History Italy national football team

1 history

1.1 1910–1938: origins , first 2 world cups
1.2 1946–1966: post-world war ii
1.3 1968–1976: european champions , world cup runners-up
1.4 1978–1986: third world cup generation
1.5 1988–2000: world cup , european championship runners-up
1.6 2000–2004: trapattoni era
1.7 2006: fourth world cup title
1.8 2006–2010: post world cup , lippi s second term
1.9 2010–2014: european championship runners-up
1.10 2014–2016: euro 2016 campaign
1.11 2016–present: failure qualify 2018 fifa world cup , rebuild

history

1910–1938: origins , first 2 world cups

the squad celebrating first fifa world cup in 1934.



giuseppe meazza played 1930 1939 in national team.

the team s first match held in milan on 15 may 1910. italy defeated france score of 6–2, italy s first goal scored pietro lana. turmoil kept players of pro vercelli, best team in league, out of game. @ end of match, players received cigarette packets thrown 4,000 spectators prize. italian team played (2–3–5) system , consisted of: de simoni; varisco, calì; trerè, fossati, capello; debernardi, rizzi, cevenini i, lana, boiocchi. first captain of team francesco calì.

the first success in official tournament came bronze medal in 1928 summer olympics, held in amsterdam. after losing semi-final against uruguay, 11–3 victory against egypt secured third place in competition. in 1927–30 , 1933–35 central european international cup, italy achieved first place out of 5 central european teams, topping group 11 points in both editions of tournament.

after declining participate in first world cup (1930, in uruguay) italian national team won 2 consecutive editions of tournament in 1934 , 1938, under direction of coach vittorio pozzo , performance of giuseppe meazza, considered 1 of best italian football players of time some. other stars of era included luis monti, giovanni ferrari, giuseppe ruffino , virginio rosetta. hosts, azzurri, defeated czechoslovakia 2–1 in time in rome, goals raimundo orsi , angelo schiavio achieve first world cup title in 1934. achieved second title in 4–2 defeat of hungary, 2 goals gino colaussi , 2 goals silvio piola in world cup followed.

1946–1966: post-world war ii

in 1949, 10 of 11 players in team s initial line-up killed in superga air disaster affected torino, winners of previous 5 serie titles. italy did not advance further first round of 1950 world cup, weakened severely due air disaster. team had travelled boat rather plane, fearing accident.

in world cup finals of 1954 , 1962, italy failed progress past first round, , did not qualify 1958 world cup. italy did not take part in first edition of european championship in 1960 (then known european nations cup), , knocked out soviet union in round of 16 of 1964 european championship.

their participation in 1966 world cup ended 0–1 defeat @ hands of north korea. despite being tournament favourites, azzurri, 1966 squad included gianni rivera , giacomo bulgarelli, eliminated in first round semi-professional north koreans. italian team bitterly condemned upon return home, while north korean scorer pak doo-ik celebrated david killed goliath.

1968–1976: european champions , world cup runners-up

in 1968, azzurri won first major competition since 1938 world cup, beating yugoslavia in rome european championship title. match holds distinction of being european championship or world cup final go replay. after time final ended in 1–1 draw, , in days before penalty shootouts, rules required match replayed few days later. italy won replay 2–0 (with goals luigi riva , pietro anastasi) take trophy.

in 1970 world cup, exploiting performances of european champions players giacinto facchetti, gianni rivera , luigi riva , new center-forward roberto boninsegna, team able come world cup final match after 32 years. reached result after 1 of famous matches in football history: italy vs. west germany 4–3, known game of century . defeated brazil in final. cycle of international successes ended in 1974 world cup, when team eliminated grzegorz lato s polish team in first round.

