17 April 1990 - Bologna's Attacking Angel

On 17 April 1990, Bologna's all-time leading goalscorer and 1934 World Cup hero Angelo Schiavio passed away. He was 84 years old.

Schiavio spent his entire career with Bologna, joining them in 1922 at the age of 16. Although he made only six appearances in that first season, he soon established himself as an important member of the first time. In just his third season, Bologna won their first league title, with Schiavio providing 16 goals in 27 matches. They repeated as champions in 1929, getting 30 goals from Schiavio in just 26 games.

He made his national team debut for Italy in 1925 and was the team's top scorer in their bronze-medal winning 1928 Olympic campaign with four goals.

Italy did not participate in the 1930 World Cup, but hosted the second tournament in 1934. There, Schiavio scored a hat-trick in their opening match against the United States, which Italy won 7-1. He did not score again in that tournament until the final, when his 95th-minute strike put Italy ahead of Czechoslovakia 2-1 and captured the trophy. It was the last of his 15 international goals.

He retired in 1938, having scored a club-record 242 goals for Bologna.

27 January 1976 - "Ruined" May Have Been Overstating Things A Bit

On 27 January 1976, South Korean World Cup hero Ahn Jung-Hwan was born in Paju. He was once described as "the man who ruined Italian football."

He started his professional career in 1998 with Pusan Daewoo Royals, but moved to Italy in 2000 to play for Perugia, where he made a total of 33 appearances in two seasons and scored five goals. But it was the summer of 2002 that made him an international name, as he scored the golden goal for South Korea that eliminated Italy in the World Cup Round of 16. The day after the match, Perugia owner Luciano Gaucci cancelled Ahn's contract, reportedly saying "I have no intention of paying a salary to someone who has ruined Italian football."

Gaucci later had a change of heart, but Ahn was so offended by the slight that he refused to consider a return. He moved instead to Shimizu S-Pulse for a season, starting a series of short stays that included spells at Yokohama (2004-05), Metz (2005-06), and Duisburg (2006), before returning to South Korea with Suwon Bluewings in 2006. Most recently, he played for Chinese side Dalian Shide from 2009 to 2011.

In the meantime, he continues to play for the South Korean national team, scoring 17 goals in 77 appearances.

15 January 1958 - Northern Ireland's Italian Take-Out

On 15 January 1958, Northern Ireland qualified for their first World Cup by beating Italy 2-1 in Belfast and eliminating the two-time champions from the tournament.

It was the last match day for the three-team qualification group. Italy started the day at the top of the group on four points, having beaten Northern Ireland in Italy and split their home-and-away series with Portugal. The two other teams were level on three points each, with Portugal having completed all of their matches.

The Italians' visit to Belfast had been scheduled for the previous December, but the referee assigned to the match--Hungarian István Zsolt--failed to arrive on time. With both teams present, they went ahead and played the match as a friendly, resulting in a 2-2 draw.

Zsolt made it to Windsor Park in time for the rematch on 15 January and the hosts jumped to a 2-0 first-half lead with goals from Burnley midfielder Jimmy McIlroy (13') and Leeds United captain Wilbur Cush (28'). Italy got a second-half goal from AS Roma striker Dino da Costa (56') in his only national team appearance, but they couldn't find another and the match ended as a Northern Ireland win. That summer's tournament remains the only World Cup for which Italy failed to qualify.

Northern Ireland did well with the opportunity, advancing to the quarterfinals before falling to eventual third-place finisher France, 4-0.

18 August 1943 - Milan's Golden Boy Is Born

On 18 August 1943, future AC Milan captain and 1969 Ballon d'Or winner Gianni Rivera was born in Alessandria, Italy.



A high-scoring midfielder, Rivera--nicknamed "the Golden Boy"--began his professional career in 1959 with his hometown club, but moved to AC Milan in 1960. He remained there until his retirement in 1979, amassing a total of 658 appearances and 164 goals for the Rossoneri in all competitions. Along the way, they won three scudettos (1962, 1968, 1979), four Coppa Italias (1967, 1972, 1973, 1977), one Intercontinental Cup (1969), two Cup Winners' Cups (1968, 1973), and two European Cups (1963, 1969).



