Alejandro Scopelli, Giacomo Blason, SIlvio Piola and Guido Masetti.
There was curiosity to see what the Roma fans would do when seeing their former captain play in a different jersey, especially a Lazio one. There was applause but also boos.
In the second minute Piola passed to Antonio Bisigato who shot but Masetti saved. Five minutes later it was Blason who was called to save a Scopelli shot made more insidious due to an involuntary deflection off Octavio Fantoni II. Blason had to repeat himself in the 13th minute again saving a Scopelli shot and immediately after another attempt from Franco Scaramelli gave the crowd the illusion of the goal since the ball ended behind the net. In the 20th minute a Guaita bicycle kick was too high and immediately after he crossed towards the centre of the box, Armando Del Debbio cleared, ball back to Guaita who attempted a shot from an impossible position, the Lazio goalkeeper saved. In the 23rd minute Juan Fantoni I had a chance after an Alejandro Demaria corner, but his shot was too high.
A very exciting match with the ball going backwards and forwards. Roma played better, but Lazio were more physical, creating a lot of difficulty for the Giallorossi. Scopelli had another chance in the 30th minute off a corner taken by Raffaele Costantino, but his shot went wide. The latter was the protagonist of a magnificent cross shortly after which Guaita headed out. Bisigato and Virigilio Levratto went close to giving Lazio the lead and in the 44th minute Piola attempted a shot from outside the box but the ball shaved the crossbar.
The second half continued along the same lines, first Blason had to save a Scaramelli shot in the 47th minute and then Masetti had to dive at Piola's feet to avoid a goal. In the 58th minute foul on Scopelli in the box, the referee indicated a penalty which Guaita scored. Five minutes later Costantino scored for Lazio but he was offside.
Lazio pressed Roma and in the 68th minute equalised. Piola was pulled down in the box. Penalty also for the Biancocelesti which the great Silvio scored. Lazio sensed blood and attacked. In the 72nd minute Masetti saved a Piola acrobatic bicycle kick. Two minutes later Bisigato shaved the crossbar. In the 77th minute a Demaria header went wide, in the 79th a surface-to-air shot by Piola was well saved by Masetti. The match ended with a Costantino shot saved by Blason.
A great game and a fair result
Who played for Roma
Masetti, Gadaldi, Bodini (II), Frisoni (II), Bernardini, Tomasi, Costantino, Scopelli, Guaita, Scaramelli, Fusco
Manager: Barbesino
Who played for Lazio
Blason, Bertagni, Del Debbio, Ferraris IV, Viani I, Fantoni II, Demaria, Fantoni I, Piola, Bisigato, Levratto
Manager: Alt
Referee: Scorzoni
Goals: 58’ Guaita (pen), 68’ Piola (pen)
What happened next
The Biancocelesti lost the next four games and at the end of the first half of the season were sixth. Unfortunately, the year would be characterised by the death of Ottavio Fantoni II, cousin of Joao Fantoni I. During the game against Torino on January 20 he injured his nose. It seemed nothing particularly serious but the injury caused an infection. After two weeks of great suffering, Fantoni II died.
Lazio had an excellent attack but not such a good defence. There had been some heavy defeats (6-1 against Juventus away but also 4-1 and 5-3 at home against Milan and Fiorentina). However, the wins against Juventus, Napoli and Inter at home had shown that Lazio could compete with the stronger clubs. Lazio also beat Pro Vercelli 6-0. The Biancocelesti finished 5th.
Ferraris IV was the player with most appearances (30), Piola with the most goals (21)
Lazio 1934-35
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals Scored |
Serie A | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 55 |
Top five appearances
Player | Serie A |
Ferraris IV | 30 |
Bisigato | 29 |
Blason | 29 |
Piola | 29 |
Viani | 28 |
Top five goalscorers
Player | Goals |
Piola | 21 |
Fantoni I | 8 |
Guarisi | 8 |
Bisigato | 5 |
Levratto | 4 |
Dimaria | 4 |
Let's talk about Attilio Ferraris IV
Attilio Ferraris IV is a legendary player. World Champion with Italy in 1934, he was Roma’s first captain, but he then played two years for the better side of the Tiber.
He was born on March 26, 1904 in Rome, and played football right from an early age, just like his brothers Paolo, Gino and Fausto. They all played for Fortitudo, one of the many Rome clubs. However, in 1927, following the merger between Fortitudo, Alba Audace and Roman, Ferraris found himself playing for the new club AS Roma. He became the first historic Giallorosso captain.
He was a great player and very popular with the fans. Once, when he was injured, so many people turned up at his house that the doorkeeper had to put a sign up indicating which floor he lived on and a fan had to organise the crowd flow to and from the house!!!
Despite being a champion, he did not live like a true professional. He drank, smoked and was a Latin lover. He was often late for training and sometimes did not turn up at all. At 30, following another disciplinary problem, he was put out of the squad. But when Vittorio Pozzo started to get his team organised for the World Cup of 1934, he specifically wanted Attilio. So, Ferrari trained harder than he had ever done before, and was one of the protagonists in the World Cup. Italy became World Champions, beating Czechoslovakia 2-1.
The win created interest in the player and Lazio were the club that offered the most money. He moved to the right side of town, but this created a huge outroar among the Roma fans. To appease them, the club inserted a clause in the contract indicating that the Biancocelesti would have to pay a vast amount of money if Ferraris IV played in the derby. The Roma management were convinced that Lazio would never pay. But, a few days before the match, a courier arrived in the Rome offices with a cheque. Ferraris played and was one of the best players on the pitch. The teams drew 1-1.
In his first season for Lazio, Ferraris made 29 appearances but in his second he suffered a severe injury which left him out for most of the year. Considering him a finished player, the Biancocelesti sold him to Bari where he stayed for two seasons and made 56 appearances. Back at Roma in 1938, he stayed a year before finishing his active football career with Catania in 1940.
He played 28 games for his country winning an Olympic Bronze in the Amsterdam Games and a World Cup. He was initially supposed to be one of the reserves but due to the fact that Mario Pizziolo fractured his leg in the first game, he was called up to play in the replayed match against Spain. He was placed at midfield and was one of the protagonists.
With Roma he won a Coppa Coni in 1928.
He died on May 8, 1947 at Montecatini. While he was playing a game among former teammates he suffered a heart attack.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
1934-35 | 30 | 30 | - |
1935-36 | 10 | 9 | 1 |
Total | 40 | 39 | 1 |
Sources
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