1978–1986: third world cup generation

italy s line up, before match against france in group stage game @ 1978 fifa world cup @ estadio josé maría minella (mar del plata, argentina – 2 june 1978)

in 1978 fifa world cup in argentina, new generation of italian players, famous being paolo rossi, came international stage. italy team in tournament beat eventual champions , host team argentina. second-round games against west germany (0–0), austria (1–0) , netherlands (1–2) led italy third-place final, team defeated brazil 2–1. in match eliminated italy tournament against netherlands, italian goalkeeper dino zoff beaten long-distance shot arie haan, , zoff criticized defeat. italy hosted 1980 uefa european football championship, first edition held between 8 teams instead of four, automatically qualifying finals hosts. after 2 draws spain , belgium , narrow 1–0 win on england, italy beaten czechoslovakia in third-place match on penalties 9–8 after fulvio collovati missed kick.

italy s starting line-up, before match against argentina in group stage game @ 1982 fifa world cup.



one of remembered pictures of 1982 fifa world cup, italian president sandro pertini playing scopone dino zoff, franco causio , coach bearzot.

after scandal in serie national team players such paolo rossi prosecuted , suspended match fixing , illegal betting. azzurri qualified second round of 1982 world cup after 3 uninspiring draws against poland, peru , cameroon. having been loudly criticized, italian team decided on press black-out on, coach enzo bearzot , captain dino zoff appointed speak press.

italy s regrouped in second round group, group of death argentina , brazil. in opener, italy prevailed 2–1 on argentina, italy s goals, both left-footed strikes, scored marco tardelli , antonio cabrini. after brazil defeated argentina 3–1, italy needed win in order advance semi-finals. twice italy went in lead paolo rossi s goals, , twice brazil came back. when falcão scored make 2–2, brazil have been through on goal difference, in 74th minute rossi scored winning goal, hat-trick, in crowded penalty area send italy semifinals after 1 of greatest games in world cup history. italy progressed semi final defeated poland 2 goals rossi.

in final, italy met west germany, had advanced penalty shootout victory against france. first half ended scoreless, after antonio cabrini missed penalty awarded hans-peter briegel foul on bruno conti. in second half paolo rossi again scored first goal, , while germans pushing forward in search of equaliser, marco tardelli , substitute alessandro altobelli finalised 2 contropiede counterattacks make 3–0. paul breitner scored home west germany s consolation goal 7 minutes end.

tardelli s cry, gol! gol! 1 of defining images of italy s 1982 world cup triumph. paolo rossi won golden boot 6 goals golden ball award best player of tournament, , 40-year-old captain-goalkeeper dino zoff became oldest player win world cup.

however, italy failed qualify 1984 european championship. italy entered reigning champions in 1986 world cup eliminated reigning european champions, france, in round of 16.

1988–2000: world cup , european championship runners-up

1986 led bearzot s departure, azeglio vicini appointed in place. new coach conceded chance young players, such ciro ferrara , gianluca vialli: sampdoria striker scored goals gave italy 1988 european championship pass. shown altobelli s possibly successor, having same goal attitude. both forwards stroke target in germany, soviet union defeated azzurri in semi-finals.

italy hosted world cup second time in 1990. italian attack featured talented forwards salvatore schillaci , young roberto baggio. despite being favourites win, playing of matches in rome , not conceding goal in first 5 matches, italy lost in semi-final defending champion argentina in naples, losing 4–3 on penalty kicks following 1–1 draw after time, schillaci s first half opener having been equalised in second half claudio caniggia s header argentina. aldo serena missed final penalty kick (with roberto donadoni having penalty saved goalkeeper sergio goycochea). italy went on defeat england 2–1 in third place match in bari, schillaci scoring winning goal on penalty become tournament s top scorer 6 goals. italy failed qualify 1992 european championship.

at 1994 world cup in united states, italy lost opening match against ireland 0–1 @ giants stadium near new york city. after 1–0 win against norway in new york city , 1–1 draw mexico @ rfk stadium in washington, d.c., italy advanced group e based on goals scored among 4 teams tied on points. during round of 16 match @ foxboro stadium near boston, italy down 0–1 late against nigeria, baggio rescued italy equaliser in 88th minute , penalty in time take win. baggio scored late goal against spain @ quarter-final match in boston seal 2–1 win , 2 goals against bulgaria in semi-final match in new york city 2–1 win.