After that first European Cup, a 2-1 victory over Benfica, Rivera finished as runner-up to Dynamo Moscow keeper Lev Yashin for that year's Ballon d'Or. He finally claimed the award in 1963 after leading Milan to that year's European Cup, despite missing the final against Ajax due to an ankle injury.



Rivera also starred for Italy, making 60 appearances between 1962 and 1974. During that time, Italy won the 1968 European Championship and reached the final of the 1970 World Cup (where they lost to Brazil).



After his retirement, he held a vice-president position with Milan until 1986. In 2004, Pelé named him one of the 125 greatest living players.

28 July 1925 - Before Forlan and Suarez, There Was Schiaffino

On 28 July 1925, Juan Alberto "Pepe" Schiaffino was born in Montevideo. Widely regarded as one of the greatest players to come out of Uruguay, he went on to star for Peñarol and AC Milan and played for both the Uruguayan and Italian national teams.

He began his professional career in 1943 with his hometown team, Peñarol, and stayed with them for twelve seasons. An inside forward and a gifted passer, he scored 88 goals in 227 league appearances for the club and helped them to six national titles (1944, 1945, 1949, 1951, 1953, 1954). During that time, he also made his first full international appearance, playing for Uruguay in a 1-1 draw with Argentina in December 1945.

He scored eight goals for Uruguay in 23 appearances and starred for them in two World Cups, including the 1950 World Cup title match against Brazil, which Uruguay went on to win, 2-1, after Schiaffino scored the equalizer in dramatic fashion.

In 1954, he moved to AC Milan for the then-world record fee of £72,000. He was an instant success in Italy, scoring a brace on his debut and leading Milan to the 1955 Scudetto, the first of four league titles in his six seasons there. In 1958, he scored the opening goal of the European Cup Final, though Milan eventually lost to Real Madrid 3-2 after extra time. When he moved to Milan, he also moved his national team allegiance to Italy, making four appearances for them between 1954 and 1958.

He finished his playing career with Roma, where he played from 1960 to 1962. He later returned to Uruguay, where he went on to manage both the national team (1974-75) and Peñarol (1975-76).

He died in 2002, shortly after being named Uruguay's Player of the Century.

17 July 1994 - Nobody Remembers That Two Other Players Missed, Too

On 17 July 1994, Italy lost the World Cup Final in a penalty shootout to Brazil when their top scorer of the tournament, Roberto Baggio, sent his attempt over the bar.

Simply making it to the Final was a minor miracle for Italy, who opened their tournament campaign with a first-round loss to Ireland. And, as the fourth-best third place team in the group stages, they were the last team to qualify for the knockout rounds. Baggio, who had won the 1993 Ballon d'Or and FIFA World Player of the Year award for his UEFA Cup-winning season with Juventus, shined in the later rounds, scoring five goals--three of them match-winners (against Nigeria, Spain, and Bulgaria)--to take Italy to the final.

Baggio's scoring streak dried up in the final, as it did for Brazil's top scorer Romário (who was also on five goals for the tournament). With the match scoreless at the end of extra time, the teams went into penalty kicks to decide the winner. After four kicks each, Brazil were up 3-2 when Baggio stepped up to the spot.

It was his second penalty attempt of the tournament, as his match-winner against Nigeria had come from the spot in the 102nd minute. But this time, he fired the ball over the bar to end the match and give the trophy to Brazil.

He returned to the World Cup with Italy in 1998 to become the only Italian player to score in three different World Cups and his total of nine World Cup goals remains an Italian record.

5 June 1968 - A Little Luck Goes A Long Way

On 5 June 1968, a coin toss sent hosts Italy into the European Championship Final over the Soviet Union. Italy went on to win the Final in a replay.

Only four teams--Italy, the Soviet Union, England, and Yugoslavia--participated in the tournament. The two semifinal matches were played on the same day, with Italy hosting the USSR in Naples, while England met Yugoslavia in Florence. In the latter, Yugoslavia edged to a 1-0 victory with an 87th-minute goal from Red Star Belgrade winger Dragan Džajić.

The other semifinal was even closer, as Italy and the USSR struggled to a scoreless draw. Under the rules in place at the time, the victor was determined not by a replay, extra time or a penalty shootout, but by a coin toss, which Italy duly won. They advanced to the Final, where they played Yugoslavia to a 1-1 draw. For a Final draw, the tournament rules required a replay, which Italy also won, 2-0.

