Italy national football team

The Italian national football team is the national association football team of Italy and is governed by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC - ). They are the current World Champions, having won the most recent FIFA World Cup.

Italy is the second most successful national team in World Cup play, having won four World Cups (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), just one fewer than Brazil. To this tally they can add one European championship (1968), and one Olympic Gold Medal (1936).

The traditional colour of the national team (as well as of all Italian teams and athletes, except in motor sports) is sky blueSky blue was the color of the Royal House of the Kingdom of Italy. In its first match, the Italian national team wore white shirts with shorts from the club of each player; the sky blue shirts were introduced in the following match. (azzurro, in Italian), and therefore national team members are nicknamed Azzurri.

History

Origins and first two World Cups (1910–1938)

The team's first match was held in Milan on 15 May 1910; Italy defeated France by a score of 6-2.[1]. Some turmoil kept the players of Pro Vercelli, the best team of the league, out of the game. At the end of the match, the players received as a prize some cigarette packets thrown by the 4,000 spectators.[2]

The first success in an official tournament came with the bronze medal in 1928 Summer Olympics, held in Amsterdam. After losing the semi-final against Uruguay, a victory for 11-3 against Egypt secured third place in the competition.

After declining to participate in the first World Cup (1930, in Uruguay), the Italian national team won two consecutive editions of the tournament in 1934 and 1938, under the lead of coach Vittorio Pozzo and thanks to the genius of Giuseppe Meazza, one of the best Italian players ever.

In the 1934 World Cup, the host Azzurri defeated Czechoslovakia 2–1 in Rome, with goals by Raimundo Orsi and Angelo Schiavio.

Italy won the Gold medal in the 1936 Summer Olympics, held in Berlin, thanks to a victory in the final match against Austria.

Italy's predominance on international football in the 1930s was confirmed by the victory in 1938 World Cup. The Italian team beat Hungary 4–2 in Paris, with two goals by Silvio Piola (the all-time top scorer in Italian football) and two by Gino Colaussi.

Post-World War II (1946–1966)

After World War II, the Italian national team did not perform at its pre-war levels.

In 1949, in the Superga air disaster, all of the players of Torino F.C., the winner of the previous four Serie A titles, died. The national football team lost ten out of eleven players of the initial line-up, and in the following year, did not advance further than the first round in the 1950 World Cup, partly due to the long and physically devastating boat trip to Brazil.

Italy failed to go farther than the first round of the World Cup Finals in 1954 and 1962 (signed by the infamous Battle of Santiago), and did not even qualify for the 1958 World Cup.During the early 1960s, while Italian football clubs like AC Milan and Internazionale were ruling the international scene, the National team was unable to reach any valuable result. Italy didn't take part to the first edition of the European Championship, then called European Nations Cup, in 1960 and was knocked out by USSR in the round of 16 during the second edition in 1964.

The participation to the 1966 World Cup will always be remembered for the 0–1 defeat against North Korea. The Azzurri, whose 1966 squad was rich of talented players like Rivera and Bulgarelli and fancied to win the tournament, were eliminated in the first round by the semi-professional North Koreans and bitterly condemned upon their return home, while North Korean scorer Pak Do Ik was celebrated as the David who killed Goliath.[3]

European champions and World Cup Runners-up (1968–1976)

In 1968, the Azzurri won their first major competition since the 1938 World Cup, defeating Yugoslavia in Rome for the European Championship title. The match holds the distinction of being the only major football tournament final to go to a replay. After extra time it ended in a 1-1 draw, and in the days before penalty shootouts, the rules required the match to be re-played a few days later. Italy won the replay 2-0 (with goals from Riva and Anastasi) to lift the trophy.

Two years later, the defending European Champions reached the final of the 1970 World Cup, held in Mexico. First, Italy won its first round group scoring only one goal, after a series of dull, uninspired games against Sweden, Uruguay, and Israel. The quarter-finals saw a transformed Italy prevail 4-1 over host Mexico after trailing 0-1. Then, the semi-final between Italy and West Germany went into the legend as one of the greatest game ever. This match, won by 4-3 after extra time, is known as the Game of the Century, and a marker at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City still commemorates it. Italy took a 1-0 lead through Boninsegna on 8', then Germany pressed to equalize for the rest of the game, until the very end when sweeper Schnellinger, then with Italy's AC Milan club, scored in injury time. In extra time, Müller brought Germany the lead on 94' before Italian defender Burgnich leveled the score with a rare international goal. On 104', Riva made it 3-2, only for Müller to equalize six minutes later. The TV cameras were still replaying this goal when Rivera finely volleyed a cross by Boninsegna for the winning goal in the 111'. For the very first time, people gathered in the streets of Italy in the late night to cheer for the victory, and after many years this game still remains the most noted in Italian football history.