in final, took place in los angeles s rose bowl stadium 2,700 miles (4,320 km) , 3 time zones away atlantic northeast part of united states had played previous matches, italy, had 24 hours less rest brazil, played 120 minutes of scoreless football, taking match penalty shootout. italy lost subsequent shootout 3–2 after baggio, had been playing aid of pain-killer injection , heavily bandaged hamstring, missed final penalty kick of match, shooting on crossbar.

italy (right) lineup ahead of uefa euro 2000 final against france

italy did not progress beyond group stage @ finals of euro 1996. having defeated russia 2–1 losing czech republic same score, italy required win sure of progressing. gianfranco zola failed convert decisive penalty in 0–0 draw against germany, won tournament. then, during qualifying campaign 1998 fifa world cup, azzurri beat england @ wembley stadium second time, zola scoring goal. in final tournament, italy found in critical shootout third world cup in row. italian side, alessandro del piero , baggio renewed controversial staffetta ( relay ) between mazzola , rivera 1970, held eventual world champions , host team france 0–0 draw after time in quarter-finals, lost 4–3 in shootout. 2 goals scored in tournament, baggio still italian player have scored in 3 different fifa world cup editions.

in euro 2000, shootout decided italy s fate time in favour when defeating co-hosts netherlands in semi final. italian goalkeeper francesco toldo saved 1 penalty during match , 2 in shootout, while dutch players missed 1 other penalty during match , 1 during shootout rate of 1 penalty scored out of 6 attempts. emerging star francesco totti scored penalty cucchiaio ( spoon ) chip. italy finished tournament runners-up, losing final 2–1 against france (to golden goal in time) after conceding les bleus equalising goal 30 seconds before expected end of injury time (93rd minute). after defeat, coach dino zoff resigned in protest after being criticized milan club president , politician silvio berlusconi.

2000–2004: trapattoni era

in 2002 world cup, 2–0 victory against ecuador 2 christian vieri goals followed series of controversial matches. during match against croatia, 2 goals disallowed resulting in 2–1 defeat italy. despite 2 goals being ruled borderline offsides, late headed goal alessandro del piero helped italy 1–1 draw mexico proving enough advance knockout stages. however, co-host country south korea eliminated italy in round of 16 score of 2–1. game highly controversial members of italian team, notably striker francesco totti , coach giovanni trapattoni, suggesting conspiracy eliminate italy competition. trapattoni obliquely accused fifa of ordering official ensure korean victory 1 of 2 host nations remain in tournament. contentious decisions penalty awarded south korea (saved buffon), golden goal damiano tommasi ruled offside, , sending off of totti after presented second yellow card alleged dive in penalty area, ruled referee byron moreno. fifa president sepp blatter stated linesmen had been disaster , admitted italy suffered bad offside calls group matches, denied conspiracy allegations. while ruling totti s sending off moreno, blatter refused blame italy s loss on moreno stated: italy s elimination not down referees , linesmen made human not premeditated errors ... italy made mistakes both in defense , in attack.

a three-way 5 point tie in group stage of 2004 european championship left italy odd man out , failed qualify quarter finals after finishing behind denmark , sweden on basis of number of goals scored in matches among tied teams. italy s winning goal scored during stoppage time giving them 2–1 victory on bulgaria antonio cassano proved futile, ending team s tournament.

2006: fourth world cup title

within crowd in circus maximus in rome, after italian team scored against france.



italian president napolitano congratulates coach lippi , captain cannavaro after final match against france. berlin, 9 july 2006.

the summer of 2004 marked choice, figc, appoint marcello lippi italy s bench. made debut in upset 2–0 defeat in iceland managed qualify 2006 world cup. italy s campaign in tournament hosted germany accompanied open pessimism due controversy caused 2006 serie scandal, these negative predictions refuted, azzurri won fourth world cup.

italy won opening game against ghana 2–0, goals andrea pirlo (40th minute) , substitute vincenzo iaquinta (83rd minute). team performance judged best among opening games fifa president sepp blatter.