It remains Italy's only European Championship. They returned to the Final only once--in 2000--where they lost to France.

31 January 2009 - No More Waltzing For This Matilda

On 31 January 2009, defender Cheryl Salisbury made the last of her record 151 appearances for the Australian women's national team. She also finished as their all-time leading goalscorer.

Salisbury joined the national team, nicknamed "the Matildas," in 1994 and helped them achieve their first honor by winning the 1995 OFC Women's Championship. That victory qualified the Matildas for the 1995 Women's World Cup, their first appearance in the tournament.

After a first-round exit that year, repeated in 1999 and 2003, they advanced to the 2007 quarterfinals thanks to a late goal from Salisbury. Her 92nd minute strike against Canada in the final group stage match leveled the score at 2-2 and earned a critical point for the Australians, who finished one point better than Canada to take the group's last spot in the knockout stage. Although they lost there to eventual runners-up Brazil, it remains their best performance in the World Cup to date.

Salisbury continued her heroics in her last appearance, a friendly against Italy played at Parramatta Stadium in New South Wales. There, after the Italian goalkeeper fouled forward Sarah Walsh, Salisbury put the Matildas up 2-1 with a 66th-minute penalty kick--her record 38th goal for Australia.

But Italy equalized in the 78th minute and Salisbury was subbed out four minutes later. The match ended 2-2. She moved into coaching shortly afterward, taking charge of New South Wales side Broadmeadow Magic in May 2009.

22 December 1912 - Meisl The Mastermind

On 22 December 1912, Hugo Meisl made his debut as manager of Austria with a 1-3 victory over Italy in Genoa. The win presaged a successful reign, as Meisl built Austra into one of the world's greatest teams.

Born in Bohemia in 1881, Meisl began his football career as an administrator with the Austrian Football Association, where he rose to the position of General Secretary before becoming manager of the national team. His first spell in charge lasted only two years, as he left to serve five years in World War I. But he resumed the position in 1919 after the war's end.

Austria's greatest period came during the early 1930s, when they enjoyed a 14-match unbeaten run. Christened the "Wunderteam," that Austrian side dominated European competition, led by their talismanic center forward Matthias Sindelar. They entered the 1934 World Cup as favorites, but lost to eventual winners Italy in the semifinals, 1-0.

Meisl remained with Austria until his death from a heart attack in 1937. In that time, he ammassed a record of 71 wins, 30 draws, and 32 losses.

14 November 1973 - Capello's Early Job Audition

On 14 November 1973, Italy beat England at Wembley with a late goal from future England manager Fabio Capello.

Capello, then a midfielder for Juventus, was in only his second year with the Azzurri. But he had already scored against England, helping lead Italy to their first-ever win over the Three Lions in Turin five months earlier.

When the teams met again in a friendly at Wembley that November, they were locked in a defensive struggle for most of the match, with Italy's Dino Zoff and England's Peter Shilton each performing well in goal. As full-time neared, striker Giorgio Chinaglia beat defender Bobby Moore and sent a cross in to Capello, who knocked it past Shilton for the match's only goal. It was Italy's second win over England and their first at Wembley.

Capello scored only 8 times in his international career, which lasted until 1976. In 1991, he turned to management and took charge of England in 2008.

26 September 1990 - Bergkamp's International Career Takes Flight

On 26 September 1990, Dennis Bergkamp made his international debut for the Netherlands in a friendly against Italy. He would go on to become the Dutch national team's greatest goalscorer.

Bergkamp, a second striker (and renowned aviophobe), began his professional career four years earlier with Ajax, where he won the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup (1987) and the KNVB Cup (1987) before winning the Eredivisie in 1990. His performance that season won him the Dutch Football Talent of the Year and earned his his first cap for the Netherlands.

The Dutch lost that first match, 1-0 in Palermo, but Bergkamp developed into a prolific striker, scoring 37 goals in 79 international appearances - enough to make him the Netherlands' top scorer by the time of his international retirement in 2000 (though he was later surpassed by Patrick Kluivert). The Dutch failed to claim any major silverware during his tenure, but he earned an individual honor by winning the 1992 UEFA Euro golden boot. He also won silverware at the club level with Ajax, Inter, and especially Arsenal, where he won three Premier League titles and four FA Cups between 1995 and 2006.

