Lazio Fight Back in a Flaminio Frenzy

Simon Basten
Sep 19, 2023
3 min read

Season 1964-65

Game 2, Serie A

Sunday, September 20, 1964

Stadio Flaminio, Rome

Lazio Catania 2-2

Christensen’s brace rescues a point in a chaotic 2–2 draw marked by disallowed goals, crowd unrest and late drama

The season had opened with the first round of the Coppa Italia in early September and Lazio had won 3-0 at Trani. In the second round later on in the month they faced Napoli. The match ended 0-0 and was still goalless after extra time. In those days there were no penalty shootouts but a flip of the coin and the Biancocelesti lost the toss.

In the first fixture of Serie A, Lazio narrowly lost at Genoa 1-0. Today was the second.

The match

It was nothing short of a battle at the Stadio Flaminio as Lazio marked their home debut in the league with a dramatic 2–2 draw against Catania—a match packed with chaos, controversy, and raw emotion. With the Olimpico unavailable due to an athletics meet, the Flaminio hosted one of the most intense afternoons in its history.

From the opening whistle, it was clear this wouldn’t be a match for the faint-hearted: flying tackles, disallowed goals, pitch invasions, and an atmosphere crackling with tension. Lazio head coach Umberto Mannocci stuck with the same XI that had lost narrowly in Genoa, while Catania arrived riding a wave of confidence after snatching a point at San Siro against Milan.

Lazio began aggressively, pinning back the visitors. Nello Governato nearly connected with an Antonio Renna cross, and in the 15th minute, Giampaolo Piaceri found space in the box but failed to set up an unmarked Gianfranco Petris. The hosts’ early pressure slowly faded, and Catania grew into the game with impressive composure.

The breakthrough came in the 35th minute: Carlo Facchin met a free-kick from Cinesinho and headed home past a static Idilio Cei. Minutes later, Lazio thought they had equalised through Piaceri after a slick move involving Eugenio Fascetti and Governato, but the goal was wrongly disallowed for offside—despite a clear deflection by Catania’s Renzo Fantazzi. The decision sparked fury in the stands, with two fans storming the pitch and the ball being seized by supporters in protest. Calm was eventually restored thanks to the intervention of the police and players.

When play resumed, Giuseppe Vavassori denied Piaceri with a brilliant reflex save. Then, early in the second half, Facchin struck again—another header, another lapse from Cei—and the visitors doubled their lead.

But Lazio were not finished. Kurt Christensen, invisible until then, sprang to life. He forced a save from Vavassori after being set up by Pierluigi Pagni. Moments later, Renna clashed with the visiting goalkeeper, who reacted with a blatant kick. A red card seemed inevitable, but referee Ferrari opted for only a booking, further enraging the crowd.

Cei redeemed himself with a crucial stop on a dangerous Giancarlo Danova counterattack, and then, finally, Lazio broke through. In the 63rd minute, Vincenzo Gasperi threaded a perfect pass to Christensen, who slotted home to give the Biancocelesti a lifeline.

The Flaminio roared to life. Lazio surged forward, with Governato forcing another acrobatic save from Vavassori and Christensen narrowly missing the target with a header. At the other end, only forceful challenges from Pietro Dotti and Gasperi kept Danova at bay.

Then, with just three minutes to go, came the equaliser: Fascetti picked out Christensen with a clever pass into the box, and the Danish forward headed home his second of the day, sending the stadium into raptures. Chants of “Chris, Chris, Christensen!” rang out as fans hailed their new hero.

There was still time for late drama. In the 90th minute, Gasperi whipped in a cross that evaded two defenders and landed at the feet of Petris. With the goal at his mercy, he fired a tame shot that however seemed destined to trickle in—but Vavassori scrambled back to claw it off the line.

For the second match in a row, Petris missed a last-gasp chance, but Lazio’s comeback earned them both the result and the applause of a euphoric crowd. It was a display of fight, passion, and resilience—one that promised much more to come.

Who played for Lazio

Cei, Zanetti, Dotti, Governato, Pagni, Gasperi, Renna, Fascetti, Petris, Christiansen, Piaceri