the second match less convincing 1–1 draw united states, alberto gilardino s diving header equalized cristian zaccardo own goal. after equaliser, midfielder daniele de rossi , united states s pablo mastroeni , eddie pope sent off, leaving 9 men on field entirety of second half, score remained unchanged despite controversial decision when gennaro gattuso s shot deflected in disallowed because of offside ruling. same happened @ other end when u.s. winger damarcus beasley s goal not given due teammate brian mcbride being ruled offside. de rossi suspended 4 matches elbowing mcbride in face , return final match.

italy finished first in group e 2–0 win against czech republic, goals defender marco materazzi (26th minute) , striker filippo inzaghi (87th minute), advancing round of 16 in knockout stages, faced australia. in match, materazzi controversially sent off in second half (53rd minute) after attempted two-footed tackle on australian midfielder marco bresciano. in stoppage time controversial penalty kick awarded azzurri when referee luis medina cantalejo ruled lucas neill fouled fabio grosso. francesco totti converted upper corner of goal past mark schwarzer 1–0 win.

in quarterfinals italy beat ukraine 3–0. gianluca zambrotta opened scoring (in sixth minute) left-footed shot outside penalty area after quick exchange totti created enough space. luca toni added 2 more goals in second half (59th , 69th minute), ukraine pressed forward not able score, hitting crossbar , requiring several saves gianluigi buffon , goal-line clearance zambrotta. afterwards, manager marcello lippi dedicated victory former italian international gianluca pessotto, in hospital recovering apparent suicide attempt.

in semi-finals, italy beat hosts germany 2–0 2 goals coming in last 2 minutes of time. after back-and-forth half-hour of time during alberto gilardino , gianluca zambrotta struck post , crossbar respectively, fabio grosso scored in 119th minute after disguised andrea pirlo pass found him open in penalty area bending left-footed shot far corner past german goalkeeper jens lehmann s dive. substitute striker alessandro del piero sealed victory scoring last kick of game @ end of swift counterattack cannavaro, totti , gilardino.

the azzurri won fourth world cup, defeating long-time rivals france in berlin, on 9 july, 5–3 on penalty kicks after 1–1 draw @ end of time in final. french captain zinedine zidane opened scoring in seventh minute chipped penalty kick, awarded controversial foul materazzi on florent malouda. twelve minutes later, header materazzi corner kick pirlo brought italy even. in second half, potential winning goal toni disallowed close offside call linesman luc la rossa. in 110th minute, zidane (playing in last match of career) sent off referee horacio elizondo headbutting materazzi in chest after verbal exchange; italy won penalty shootout 5–3; crucial penalty miss being david trezeguet s, same player scored golden goal france in euro 2000. trezeguet s attempt hit crossbar, shot down after impact, , stayed ahead of line.

ten different players scored italy in tournament, , 5 goals out of twelve scored substitutes, while 4 goals scored defenders. 7 players — gianluigi buffon, fabio cannavaro, gianluca zambrotta, andrea pirlo, gennaro gattuso, francesco totti , luca toni — named 23-man tournament star team. buffon won lev yashin award, given best goalkeeper of tournament; conceded 2 goals in tournament s 7 matches, first own goal zaccardo , second zidane s penalty kick in final, , remained unbeaten 460 consecutive minutes. in honour of italy winning fifa world cup fourth time, members of world cup-winning squad awarded italian order of merit of cavaliere ufficiale.

2006–2010: post world cup , lippi s second term

after italian triumph in world cup, 1994 world cup star roberto donadoni announced new coach of azzurri. replaced marcello lippi, had announced resignation before world cup s start. italy played in 2008 uefa european football championship qualifying group b, along france. italy won group, france being runner-up. on 14 february 2007, fifa ranked italy first in fifa world rankings, total of 1,488 points, 37 points ahead of second ranked argentina. moved them 1 previous rank, second. azzurri had not received such honour since 1993.