13 September 1973 - A Born Leader

On 13 September 1973, future Italian World Cup-winning captain and 2006 FIFA World Player of the Year Fabio Cannavaro was born in Naples. A center back, he is the only defender in history to win that award.

Cannavaro got his start in 1988 with the Napoli youth team, then signed with the senior side in 1992. In 1995, he moved to Parma, where he rose to international prominence and won his first silverware - a 1999 treble consisting of the Coppa Italia, Supercoppa Italia, and UEFA Cup. That success prompted a €23 million transfer to Inter in the summer of 2002, but he stayed there only two seasons before moving to Juventus (2004-06).

In his two seasons at Juve, he won two Serie A titles, then followed that stint by captaining the Italian national team to the World Cup title. Cannavaro played every minute for the Azzurri, who conceded only two goals in the tournament (an own goal against the US and a penalty kick against France). For his efforts, he received the FIFA World Player of the Year Award.

After the World Cup, Cannavaro moved to Real Madrid for three seasons, which included two La Liga titles, then returned to Juventus in 2009. But his form began to suffer and, in 2010, the club decided not to renew his contract. He then shocked the footballing community by moving to Al-Ahli Dubai, his current club.

23 August 1910 - The Man From Milan

On 23 July 1910, future Italian legend Giuseppe Meazza was born in Milan. He would go on the become the Italian national team's greatest scorer and a two-time World Cup winner.

Meazza, who lost his father to the war in 1917, learned to play football barefoot on the streets of Milan. When he was 12, he began playing for local side Gloria FC and a fan bought him his first pair of football boots. He began his professional career in 1927 with Inter and was an immediate success, scoring a brace in his debut against Milanese Unione Sportiva. The following season, the first for Serie A, he scored 31 goals.

He remained with Inter for 13 seasons, winning three Serie A titles (1930, 1938, 1940) and one Coppa Italia (1939). During that period, he joined the Italian national team, earning his first cap in 1930 and winning back-to-back World Cups in 1934 and 1938. In all, he scored 33 goals for the Azzurri, making his the national team's leading scorer until the record was broken by Gigi Riva in 1973.

In 1940, he moved across town to Milan, where he played for two seasons. He later spent time with Juventus (1942-43), Varese (1944), and Atalanta (1945-46), before returning to Inter for one last season before retiring. He turned to management, starting with Atalanta, but also taking charge of Inter (on three separate occasions) and the Italian national team before retiring completely in 1957. He died in 1979 at the age of 68. The next year, Inter and Milan renamed their joint stadium after him.

2 August 1948 - Pernigo Delivers A Record Pounding

On 2 August 1948, Italy and the United States met in the first round of the Olympics, resulting in a record-setting 9-0 victory for the Azzurri. It was the third time that the two countries met in a major international competition, with Italy winning on each occasion.

The 1948 tournament was the first since 1936, with the 1940 and 1944 Olympiads suspended due to World War II. Italy and the US had met in the first round of the 1936 Games, with the Italians eliminating the Americans with a 1-0 victory. Two years earlier, Italy had knocked the US out of the World Cup with a 7-1 win in the first round.

The rematch in 1948 was not as close. Italy jumped to an early lead with a goal from Francesco Pernigo (pictured) in the second minute, but the US defense played well to keep the score to a modestly repectable 2-0 deficit at the break, with the second goal coming from the penalty spot. In the second half, however, the Italians again scored quickly with a goal from Angelo Turconi in the 46th minute and the rout was on. Pernigo scored again in the 57th minute, on his way to a second-half hat-trick that included goals in the 88th and 90th minutes, to cap the 9-0 win.

The match was the first of only two national team appearances for Pernigo, who scored one goal in Italy's 5-3 loss to Denmark in the quarterfinals.

19 July 1966 - North Korea Send Italy Pak-ing

On 19 July 1966, North Korea staged one of the World Cup's biggest upsets, beating Italy 1-0 in the group stage.

