This week in Lazio history sees exceptional wins, particularly the UEFA Super Cup against Manchester United, and we remember Mario Facco.
Matches of the Week
Date: Friday, August 26, 2022
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Inter 3-1
A wonderful display by Lazio with three great goals from Felipe Anderson, Luis Alberto and Pedro that sink Inter
Date: Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Venue: Stadionul National, Bucharest
Fixture: Dinamo Bucharest Lazio 1-3, Champions League Play Off
In difficult circumstances, Lazio manage to beat Dinamo Bucharest coming from behind.
Date: Saturday, August 29, 1998
Venue: Stadio delle Alpi, Turin
Fixture: Juventus Lazio 1-2, Super Coppa
Lazio beat reigning champions Juventus with goals by Nedved and Conceição despite a controversial penalty.
Date: Sunday, August 29, 1971
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Roma 1-0, Coppa Italia
Despite being in Serie B Lazio beat Roma with a goal by “Long John” Chinaglia.
Date: Thursday, August 30, 2012
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Fixture: Lazio Mura 05 3-1, Europa League Play Off
Kozak double plus Zarate take Lazio to Europa League Group Stage.
Match In Focus
Date: Friday, August 27, 1999
Venue: Stade Louis II, Monaco
Fixture: Manchester United Lazio 0-1, UEFA Super Cup
With the passing of Sven-Goran Eriksson earlier this week it is nice to remember the day Lazio were on top of the world.
The Biancocelesti had won the last Cup Winners Cup in May with a 2-1 win over Real Mallorca. So for the UEFA Super Cup, they had to face Manchester United who had won the Champions League in Barcelona against Bayern Munich 2-1 with two goals in injury time.
It was a warm evening with 27 degrees in Monte Carlo and there were more Lazio fans than United’s in the small Monaco stadium.
The start of the match saw the English champions show more attacking spirit. Lazio were more cautious with long balls up front and then hoping for sudden incursions by their many talented midfielders. One of these saw a Pavel Nedved certain winner walled and blocked by Jaap Stam.
The first English chance came in the 11th minute but Luca Marchegiani came out well and diving low anticipated Teddy Sheringham in a one-on-one challenge, risking a penalty but clearly touching the ball. Lazio replied two minutes later with a Sinisa Mihajlovic free kick just wide.
Simone Inzaghi was soon at the receiving end of Stam’s tough defending style. The Italian striker suffered an involuntary blow from a Stam elbow and was clearly in pain. The game went on and the Man. Utd keeper, Raimond van der Gouw, almost gave a goal away by kicking the ball directly against Roberto Mancini’s backside but it bounced and went just over the bar.
In the 21st minute, Lazio went close again when Mancini crossed for Dejan Stankovic who headed it forward and with the ball falling put a low left foot narrowly wide. In the 23rd minute, Inzaghi was unable to continue after Stam’s “attentions” and was replaced by Chilean Marcelo Salas. The Red Devils in the meantime had an opportunity when a David Beckham cross was headed by Andy Cole but Marchegiani saved.
Manchester United continued to attack more but without threatening and in the 35th minute it was Lazio who scored. Beppe Pancaro lobbed the ball to Mancini who headed it back to the edge of the area to Salas, the “Mapuche” chested the ball down into the box and then at incredible speed hit a low left-footed volley which the keeper touched but could not stop. Man. Utd 0 Lazio 1.
The English champions responded immediately with a Sheringham left-footed effort from a low cross but Marchegiani was ready, he dived and blocked on the near post.
It was Lazio however who went close again in the 38th minute. Juan Sebastian Veron, who had grown into the game and now pulling the strings in midfield, set up Nedved at the edge of the box, the Czech’s curling right foot shaved the post.
In the 42nd minute came Marchegiani’s masterpiece. A perfect Beckham cross from the right found Paul Scholes unmarked in front of goal, he headed it towards the low left-hand corner but “Il Conte” with amazing reflexes managed to dive to his right and slap it away. A superb save.
In the second minute of injury time came an extremely controversial episode. Veron chipped a ball over Stam into the area to Salas who chested it down and had only the keeper to beat, he pushed the ball past him and was then clearly hacked down. An obvious penalty but not for the referee, Polish Mr. Wojcik, an incredible decision.
