Italy 1990 team one of the best

Whenever I read of fantastic World Cup sides before the start of another one, it always shocks or even saddens me when the Italian side of 1990 managed by the gentleman Azeglio Vicini is ignored.

I was in my second year at University of Lagos when the tournament started and I was in such awe of the Italians following their first group match win over Austria. You see, Italy had formed a reputation of tough defensive football and had come into the tournament with goalkeeper Walter Zenga having gone so very long without conceding a goal. It was therefore a major shock when right from the kick off they tore right into poor Austria with wave after wave of sensational attacking moves.

With the elegant but sometimes vicious Franco Baresi leading the defence alongside the tough tackling duo of Ricardo Ferri and ’82 World Cup winner, Beppe Bergomi, the Squadra Azzuri were secure at the back. It allowed the nominal full backs of Fernando di Napoli, Luigi di Agostini/Paolo Maldini to bomb forward at will.

When the Italian squad for the tournament was originally announced one man’s name was missing. Two weeks to the tournament, Napoli midfielder Massimo Crippa cried off injured and a certain Salvatore Schillaci was drafted in as a replacement. And so it was at that Italy banged at the Austrian door with no luck Schilaci came on for luckless Roberto Mancini. A few minutes later Luca Vialli went on yet another run down the right, swung in an inviting cross, waiting in the middle was Schillaci who planted the header into the roof of the net. Bedlam in the stadium. A national hero was born.

Italy continued in the same vein against the US when a sleek move led to Guiseppe Giannini scoring what proved to be the winning goal. However, in the final group game, another rising star was to show up against Czechoslovakia. His name: Roberto Baggio. After Schillaci had given hosts an early lead, Baggio in the second half scored one of the goals of the tournament.

Exchanging passes with Giannini on the half way line, the then 23 year old went on a slalom run that took him past four players finishing with a superb striker beyond the keeper for Italy’s second goal.

By the Italy faced Argentina in the semi-final, the team had not conceded any goal and had seen off both Uruguay and the Republic of Ireland. They had done these playing really attractive football despite being solid at the back.

Argentina on the other hand were simply awful and cynical. They had gotten thus far on the back of the brilliance of Diego Maradona, the finishing prowess of the blond striker Claudio Cannigia and the wastefulness of Brazil in the second round.

Schillaci gave Italy the lead. However, being so close to the final, I believe, strongly weighed heavily on the Italian players and so instead of pushing ahead to score a second to probably kill of the match they retreated back and allowed Argentina back in. With the prompting of Maradona, they conjured up an equaliser. The skipper’s ball out wide on the left found Jose Olarticochea who in turn lofted a ball into the box where Cannigia got to it first ahead of Zenga in goal for Italy. 1-1!

Argentina went ahead to win on penalties and this wonderfully attacking Italian team had to settle for third place after victory over England. Poor Vicini was hounded out by the Italian press for being too attacking and not playing to the true Italian traditions.

It is really something that a team in an entertainment sport like football can be accused of being too attack minded but that was what this Italy side of 1990 was accused of. They, like the Dutch side of 1974 and the Brazil of 1982 set out to entertain but never won their tournaments. Football was and is still poorer for their losses.