Facco’s Header Keeps Lazio Top After Nervy Win Over Catania

Simon Basten
Dec 22, 2022
2 min read

Season 1968-69

Game 12, Serie B

Sunday, December 22, 1968

Stadio Olimpico, Rome

Lazio Catania 1-0

Biancocelesti Stay Level with Brescia Despite Sluggish Performance

In Serie B Lazio were currently top together with Brescia and Genoa, one point above Bari and Foggia. A win today would be fundamental.

The match

Lazio clung to their place at the top of the table with a laboured but crucial victory over a modest Catania side, sharing the league summit with Brescia after a match that tested the patience of the Stadio Olimpico faithful.

Juan Carlos Lorenzo’s men looked disjointed and muddled for long stretches, and the opening minutes set the tone. After just five minutes, Mario Facco blatantly handled the ball inside the area, but referee Torelli opted to let play continue, sparking early protests from the visitors.

Between the 13th and 17th minutes Lazio finally showed signs of life. Facco narrowly missed a through ball from Nello Governato, then Pierino Cucchi unleashed a thunderous strike that Rino Rado pushed away. The Catania goalkeeper was again called into action moments later, tipping wide an instinctive turn-shot from Gian Piero Ghio, and breathed a sigh of relief in the 24th minute when Ferruccio Mazzola II headed off target from close range.

Catania responded a minute later with their best chance of the half, only for Luciano Limena to squander a sitter from a few metres out. The match then sank into a dull rhythm until the break, with neither side managing to carve out further danger.

A transformed Lazio emerged after halftime, led by an inspired Cucchi who orchestrated wave after wave of attacks. Ghio tried his luck on 50 minutes, followed by a speculative effort from Mazzola II. Shortly after, “Mazzolino” skimmed the post on a clever through-ball from the lively Ghio.

Coach Lorenzo, directing operations from the stands, made a decisive move in the 62nd minute by sending on the young Giuseppe Lorenzetti for Governato. The substitution injected energy into the side: Lorenzetti fired over from a promising position, and moments later Giuliano Fortunato rattled the crossbar with a towering header.

The breakthrough, long anticipated, finally came in the 72nd minute. From a corner by Mazzola II, Carlo Soldo failed to connect, but Facco rose superbly and, in acrobatic fashion, powered a downward header past Rado to give Lazio the lead.

Catania went extremely close to an equalise seven minutes from time, but Rosario Di Vincenzo produced a crucial save to deny Gianfranco Trombini’s fierce drive and then smothered Paolo Carosi’s follow-up effort.

Lazio held firm to secure two vital points — and gained a surprise new goal scorer. Facco’s decisive strike makes him the eleventh different Lazio player to score in the first 12 matches, an impressive testament to the team’s depth in attack.

Who played for Lazio

Di Vincenzo, Zanetti, Facco, Governato (62’ Lorenzetti), Soldo, Marchesi, Massa, Fortunato, Mazzola II, Ghio, Cucchi