This Week In Lazio History: January 27 – February 2 | OneFootball

Important wins this week in Lazio history as we also remember an Italian giant of the past who played for Lazio in his youth, Alfredo Foni.

Matches of the Week

Date: Sunday, January 30, 1949 Venue: Stadio Nazionale, Rome Fixture: Lazio Lucchese 2-1 Lazio in difficulty but manage to beat Lucchese thanks to Penzo and Magrini in a vital match for the Biancocelesti.

Date: Sunday, January 31, 1993 Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome Fixture: Lazio Sampdoria 2-1 Lazio defeat rivals for Europe with goals by Riedle and Stroppa

Date: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome Fixture: Lazio Milan 2-0 Lazio defend stubbornly for long periods and then punish Milan late on with Hernanes and Rocchi

Date: Sunday, February 1, 1976 Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome Fixture: Lazio Como 3-2 Lazio come from behind to beat Como in crucial relegation clash thanks to Ferrari and a Garlaschelli brace

Date: Sunday, February 2, 2020 Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome Fixture: Lazio Spal 5-1 Lazio destroy Spal thanks to braces from Immobile and Caicedo plus a goal by Adekanye

Match In Focus

Date: Sunday, January 29, 1984 Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome Fixture: Lazio Genoa 2-1

A good crowd of 45,000 turned up on a sunny January afternoon for this relegation clash.

Genoa had a few absences through injury and suspension but Lazio were also still missing their top striker Bruno Giordano, out with a broken leg.

The first half was a lot more open than expected. Such important games are usually very tactical and closed. Today, however, Genoa came out controlling the tempo, possibly taking Lazio a little by surprise.

Genoa looked better organized and soon gained the upper hand in midfield with Roberto Policano, Paolo Benedetti and Mario Faccenda. In the 10th minute Policano hit the crossbar with a powerful shot. Lazio were less pleasing on the eye but made up for it with sheer determination and willpower, led by Lionello Manfredonia and Gabriele Podavini’s forays. Their chances came from long range shots by Podavini, over the bar, and Giancarlo Marini, superbly saved by Silvano Martina.

The first goal of the game came just before halftime. In the 41st minute a cracking low shot from outside the box by Francesco Mileti beat Nando Orsi. At the break Lazio 0 Genoa 1.

The second half started and Genoa had an opportunity with Massimo Briaschi but his shot was blocked in a crowded area. In the 57th minute Lazio equalised. A high freekick from the left into the area was skilfully chested down by Manfredonia and hammered in from close range with his right foot. Lazio 1-Genoa 1.

Just over ten minutes later Lazio were in the lead. In the 67th minute Michael Laudrup went down the left side of the area and crossed, the ball was headed on by Mauro Meluso to Manfredonia who went past a defender but was pulled down. Penalty given and then put away by Vincenzo D’Amico with a perfect mid-height spot kick. Lazio 2 Genoa 1.

Genoa obviously threw themselves into attack at this point and came close to equalising twice. First in the 72nd minute when a Mileti shot was cleared off the line by Marini and shortly after a Benedetti effort was brilliantly saved by Orsi.

Final score Lazio 2 Genoa 1. An absolutely crucial win for Lazio (it would turn out to be the decisive factor in May). The result was slightly flattering but Lazio had shown grit, passion and heart against a better organised and balanced team.

In Memory: Alfredo Foni

Alfredo Foni was born in Udine, on January 20, 1911. At 16 he started playing for his hometown team Udinese. He made 3 appearances before being bought by Lazio in 1929.

In Rome, despite his young age, he did well. In his first year he was coached first by Ferenc Molnar, then Pietro Piselli and then Molnar again. It was the first single national Serie A and Foni made 19 appearances with one goal. Lazio finished 15th.

The following year Molnar stayed until May, then came Cesare Migliorini and finally, for the last three matches, Brazilian Amílcar. Foni played 20 league matches and scored 2 goals including one in a 1-1 draw in Roma’s Testaccio den. This was only the second season with derbies (Roma recently formed in 1927) and Lazio’s first unbeaten. Lazio had a better season in general too and came 8th. Unfortunately this was also Foni’s last with Lazio as he joined Padova.

He stayed three seasons in Veneto. The first was in Serie B and the “Biancoscudati” (The White-Shielded) were promoted. Foni had an excellent season playing 30 games with 15 goals (as a defender). In Serie A, over the following two seasons, he played 66 games with 4 goals and Padova came 14th and 16th (relegated) under Hungarian János Vanicsek. By this point he had been noticed by the big teams and with Padova’s relegation he moved to Turin.

In 1934 Foni joined Juventus. He would stay with the “Old Lady” for thirteen years. Between 1934 and 1942 he did not miss a single match. He ended up playing 266 league games for the Bianconeri with 5 goals. Along with fellow full-back Pietro Rava he made up one of the best defences in Italian history. In Turin he won a Scudetto (1935) and the  Coppa Italia twice (1938, 1942).

In 1948 he joined Chiasso in Switzerland but only played 3 games before retiring.

At international level Foni won 23 Italy caps. He won an Olympic gold medal in Berlin 1936 as captain. He then won the biggest prize of all, the World Cup in France 1936. Foni played the quarterfinal, semi-final and the final where Italy defeated Hungary 4-2 (with 2 goals by Lazio’s Silvio Piola).

After retiring, Foni became a manager. He was successful there too. He started at Venezia (B), then Casale (C), Pavia (C), Sampdoria (A). In 1952 he joined Inter for three years and won 2 Scudetti, in 1953 and 1954. He worked for the national team commission between 1954 (for one year he had a double job) until 1958. In 1957 he was the “Azzurri” manager but they failed to qualify for the Sweden 1958 World Cup, also due to the Belfast disaster when Italy lost to Northern Ireland (one of Italy’s lowest points along with North Korea in 1966 and North Macedonia in 2022).

In 1958 Foni returned to club football and joined Bologna for a year as technical director. He then returned to Rome for two years, but as manager on the Giallorosso side of town. In 1961 he won the Fairs Cup. He then had a season in his hometown, at Udinese (A but relegated). In 1963 he returned to Roma but was sacked after 8 games. He then became manager of Switzerland for three years (1964-67). The Swiss got to England 1966 but lost 3 out of 3.

He returned to club football again in 1968 and went back to Inter finishing 4th. His last coaching experiences between 1970 and 1977 were with Bellinzona (Swiss A, relegated), Mantova (A, relegated) and Lugano (Swiss A, 1974, 12th and Swiss B, 1977, 4th).

At 66 Foni also retired as a manager. He died at Breganzona, near Lugano, in Switzerland on January 28, 1985.

Foni was an excellent full-back. One of the best of his generation. He played in Serie A for 16 years. He won a Scudetto as a player and two as a manager. He played for his country and managed his country. He won a World Cup as a player and was included in the tournament’s best XI.

At Lazio he only played two seasons between the ages of 18 and 20. He performed well and it was obvious he was destined for an illustrious career. His winning the World Cup in 1938 alongside Silvio Piola surely made all Lazio fans proud at the time.

Alfredo Foni, a name to remember.

Birthdays This Week