September 20, 1964: Lazio Catania 2-2
- Simon Basten
- Sep 20
- 5 min read
Lazio Fight Back in a Flaminio Frenzy
Christensen’s brace rescues a point in a chaotic 2–2 draw marked by disallowed goals, crowd unrest and late drama
Also on this day:
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had done rather well. Coming back from the hell of two years in Serie B they had arrived eighth under manager Juan Carlos Lorenzo. The Argentinian was offered a contract renewal despite the club not having much money. He had agreed and given his word, but in a typical coup de theatre, he instead signed for Roma who had offered him a large advance. Umberto Mannocci was the new Lazio head coach.
The terrible financial situation did not allow much as far as summer transfers were concerned. The club had to say goodbye to Massimo Giacomini (Genoa), Giancarlo Morrone (Fiorentina), Egidio Fumagalli (Frosinone), Graziano Landoni (Atalanta), Mario Maraschi (Bologna) and Orlando Rozzoni (loan to Catania). The newcomers were midfielders Giampiero Vitali (Triestina), Can Bartu (Fiorentina), Eugenio Fascetti (Messina) and Kurt Christensen (Atalanta) and forwards Gianfranco Petris (Fiorentina), Giampaolo Piaceri (Genoa) and Antonio Renna (Bologna).
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: Sunday, September 20, 1964, Stadio Flaminio, Rome
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
Manager: Mannocci
Who played for Catania
Vavassori, Lampredi, Rambaldelli, Fantazzi, Bicchierai, Magi, Danova, Biagini, Calvanese, Cinesinho, Facchin
Manager: Di Bella
Referee: Ferrari
Goals: 35’ Facchin, 49’ Facchin, 63’ Christiansen, 87’ Christiansen
What happened next
It was certainly not a season to remember. With six games to go, Lazio were in deep trouble, 16th and in full relegation zone. But then three consecutive wins (Sampdoria and Foggia at home, Mantova away) plus a draw at home against Atalanta got them out of trouble and Lazio avoided relegation. They finished 14th.
The player with the most appearances was Pierluigi Pagni (35), top scorers were Nello Governato and Renna with a meagre 5 goals.
Let’s talk about Kurt Christensen
Kurt Christensen was born on April 26, 1937 in Odense in Denmark.
He began his footballing career with the local club in the second tier from 1956-58 and then spent three years with B 109 with whom he won the Danish league in 1959.
In 1961 he joined Atalanta. Despite being part of the team that won the Coppa Italia in 1963, he played just 25 league games in three years.
In 1964 he joined Lazio but only stayed one season making 22 appearances with 3 goals. Not a bad midfielder, he however showed his skills rarely.
In the autumn of 1965 he was sold to Catania but in two seasons he played just seven times. In 1967 he went back to Odense and played until 1970.
Suffering from dementia, he died in Odense on August 29 2022.
Lazio Career
Season | Total appearances (goals) | Serie A | Coppa Italia |
1964-65 | 22 (3) | 20 (3) | 2 |
Sources
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