In the two games against Mexico and West Germany, coach Ferruccio Valcareggi made Rivera replace Mazzola in a programmed second half substitution, that was then called staffetta (meaning relay as in athletics). This tactic was not repeated in the final, where Italy was defeated by Brazil. During the first half, Boninsegna answered Pelé's 18' goal. In the second half, Brazil's firepower was simply too much for a tired Italian side, and the final 4-1 result consecrated Brazil as tri-campeão (three-time champion).

This generation of great Italian players, like Riva, Rivera, Mazzola and Facchetti, didn't keep up the same level during the next 1972 European Championship where they didn't qualify to the play-offs. In 1973 they obtained prestigious victories in friendly matches, beating Brazil and twice England. In particular, Italy stormed Wembley Stadium, winning 1-0 with a goal by Fabio Capello. Despite these encouraging premises, coach Valcareggi was to resign after the elimination of the Italian team in the first round of the 1974 World Cup. Italy was as well eliminated at an early stage in 1976 European Championship.

World Cup winners for the third time (1978–1982)

1978 FIFA World Cup, held in Argentina, saw a new generation of Italian players, the most famous being Paolo Rossi, coming to the international stage. Italy played very well in the first round, being the only team in the tournament to beat the latter World Champion and host team Argentina. Second round games against West Germany, Austria and Netherlands led Italy to the third place final, where it was defeated by Brazil 2-1. As in the match against the Netherlands, Italian goalkeeper Dino Zoff was beaten by a long-distance shot and thus blamed as the main responsible of the defeat. Italy then organized the 1980 European Football Championship, the first edition to be held between eight teams instead of four, and with the host team automatically qualified for the finals. Italy was beaten by Czechoslovakia in the third place match after penalties.

After a clamorous scandal in the Serie A, where also few National Team players like Paolo Rossi were prosecuted and suspended for fixed games and illegal bets, the Azzurri arrived to the 1982 FIFA World Cup among general skepticism and disconfort. Italy qualified to the second round after a series of uninspiring matches against Poland, Peru and Cameroon. Being violently criticized, the Italian team decided a press black-out from then on, with only coach Enzo Bearzot and captain Dino Zoff appointed to speak with the press.

Italy strength was finally shown in the second round group, a true Group of Death with Brazil and Argentina. In the opener, Italy prevailed 2-1 over Diego Maradona's side after an ill-tempered, obscure battle in which Italy defenders and midfielders proved their mastery in the rougher side of the game. The winning goals were scored by Marco Tardelli and Antonio Cabrini. After Brazil defeated Argentina 3-1, Italy was obliged to win to pass to semifinals. Twice Italy went in the lead on Paolo Rossi goals, and twice Brazil came back. With the 2-2 scored by Paulo Roberto Falcão, Brazil would have been through on goal difference, but on 74' Rossi scored the winning goal sending Italy to the semifinals in one of the all-time great games of World Cup history[4]. In the wake of its brilliant second round performance, Italy easily dispatched Poland in the first semi-final through two goals scored by Rossi.

Tardelli's howl after scoring against West Germany in 1982 World Cup final

In the final match, Italy met their traditional opponent West Germany, who were coming from a penalty shoot-out against France. The first half ended without goals, after Cabrini missed a penalty for Italy. In the second half Paolo Rossi again scored the first goal, and while the Germans were trying to balance the result, Marco Tardelli and Alessandro Altobelli scored 3-0, before Paul Breitner could score West Germany's consolation goal seven minutes from end.

Tardelli's howl after his goal in the final is still recorded as the symbol of 1982 World Cup victory. Paolo Rossi won the Golden Boot with six goals, and 40-year-old captain-goalkeeper Dino Zoff became the oldest-ever player to win the World Cup.

World Cup and European Championship runners-up (1984â€"2004)

For twenty-four years following the 1982 triumph, the Azzurri figured prominently on the world stage but did not win another tournament. Italy failed to qualify for the 1984 European Championship and were knocked out in the Round of 16 of the 1986 World Cup by . 1988 saw them reach the semi-finals of the European Championship, where they were defeated 2-0 by USSR.

Italy hosted the World Cup for the second time in 1990. The Italian attack featured forwards Salvatore Schillaci and a young Roberto Baggio. Despite being favourites[5] to win and not conceding a goal during five matches, Italy was knocked-out in the semi-final by Argentina, losing 4-3 on penalty kicks following a 1-1 draw after extra time; Roberto Donadoni missed the last penalty kick. Italy went on to defeat England 2-1 in the third place match. Italy then failed to qualify for the 1992 European Championship.

In the 1994 World Cup, Italy started slowly but reached the final. They lost the opening match against Ireland 0-1, this being the only match Italy would lose (not counting games lost after shootout) over the span of three World Cup finals from 1990 to 1998, but advanced from Group E based on goals scored among the four teams tied on points. In the Round of 16, Italy was down 0-1 late against Nigeria, but Roberto Baggio equalized in the 89th minute and scored the go-ahead goal in extra time.{{cite web