In the 1994 World Cup, Italy won the quarterfinals against Spain 2-1 but were eliminated by Brazil in the final on penalty kicks. Roberto Baggio, the star of the Italian team at the time, missed a penalty, costing Italy the world title in the final and causing a devastating blow. To understand the details, I recommend watching Roberto Baggio’s documentary “Baggio, the Divine Ponytail,” available on Netflix.
In my opinion, Italy didn’t deserve to win the trophy in the 1994 tournament either. They played well at times. For example, in the game against Spain I watched, Italy deservedly won the game with two beautiful goals. However, they lost to Ireland in their first game, then beat Norway by a single goal in the group stage and drew 1-1 with Mexico. Italy barely made it out of the group, beating Nigeria, then Spain, and finally Bulgaria by the same scoreline, 2-1, to reach the final. In the final, tournament favorites Brazil had a strong tournament, winning on penalties and clinching the victory. Brazil dominated every team they had played in the ’94 tournament, reaching the final. They defeated Russia, Cameroon, the USA, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Italy in that order. The highlight of this game was the games against Sweden. After securing qualification from the group stage and drawing with Sweden (their only draw of the tournament), they met again in the semifinals and beat them 1-0, advancing to the final.
A winning streak that began with the Turkey game
A winning streak that began with the Turkey game
At the European Championship, Italy, unlike their occasionally brilliant soccer in ’94, persevered in every game and gave it their all. In their first game against Turkey, which was heartbreaking for all of us, they practically swept our hometown team off the field; we couldn’t even get out of our own half. Personally, as someone who has always been proud of their country, I was humbled by this game. I can’t remember being so crushed in recent years. Contrary to what others say, if it hadn’t been for our goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır’s outstanding performance, that game could have ended 8-0. Our performance was disgraceful. I hope they recover in the World Cup qualifiers. Incidentally, after seeing the Italian soccer team sing their national anthem with such enthusiasm in this first game, and then seeing the intense soccer they played, I said to myself, “At worst, Italy will reach the semi-finals; they’ll definitely finish the tournament in a good position.” Here’s the Italian national soccer team singing their national anthem:
Italy continued their successful streak in the Switzerland game, defeating Switzerland 3-0 by the same scoreline. They then played a formal game against Wales 1-0, securing a decisive victory over them as group leaders. They then defeated Austria 2-1 in the next round and Belgium 2-1 in the quarterfinals, advancing to the next round as group leaders. They then faced Spain in the semifinals (yes, Italy was familiar with 2-1 scores at the ’94 World Cup).
A full-on defense against the ‘tiki taka’
To be honest, I was rooting for Spain after Turkey in this tournament. Spain, undergoing a generational transition, started the tournament poorly, but continually built momentum and came out strong against Italy. In fact, in my opinion, Spain deserved to win this game. I say this because of their possession, their clear-cut chances, and their ability to concede the game behind. Italy showcased the finer points of their famous defensive style in this game, to which everyone is accustomed. Unlike their soccer, which had been met with criticism throughout the tournament, “Italy plays differently,” they reverted to their original style and played a full-on defense. Perhaps they were wise to assume they couldn’t compete with the “tiki taka” Spanish national team in possession, so they held back and controlled the game. And they got the result. Spain, who had defeated Switzerland on penalties in their previous game, now beat them on penalties in the semi-finals and were drawn to face England.
