World War 2: The Piola Era -source- (www.lazioclubmalta.com)For the season 1939-40 Lazio acquired three Argentinean players i.e. Barrera, Pisa and Flamini who played with the light blue shirt until 1952. Lazio's coach was the Hungarian Kartesz. After the first five outings Lazio climbed on the top of the table. On the ninth day, it humiliated Juventus with a 4-0 crashing in Rome. However, from then onwards Lazio started its decline and ended in 4th position. A week later, Italy officially entered in the Second World War.
For the 1940-41 campaign, Lazio revolutionised its squad and had a very poor season ending in the penultimate spot, alongside Novara, the latter being relegated on goal difference. In that season Silvio Piola scored the 100th goal with the Lazio shirt. The following season Lazio ended fifth, five points behind city-rivals A.S.Roma who won the title. A year later Lazio ended 9th with Silvio Piola crowned as league top scorer. The league was won by the so-called "great" Torino, who started their legend.
Reigning champions A.S. Roma ended in a disappointing 11th position. Due to the intensity of the war, the following two seasons were not disputed. In the capital city, however a Roman league was organised. S.S.Lazio and A.S.Roma together with eight amateur roman clubs took part.
The two professional sides were superior to the other squads, and both clubs won a league each, ending the other as runner-up. Lazio won the 1944 title while Roma took revenge a year later. Although Italy was still licking its wounds after the war, the league recommenced in 1945. However, due to problems in the traffic links between the north and south of the country, the league was subdivided in two;
the northern group and the centre-south group. Lazio, following Piola's transfer to Juventus, had an opaque season ending 7th out of ten teams in the centre south division.
The following season the league retained its traditional format with twenty teams participating. It was the "Great Torino" era that dominated the league winning with a ten-point gap against city-rivals Juventus. Lazio ended in 12th position, twenty-seven points behind the champions but three ahead of Roma. A year later twenty-one teams participated in the league. Torino ruled, this time ending the campaign with a sixteen-point gap on the runners up. Lazio ended 10th and had the satisfaction to stop the Turin unbeatable squad on a goalless draw in Rome and losing in Turin with a honourable 4-3. In the season 1948-49, Lazio had a very turbulent season. Infact, it won its first game only in the 11th day of the league when it beat Bologna 8-2. Once again Torino were crowned champions but even this time Lazio gave a hard time to the "Granata" losing 1-0 in Turin and drawing 2-2 in Rome. It was the last season for this memorable squad that tragically ended its legend on the 4th May 1949 when the plane transporting the squad crashed into the "Superga hill", a few minutes before landing in Turin's
airport, killing almost all players and club officials. In the seasons 1949-50, 1950-51 and 1951-52 Lazio finished 4th. In those years three of the five Sentimenti brothers played with the light blue shirt. These were Sentimenti 4, the goalkeeper, and Sentiment 3 and 5 both of them midfielders.
In the season 1950-51 Lazio, lost only one match in home and won both derbies against Roma thus contributing to the relegation of the "giallorossi".
Moreover, in that season Piola, who was playing Novara, became Italy's most prolific scorer of all times surpassing Meazza. Piola also scored a hatrick against Lazio in the match ended 4-2 for the "Piemontesi". The season 1951-52 Lazio had the satisfaction to beat the champions Juventus 2-0 in home and Novara 1-0 with Sentimenti 4 (the goalkeeper) scoring the decisive goal from the penalty spot.
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