Win and top spot
A Fortunato goal in the second half gives Lazio the top of the Serie B table and a four-point lead over 4th place.
Also on this day: April 20, 1930, Cremonese Lazio 1-3. Lazio come back from behind to win their first game away from home of the season. Player of the day: Pietro Pastore
The season so far
The previous season Lazio had arrived 11th in Serie B. A rather dismal performance, so poor that at a certain point the Biancocelesti were very close to the relegation zone. In the end they managed to stay in Serie B but just two points ahead of the five teams that finished on 36 and needed a playoff to determine who would join Novara and Potenza in Serie C (in the end Venezia and Messina were relegated).
The worst thing was the very low number of goals scored: just 27 in 40 games. Certainly not enough to have any chance of promotion. Manager Renato Gei had been sacked in February, substituted by faithful Bob Lovati.
Hence for the 1968-69 season there was a need for a new head coach and new forwards. Juan Carlos Lorenzo returned for his second stint at Lazio and a number of interesting players were signed: defender Mario Facco and midfielder Ferruccio Mazzola from Inter, forward Gian Piero Ghio from Avellino and three loans from Juventus: defender Guido Onor, goalkeeper Pietro Fioravanti and midfielder Elio Rinero
There was optimism for a return to Serie A.
Lazio had said goodbye to legendary keeper Idilio Cei (Palermo), Paolo Carosi (Catania) and Pierluigi Pagni (Spal on loan).
First, however, there was the Coppa Italia to play in September. Lazio were paired with Roma, Bologna and Spal. The Biancocelesti lost the derby and drew the other two games 1-1. Roma won the group and eventually the Coppa Italia too.
The first six games were characterised by not great performances away from home (a draw and two loses) but big wins at home (4-1, 5-2, 4-0). A win at Mantua in the seventh game broke the away negative spell but then two home draws also broke the home record. Lazio however were in a good position, just one point behind leaders Genoa and Foggia. The 4-0 win away at Cesena allowed the Biancocelesti to reach the top of the table in the company of Brescia and Genoa. Game 12 saw the beginning of a two-team battle that lasted the whole season. Brescia and Lazio were either first or second from then on to the end of the tournament. At the end of the first half of the campionato, after losing at Reggio Emilia, Lazio were second together with Bari, one point behind Brescia.
Today’s game was the big clash between Lazio and Brescia. The Lombards were first with a one-point lead over the Biancocelesti who in turn were two points clear of Reggina. Bari were fourth, three points behind. The top three would be promoted.
The match: Sunday, April 20, 1969, Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Lazio faced this big clash without Giuseppe Massa, suspended, but keeper Rosario Di Vincenzo finally returned after three months. The Olimpico was almost full and the fans cheered on the team right from the word go. Piero Cucchi in the 10th minute received a splendid pass from Giancarlo Morrone but missed his chance. Morrone then saw a lob and a powerful shot saved by Luigi Brotto. After a slalom in the box with the ball just wide, Mazzola II in the 35th and 39th minutes gave two splendid assists to Gian Piero Ghio, but the Lazio forward missed both of them. Towards the end of the first half Cucchi tried again from outside the penalty area but Brotto parried.
In the second half, Brescia tried to slow the game down and seemed to be doing well but then in the 64th minute the Biancocelesti scored. Giorgio Fanti fumbled, Mazzola II got the ball, passed to Giuliano Fortunato, shot from outside the box, Lazio 1 Brescia 0. Sandro’s brother continued to play well and after an assist for Rinero, who squandered the opportunity, he tried a shot which shaved the post. In the 83rd minute Brescia’s sole chance of the game. Virginio De Paoli found himself in front of Di Vincenzo but his shot was saved by the Lazio goalkeeper.
A great win for the Biancocelesti, now top of Serie B.
Who played for Lazio
Di Vincenzo, Zanetti, Facco, Governato, Soldo, Marchesi, Morrone (66’ Rinero), Mazzola II, Fortunato, Ghio, Cucchi
Substitute: Fioravanti
Manager Lorenzo
Who played for Brescia
Brotto, Fumagalli (63' Frisoni), Botti, Volpi, Vescovi, Busi, Simoni, Fanti, De Paoli, D'Alessi, Bosdaves.
Manager: Silvestri
Referee: Gonella
Goal: 64’ Fortunato
What happened next
After this game, Brescia caught up in the next game, with Lazio drawing at Perugia, but then the Biancocelesti became unstoppable and won the Serie B league.
Serie A was obtained mathematically thanks to a 3-0 win against Lecco on June 8 and the certainty of winning the Serie B championship arrived a week later despite falling to Monza. As a consequence, the Biancocelesti would be playing the Mitropa Cup the following year.
It was a great season; Lazio were strong and had good players in every role. A mix of young talent and experience, well managed by Lorenzo. There was a lot of room for optimism for the 1960-70 season in Serie A.
The players with most appearances were Gian Piero Ghio and Ferruccio Mazzola (40) and Ghio was top scorer with 11 goals.
Lazio 1968-69
Competition | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goals scored |
Serie B | 38 | 17 | 16 | 5 | 55 |
Coppa Italia | 3 | - | 2 | 1 | 2 |
Total | 41 | 17 | 18 | 6 | 57 |
Top five appearances (complete player statistics)
Player | Total | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
40 | 37 | 3 | |
40 | 37 | 3 | |
39 | 36 | 3 | |
38 | 38 | - | |
37 | 35 | 2 |
Top five goal scorers (complete player statistics)
Player | Total | Serie B | Coppa Italia |
Gian Piero Ghio | 11 | 10 | 1 |
Ferruccio Mazzola II | 8 | 8 | - |
Giuliano Fortunato | 8 | 8 | - |
7 | 6 | 1 | |
6 | 6 | - |
Let's talk about Renato Ziaco
The 1973-74 scudetto, as we all know, was made possible thanks to a wild and talented bunch of players managed by the maestro Tommaso Maestrelli. But, behind the scenes, there were also others who made that miracle possible. Among these we must certainly place Renato Ziaco, legendary doctor of that team.
Renato Ziaco was born in Rome on February 20, 1927. At 23 he graduated in Medicine with specialisation in orthopaedics. In 1960 he was part of the medical unit at the Olympic Games. In 1961 he was called by Lazio to substitute Professor Domenico Bolognese. Ziaco worked for the Biancocelesti for 25 years. He was not just a doctor. He was a psychologist, an innovator. The team went to him not just when they were injured but also when they needed a word of advice or of encouragement. He was able to magically cure players who thought they would never play again, or others who overnight became available even if it had seemed impossible the day before. Once he even went on the bench as manager. In 1963 Juan Carlo Lorenzo could not sit on the bench during matches due to the fact that he was not Italian, and a couple of times when Bob Lovati was sick or suspended, it was Ziaco who had given the tactical orders.
Ziaco was the one who was not able to celebrate on May 12, 1974. He was doing surgery on Gigi Martini’s fractured shoulder. He was the first to notice that Tommaso Maestrelli was not well, and the one who desperately tried to save Luciano Re Cecconi after he was shot.
In the early 1980s after the Totonero scandal, he briefly left the Lazio medical unit, only to return when Giorgio Chinaglia became president. On January 7 1985, he slipped on the icy track at the Olimpico and fractured a rib. At the hospital they realised he had cancer. He died on June 25.
Renato Ziaco was a heroic, legendary character, a true gentleman and Lazio supporter.
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