in euro 2008, azzurri lost 0–3 netherlands. following game against romania ended 1–1, goal christian panucci came 1 minute after romania s adrian mutu capitalized on mistake gianluca zambrotta give romania lead. result preserved gianluigi buffon saved penalty kick mutu in 80th minute.

the final group game against france, rematch of 2006 world cup final, 2–0 italy win. andrea pirlo scored penalty spot after foul , red card france defender Éric abidal, , later free kick daniele de rossi took deflection resulting italy s second goal. romania, entering day point ahead of italians in group c, lost netherlands 2–0, allowing italy pass quarter finals against eventual champions spain, lost 2–4 on penalties after 0–0 draw after 120 minutes. within week after game, roberto donadoni s contract terminated , marcello lippi rehired coach.

by virtue of winning world cup, italy qualified 2009 fifa confederations cup, held in south africa in june 2009. won opening match 3–1 against united states, subsequent defeats egypt (0–1) , brazil (0–3) meant finished third in group on goals scored, , eliminated.

the national football team of italy qualified 2010 fifa world cup after playing home games @ stadio friuli, stadio via del mare, stadio san nicola, stadio olimpico di torino , stadio ennio tardini. in october 2009, achieved qualification after drawing republic of ireland 2–2. on 4 december 2009, draw world cup made: italy in group f alongside 3 underdog teams: paraguay, new zealand , slovakia.

at 2010 world cup in south africa, reigning champions italy unexpectedly eliminated in first round, finishing last place in group. after being held 1–1 draws paraguay , new zealand, suffered 3–2 loss slovakia. first time italy failed win single game @ world cup finals tournament, , in doing became third nation eliminated in first round while holding world cup crown, first 1 being brazil in 1966 , second france in 2002. spain become fourth @ 2014 world cup. coincidentally, france had been italy s adversaries , losing finalist in 2006 world cup, eliminated without winning game in first round in south africa, making first time ever neither finalist of previous edition able reach second round.

2010–2014: european championship runners-up

the national football team of italy before uefa euro 2012 final, olympic stadium, kiev, 1 july 2012.

marcello lippi stepped down after italy s world cup campaign , replaced cesare prandelli, although lippi s successor had been announced before tournament. italy began campaign prandelli disappointing 0–1 loss ivory coast in friendly match. then, during euro 2012 qualifier, italy came behind defeat estonia 2–1. in next euro qualifier, italy dominated faroe islands 5–0. italy tied 0–0 northern ireland. 5 days later, italy played serbia; however, serbian fans in stadio luigi ferraris began riot, throwing flares , shooting fireworks onto pitch, subsequently causing abandonment of game. upon uefa disciplinary review, italy awarded 3–0 victory propelled them top of group. in first match of 2011, italy drew 1–1 friendly germany @ dortmund, in same stadium beat germany 2–0 advance final of 2006 world cup. in march 2011, italy won 1–0 on slovenia again secure spot @ top of qualification table. defeated ukraine 2–0 in friendly, despite being reduced ten men late stages of match. 3–0 defeat of estonia in euro 2012 qualifier, prandelli s italy secured table lead , achieved 9 undefeated games in row since initial debacle. streak ended on 7 june 2011 trapattoni s current charges, republic of ireland, italy losing 0–2 in friendly in liège.

at beginning of second season under coach prandelli, on 10 august 2011, italy defeated reigning world champions spain 2–1 in friendly match played in bari s stadio san nicola, lost in friendly united states, 1–0, on home soil on 29 february 2012.

italy started euro 2012 campaign 1–1 draw current reigning european , world champions spain. following met croatia , held 1–1 draw. finished second in group behind spain beating republic of ireland 2–0, earned them quarter final match against winners of group d, england. after one-sided affair in italy failed take chances, managed best england on penalty kicks, though down in shootout. save goalkeeper gianluigi buffon put them ahead after chip shot andrea pirlo. prandelli s side won shootout 4–2.

in next game, first semi-final of competition, faced germany team tipped many next european champions. however, 2 first-half goals mario balotelli saw germany sent home, , italians went through finals face title defenders spain.