After winning the World Cup in 1934 and 1938, the Azzurri went into decline and failed to progress past the first round in 1950, 1954, and 1962 (they failed to even qualify for the 1958 competition). Still, their 1966 squad included several of the era's most talented footballers, including Milan's Gianni Rivera and Inter duo Sandro Mazzola and Giancinto Facchetti. North Korea, on the other hand, were appearing in their first World Cup with a collection of semi-professional players who were relative unknowns outside of their home country.

Playing before a crowd of 18,000 at Middlesbrough's Ayresome Park, the Italians needed only a draw to advance into the second round, having already secured a win and a draw in their first two matches. After their early attacks were denied by Korean goalkeeper Ri Chan Myong, the Azzurri fell back into a defensive formation designed to win the critical point.

The Koreans, however, needed to win, with a loss and a draw in their first two matches. Taking advantage of Italy's reluctance to press, North Korea controlled the midfield and sent waves of attacks into the Italian area. They were rewarded with a 40th-minute matchwinner from Pak Doo-Ik.

The goal sent Italy home, where they were pelted with eggs and tomatoes by an angry crowd upon their arrival. The Koreans advanced to the second round, but were eliminated by Portugal. They returned to obscurity in North Korea, sparking several rumors that they had been punished by North Korean leader Kim Il Sung, but the rumors were later proven to be false.

13 July 2006 - It's Not Exactly Right To Say He "Succeeded" Lippi

On 13 July 2006, the Federazione Italiana Giuoco Calcio ("FICG") announced the hiring of former AC Milan midfielder Roberto Donadoni as manager of the Italian national team. Donadoni replaced outgoing manager Marcello Lippi, who retired immediately after winning the 2006 World Cup.

As a player, Donadoni was very successful, winning six Scudettos and three European Cups with Milan. He retired from playing in 2000 after a season with Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia and quickly turned to management, joining Lecco in 2001. After a brief spell with Genoa (2003) and two separate periods with Livorno (2002-03, 2004-06), he moved up to the national team.

His tenure in charge of the Azzurri was moderately successful, but paled in comparison to Lippi's World Cup-winning reign. His first three matches in charge resulted in two losses and a draw, which prompted Italian journalists to call for the return of Lippi. Italy's only tournament under Donadoni was Euro 2008, in which the Azzurri suffered a 3-0 loss to the Netherlands - their worst defeat in over 25 years.

Despite the loss, Italy advanced to the quarterfinals, where they lost on penalties to eventual champions Spain. After winning the previous World Cup, the elimination was considered a national disappointment. The FICG sacked Donadoni the next month and replaced him with Lippi, who had come out of retirement. Donadoni's brief term resulted in 13 wins and 5 draws out of 23 matches for the national team.

Donadoni moved on to Napoli, but was dismissed on 6 October 2009. It remains his last managerial post.

11 July 1982 - They Were Just Saving Their Energy In The First Round

On 11 July 1982, Italy claimed their third World Cup with a 3-1 win over West Germany at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid.

Italy's campaign had started inauspiciously, as they drew all three matches in the first round group stage. But they righted the ship in the second round group, beating both Argentina and Brazil to reach the semifinals where they defeated Poland 2-0. The Germans, meanwhile, opened their tournament with a 1-2 loss to Algeria, but rallied to win their groups in the first and second rounds, including impressive second-round wins over Spain and England, then beat France on penalties to set up the Final against Italy.

The Azzurri had a chance to take a first-half lead when winger Bruno Conti was brought down in the box, but while Conti was being treated on the sideline, left back Antonio Cabrini sent the penalty kick wide. In the 57th minute, however, center forward Paolo Rossi scored with a header to put the Italians up 1-0. Midfielder Marco Tardelli doubled the lead in the 69th minute with a powerful shot from outside the box as the Germans looked unable to stop the Italians' flowing attack.

Forward Alessandro Altobelli then added a third in the 81st minute, as he stood unmarked in the center of the box to receive a pass and tapped it in. West German midfielder Paul Breitner scored two minutes later, but it was a small consolation as the match ended 3-1.

Rossi won the Golden Boot award with 6 goals and was also named the World Cup's first Golden Ball winner as the tournament's most valuable player.

9 July 2006 - He Did Not Taunt Him A Second Time

On 9 July 2006, Italy won their fourth World Cup title in a dramatic match against France that ended in a penalty shootout. It was the last competitive match played by three-time FIFA World Player of the Year Zinedine Zidane, who was ejected in extra time after headbutting Italian defender Marco Materazzi.