The final game was evenly gamed. The level of competition was high. I can’t say that either Italy or England deserved the game, but the Italians, who didn’t give up the game England had taken the lead, continued their fight until the end, as they had in previous games. The game, which finished 1-1 in regular time, saw Italy win 3-2 on penalties. You can watch the game summary at https://www.trtspor.com.tr/videolar/euro-2020-final-italya-ingiltere-ozet-43832.html . Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka, and Jadon Sancho were targeted and subjected to racist attacks after missing their penalties in the final. Those accused of racist insults against Black England players online were subsequently detained. I unequivocally condemn racism. In fact, I shared my clear stance and thoughts on this matter in my blog post at https://www.serhansuzer.com/tr/beyinlerde-hic-bitmeyen-veba-irkcilik . What does missing a penalty have to do with skin color? Anyone can miss a penalty, and different factors at that moment can determine the outcome. For example, Switzerland eliminated France on penalties. The same Switzerland was eliminated by Spain on penalties in the quarterfinals. Spain was eliminated by Italy on penalties in the semifinals. In other words, the winner is unpredictable in penalties. Therefore, this primitive and irrational mindset that equates race with penalty kicks must not be tolerated. I also congratulate the British authorities for taking the necessary action in this regard.
The Mancini-Bonucci Difference
I’d like to dedicate a special page here to two soccer players who left their mark on the tournament. One is manager Roberto Mancini; the other is defender Leonardo Bonucci. You may recall Mancini was Galatasaray’s manager during the 2013-14 season. Although the team didn’t win the championship during that period, Mancini left his mark. One of the reasons for this was the team’s brilliant performance in winning the Turkish Cup and the legendary game in the Champions League, where Galatasaray beat Juventus thanks to a beautiful goal from Schneider. The look Mancini gave Juventus’ then-manager Conte, in the picture below, after Galatasaray scored this goal, sums it all up:
Finally, his decision to forgo the €12 million severance pay, saying, “I can’t take compensation from a club in such financial difficulties,” and leaving Galatasaray demonstrated Mancini’s character and commitment to a cause. That’s why Galatasaray fans (myself included) have always had a special affection for Mancini and longed for his success.
Mancini transformed Italy’s traditionally boring and defensive style of play, creating a team that applied pressure everywhere on the field, never gave up, and fought to the very end. The Italians started the game against Turkey with great enthusiasm and determination but managed to maintain their winning ambition until the end of the tournament and clinched the trophy. We’re all proud of Mancini for the radical changes he instituted within the team. While Italy occasionally adjusted their tactics to suit their team (as in the Spain game), they always went into every game with the same motivation and gave it their all. These radical changes are all a testament to the manager’s skill. As for Bonucci, Juventus’s Melih Demiral’s teammate, Bonucci performed incredible feats in this tournament. More than just a typical defender, he made extra defensive moves, scoring when he needed to, and constantly ignited the team.
He also made history in both the European Championship and Italian competitions with his goal in the cup-winning game, which he scored in normal time. Leonardo Bonucci, who equalized for Italy against England in the EURO 2020 final and sent the game to penalties, made tournament history in two ways.
At 34 years and 71 days old, Bonucci became the oldest player in European Championship history to score a goal, and only the second defender for the Italian national team to score in a final after Marco Materazzi.
The 34-year-old defender also started the final, surpassing Buffon to become Italy’s most capped player in European Soccer history. We also take our hats off to Bonucci, who served as Italy’s vice-captain after Chiellini.
“It’s Coming to Rome”
Ultimately, the English, who used their famous song “Soccer’s Coming Home” for the European Cup, believed they would win the trophy at Wembley, and they came very close to that dream. However, the Italians, despite falling behind in both regular time and the penalty shootout, won the game and took the trophy home.
Ultimately, they changed the song’s chorus from “It’s Coming Home” to “It’s Coming to Rome.” Instead of saying “the cup is coming home,” they ironically said “the cup is coming to Rome.” You can watch Bonucci’s post-game euphoria of “it’s coming to Rome” in the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKxK4B0tiLI .
Italy deservedly won the trophy. We expect a similar performance under Mancini’s leadership at the World Cup. While we’re not very hopeful, the same goes for our national team.
Bonus:
“Italy to be awarded a State Medal” news:https://tr.sputniknews.com/spor/202107161044984071-avrupa-sampiyonu-italya-milli-takimina-devlet-nisani-verilecek/
Tag: education