in final, however, unable repeat earlier performance against spain, falling 4–0 lose championship. prandelli s men further undone string of injuries left them playing ten men last half-hour, substitute thiago motta forced go off after 3 substitutions had been made.

during 2013 confederations cup in brazil, italy started in group mexico, japan , brazil. after beating mexico 2–1 , japan 4–3, italy lost final group game against tournament hosts brazil 4–2. italy faced spain in semi-finals, in rematch of euro 2012 final. italy lost 7–6 (0–0 after time) in penalty shoot-out after leonardo bonucci failed score kick. prandelli praised tactics against current world cup , european champions. italy able win match third place defeating uruguay penalty score of 5–4 (2–2 after time).

italy drawn in uefa group b 2014 world cup qualification campaign. won qualifying group without losing match. despite successful run not seeded in pot 1 final seeding. in december 2013, italy drawn in group d against costa rica, england , uruguay. in first match, italy defeated england 2–1. however, in second group stage match, underdogs costa rica beat italians 1–0. in italy s last group match, knocked out uruguay 1–0, due in part 2 controversial calls referee marco antonio rodríguez (mexico): in 59th minute, midfielder claudio marchisio sent off questionable tackle. later in 80th minute, teams knotted @ 0–0 have sent italy next round, uruguayan striker luis suárez bit defender giorgio chiellini on shoulder not sent off. uruguay went on score moments later in 81st minute diego godín header corner kick, winning game 1–0 , eliminating italy. marked italy s second consecutive failure reach round of 16 @ world cup finals. shortly after loss, coach cesare prandelli resigned.

2014–2016: euro 2016 campaign

the successful former juventus manager antonio conte selected replace cesare prandelli coach after 2014 world cup. conte s debut manager against 2014 world cup semi-finalists netherlands, in italy won 2–0. italy s first defeat under conte came ten games in empowerment 1–0 international friendly loss against portugal on 16 june 2015. on 10 october 2015, italy qualified euro 2016, courtesy of 3–1 win on azerbaijan; result meant italy had managed go 50 games unbeaten in european qualifiers. 3 days later, 2–1 win on norway, italy topped euro 2016 qualifying group 24 points; 4 points clear of second placed croatia. however, similar fate 2014 world cup group stage draw, italy not top seeded first pot. had italy see draw belgium, sweden , republic of ireland in group e.

on 4 april 2016, announced antonio conte step down italy coach after euro 2016 become head coach of english club chelsea @ start of 2016–17 premier league season. 23-man squad saw notable absences andrea pirlo , sebastian giovinco controversially left out , claudio marchisio , marco verratti omitted due injury. italy opened euro 2016 2–0 victory on belgium on 13 june. italy qualified round of 16 1 game spare on 17 june lone goal Éder victory against sweden; first time won second group game in major international tournament since euro 2000. italy finished top of group first time in major tournament since 2006 world cup. italy defeated reigning european champions spain 2–0 in round of 16 match on 27 june. italy faced off against reigning world champions, rivals germany, in quarter-finals. mesut Özil opened scoring in 65th minute germany, before leonardo bonucci converted penalty in 78th minute italy. score remained 1–1 after time , germany beat italy 6–5 in ensuing penalty shoot-out. first time germany overcame italy in major tournament.

2016–present: failure qualify 2018 fifa world cup , rebuild

after conte s departure, gian piero ventura took on manager team, on 18 july 2016, signing two-year contract. first match @ helm friendly against france, held @ stadio san nicola on 1 september, ended in 3–1 loss. 4 days later, won first competitive match in charge of italy, team s opening 2018 fifa world cup qualifier against israel @ haifa, ended in 3–1 victory italy.

italy finished in group g in second place behind spain, , advanced play-off against sweden. after 1–0 aggregate loss sweden, italy failed qualify 2018 fifa world cup first time since 1958. following match, veterans giorgio chiellini, andrea barzagli, daniele de rossi , captain gianluigi buffon declared retirement national team. on november 15, 2017, ventura dismissed head coach , on 20 november 2017, carlo tavecchio, resigned president of italian football federation.