Italy has done it again. The Azzurri are back in the final of a major competition for the first time in nine years and hope to be able to lift the silver stock again, which would end a 15-year trophy-free drought.
Roberto Mancini’s men had to work extremely hard in Tuesday night’s semi-final in Euro 2020, and they had to ride their luck against a well-drilled and dangerous Spain.
But Italy got the job done – almost. They needed a penalty kick after a 1-1 draw after extra time, but Mancini’s men were the ones celebrating at the final flake, while Spain had to wait for what could have been.
For the Azzurri, Tuesday’s triumph was their tenth semifinal success, but where did it rank among the biggest final-four victories in the country’s history? It takes 90 minutes to travel down the memory field.
#Euro 68 pic.twitter.com/WFuUiixLoP
– FootballRetroPlus (@robertmdaws) July 6, 2021
Let’s be honest – all games that are determined by a coin toss deserve to be at the bottom of every list. It seems quite mental that a football game could be ended in this way, but after extra time neither Italy nor the Soviet Union could find a breakthrough in the 1968 European Championships.
If you think a penalty design is an unfair lottery, get it here. Giacinto Facchetti guessed which way up a coin would land, and only for that reason did Italy reach the final and eventually win the tournament. Hmm.
The goal of Enrique Guaita to decide the 1934 World Cup semi-final between Italy and Austria pic.twitter.com/4DBvo5RPz5
– allafacciadelcalcio (@facciacalcio) June 26, 2021
We go even further back in time now as we teleport to the 1934 World Cup. Italy hosted and won the second ever edition of the now prestigious tournament, and they had to overtake Austria in the semi-finals to book their place in the final.
Gli Azzurri did just that in Milan thanks to a lone goal from Enrique Guaita. The fact that the tournament was much smaller and more exclusive makes this success a little less impressive than the modern delights.
1938-style / – / Getty Images
Fast forward four years, and Italy was on it again. This time, they needed to overcome Brazil, the country that would later be associated with the most beautiful football on the planet.
Italy crossed the line in France when strikes by Gino Colaussi and Giuseppe Meazza fired the nation at another global glory. Apparently Meazza’s shorts fell down when he took the decisive spot-kick. Expect to see it on the next gaffes and bloopers DVD.
A classic moment in Eurohistoria / Alessandro Sabattini / Getty Images
Italy was taken all the way by the Netherlands in the semi-finals of Euro 2000, and needed to be at its coolest to get started through a penalty shootout. Step forward, Francesco Totti.
The AS Roma legend looked the tall Edwin van der Sar in the eye and delivered the cheekiest pan to make his opponent look very stupid and put Italy on the right track. However, let’s not talk about the final …
Party Time / Justin Tallis – Pool / Getty Images
From Euro 2000 to Euro 2020. Italy had to work hard in the 1-1 draw against Spain, and were probably lucky enough to finish the 120 minutes. Mancini’s men dug in and survived until the shooting – and then they flourished.
After Manuel Locatelli missed the first spot kick, the remaining takers delivered an immaculate screen with Jorginho channeling his inner Totti to show crazy levels of cool. They enter the final.
An iconic moment in European Championship history / Joern Pollex / Getty Images
This 2-1 victory over Germany was Italy’s latest semi-final success before the Wembley shootout on Tuesday night. It remembers that the night Mario Balotelli really delivered on the international stage, bags a fantastic stay.
The iconic image of him ripping off his shirt and flexing his muscles will remain in Italian hearts, even if the final did not go according to plan against Spain.
A Hero by Calcio / OMAR TORRES / Getty Images
1994 was Roberto Baggio’s tournament. The divine ponytail sparkled on the biggest stage and delivered an unsurpassed performance in the 2-1 victory over Bulgaria in the semifinals.
His stay put the Italians on the brink of World Cup glory, but unfortunately for Baggio it would not be …
A Legend of the Game / Alessandro Sabattini / Getty Images
When you think of the 1982 World Cup, the name Paolo Rossi will automatically come to mind. The Italian freight forwarder dazzled in the tournament and made a hat trick against Brazil before closing off another stay in the semis.
Italy flew past Poland to face Germany, where Rossi and co. got the job done one more time. A legendary group of players.
Some wonderful sweaters / Alessandro Sabattini / Getty Images
Now, when a match is nicknamed ‘Century Game’, it is difficult to argue for its high position on a list. Italy met West Germany in the World Cup semi-finals in 1970 and participated in an absolute classic.
The Italians won 4-3 after extra time, with five goals scored in the next 30 minutes – a World Cup record. A reported 102,000 spectators were present to see this as well, packed into the Azteca Stadium. Happy people.
The Moment of the Crown / Alex Livesey / Getty Images
At the top of the tree is the 2006 semifinal in Germany, against the Germans themselves. With the odds (and the crowd) stacked against them, Italy produced a defensive champion class to take their hosts to extra time.
Then sent two goals in the last two minutes of extra time from Fabio Grosso and Alessandro Del Piero Azzurri wild, as they packed their bags for Berlin. We all now how this adventure ended as well.