France had struggled to get out of the group stage, managing only one win and two draws, but advanced through the knockout rounds with impressive wins over Spain (3-1), Brazil (1-0), and Portugal (1-0). Italy, meanwhile, won their group with ease before defeating Australia (1-0), Ukraine (3-0), and Germany (2-0, aet) to reach the Final.

France went ahead in the 7th minute after the referee awarded a controversial penalty for an apparent foul on Flourent Malouda, though replays suggested Malouda had gone down in the box with minimal contact. Zidane converted to put France up 1-0. But Italy drew level twelve minutes later when Materazzi headed the ball in from a corner kick. The teams then stayed even at 1-1 through regulation and extra time.

During the second extra time period, Zidane and Materazzi exchanged words and Zidane responded by head-butting the defender in the chest and earning a 110th-minute ejection. Reports later claimed that Materazzi had made offensive remarks about Zidane's sister. Zidane was thus unavailable for the penalty shootout, which Italy won 5-3. The only miss came from French striker David Trezeguet, who bounced his shot off the bar.

Despite the ejection, Zidane was named to the tournament's all-star team and won the Golden Ball as that Cup's most valuable player.

7 July 1990 - Shilton Goes Out On A Low Note

On 7 July 1990, World Cup hosts Italy finished third by beating England 2-1 in the third-place match. It was the last of goalkeeper Peter Shilton's record 125 caps for England, as he retired from international competition after the tournament.

Both Italy and England were eliminated on penalty kicks in the semi-finals with identical 1-1 (4-3) scores as Italy lost to Argentina and England to West Germany to set up their meeting in the consolation match.

Playing before a crowd of 62,628 at the Stadio delle Alpi in Turin, the two former World Cup champions had little to separate them until a mistake by Shilton (pictured) in the 71st minute. He stopped a shot on goal and set the ball down, not realizing that Roberto Baggio was right behind him. Baggio stole the ball away and passed it to fellow striker Salvatore Schillaci. As Shilton chased the ball, Baggio received a return pass from Schillaci in front of the open goal and knocked it home to put Italy up 1-0.

England equalized ten minutes later as a cross found midfielder David Platt in the box and he headed it into the net. But Schillaci put Italy back in front with an 86th-minute penalty kick after being tripped by England right-back Paul Parker just inside the box. It was his sixth goal of the tournament, making him only the second Italian player (after Paolo Rossi) to win the Golden Boot. Schillaci was joined at Juventus the following season by Baggio, and Platt eventually signed with the too in 1992.

Although it was Shilton's last match as an England player, he continued to play for various clubs until 1997.

5 July 1994 - It's In The Baggio

On 5 July 1994, Italy staged a dramatic extra-time comeback win against Nigeria in the World Cup Round of 16, despite being down to 10 men. The hero of the day was forward Roberto Baggio (pictured), who would make headlines of a different kind later in the tournament.

Italy had been largely unimpressive in the group stage, finishing third in their group behind Mexico and Ireland. But the rules at the time allowed the top four third-place teams to advance and Italy - in fourth place - just made it. Nigeria, on the other had, won their group over Bulgaria, Argentina, and Greece.

Played before a crowd of 54,367 at Foxboro Stadium outside of Boston, the Round of 16 match appeared to going Nigeria's way, as winger Emmanuel Amuneke scored off a 25th minute corner kick that was poorly defended by Italy. The Azzurri's attack looked anemic for most of the match and Italy's fate appeared to be sealed by the ejection of midfielder Gianfranco Zola. Zola, playing in his one and only World Cup match, was sent off for elbowing Nigeria's Augustine Eguavoen, though replays suggested that the red card was not warranted.

The ejection spurred the Italians to action and, in the 88th minute, Baggio found the equalizer with a low driving shot from the top of the box. In extra time, Eguavoen conceded a penalty, bringing Italian defender Antonio Bennarivo down just outside Nigeria's 6-yard box. Baggio stepped up and converted the kick, sending the ball in off the left post for the win.

Italy eventually advanced to the Final where they lost to Brazil on penalties, with Baggio famously missing the Italians' last kick.