Lazio started strongly in the second half. On a similar move to the Salas goal, the “Matador” this time was the assist man with a header for Nedved whose cracking shot was tipped over the bar by van der Gouw.
In the 51st minute, Lazio missed the most incredible of chances to double their lead. Nedved teed up Salas with only the keeper to beat, he went around him and only had to slot the ball in but unbelievably pulled it wide and then Stankovic hit the side netting. In the 63rd minute, Ole Solskjaer jiggled his way into the area but his shot was walled by Alessandro Nesta and lost power, giving Marchegiani a routine save from a potentially dangerous move.
In the 65th minute, another huge chance for Lazio. Pancaro did well on the left dribbling his way into the area, he then put in a low cross which was controlled by Salas and pulled back to Stankovic for a free, close-range shot but the Serb, possibly caught unaware, shot the ball wide.
Nesta continued to dominate in defence but in the 86th minute a Jonathan Greening cross, who had come on for Cole, was headed backwards by Sheringham but went wide, even if Marchegiani seemed to have it covered anyway.
Manchester United attacked in the last minutes but apart from a couple of scrambles never really threatened. On one, Jordi Cruijff headed a ball across goal from a throw-in but there were no red shirts to get a foot to it.
After three minutes of injury time, the referee blew up giving Lazio another prestigious European trophy and a historic win over Manchester United.
Lazio deserved to win, possibly even by more goals. They had been the better team and had more chances. Sir Alex Ferguson claimed losing against the Biancocelesti was one of his biggest regrets.
A huge satisfaction for Lazio who were now considered one of the top clubs in the world.
In Memory: Mario Facco
Mario Facco was one of the many northerners who fell in love with Lazio. He was born in Milan, on January 23, 1946 and arrived in Rome in 1968 making a decisive contribution to the club’s return to Serie A. Facco was a classic man-to-man marker of the late 60’s and 70’s.
He was a strong defender but clean, good in the air and a solid tackler. He duelled with the best strikers of his generation; Gigi Riva, Paolino Pulici, and Pierino Prati, often getting the better of them. There was one striker he had difficulties against and that was Roberto Bettega. He was one of the protagonists of the 1972-73 season when Lazio were just 45 minutes away from winning an incredible scudetto.
He lived the 1973-74 season from the bench. Following a disastrous night in the UEFA Cup tie against Ipswich Town when Trevor Whymark scored four goals, he lost his place in the first eleven to Sergio Petrelli.
He played six seasons for the Biancocelesti with 172 appearances and seven goals.
Once he quit football settled in Fregene on the sea near Rome and slotted back into the Lazio world. He became a popular voice on the radio collaborating with various well-known programmes talking about Lazio. He still kept his unmistakable Milanese accent but became a familiar daily fixture for Lazio fans.
He died in Fregene on August 31, 2018
Birthdays This Week
- Beppe Pancaro, 26-8-1971, defender, Italy, 220 appearances, 7 goals (1997-03)
- Costantino De Andreis, 27-8-1925, forward, Italy, 112 appearances, 24 goals (1943-49)
- Carlo Facchin, 27-8-1938, forward, Italy, 29 appearances, 2 goals (1971-72)
- Raffaele Sergio, 27-8-1966, defender, Italy, 94 appearances, 1 goal (1989-92)
- Mario Maraschi, 28-8-1939, forward, Italy, 76 appearances, 6 goals (1960-64)
- Giampaolo Piaceri, 28-8-1939, forward, Italy, 21 appearances, 1 goal (1964-65)
- Manuel Belleri, 29-8-1977, defender, Italy, 48 appearances, 3 goals (2005-09)
- Mario Gila, 29-8-2000, defender, Spain, 41 appearances (2022-)
- Vladimir Jugovic, 30-8-1969, midfielder, Serbia, 42 appearances, 6 goals (1997-98)
- Pavel Nedved, 30-8-1972, midfielder, Czech Republic, 207 appearances, 51 goals (1996-01)
- Milan Bisevac, 31-8-1983, defender, Serbia, 15 appearances, 1 goal (2016)
- Pepe Reina, 31-8-1982, goalkeeper, Spain, 54 appearances (2020-22)
- Alberto Canalini, 1-9-1882, defender, Italy (early years)
This Article Was Written by Dag Jenkins & Simon Basten from Lazio Stories. More Information on the Above Matches and Players can be found on LazioStories.com.
