"CELEBRATION"
Memebers of The ITALIAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL Team
Celebrate their VICTORY in The EUROPEANCUP CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
2020 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS
In any conversation about the top footballing nations of the world, Italy is bound to be mentioned more than a few times. With four World Cup titles, Italy is tied with Germany and second only to Brazil (five) as the most successful tournament participant of all time. They’ve also won the Olympic football tournament in 1936 and the European Championship in 1968. They’re known by the name of Azzurri and for their traditional blue kits.
HISTORY
Shortly after being founded in 1910, Italy organized its first official match with France. They won 6-2 in front of approximately 4,000 spectators at Arena Civica, with Pietro Lana scoring the first goal. Pleased with the performance, the team’s fans rewarded the players by throwing them cigarette packets. This was one of only two games that Italy would play in white kits; next year, they switched to blue jerseys inspired by the royal House of Savoy crest on the national flag.
The team’s first notable success arrived in 1928, when they placed third in the Summer Olympics football tournament. Eight years later, they would go a step further by winning the competition, beating Austria 2-1 in the final match. In between these two appearances, they won the Central European International Cup on two occasions. They were also invited to the inaugural World Cup in 1930, but they declined to participate.
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The ITALIAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM
WORLD CUP GLORY
The year 1934 saw Italy host a World Cup, making their first appearance in the competition. This squad was led by the legendary Giuseppe Meazza, arguably the greatest Italian player of all time. Known as “Il Genio” by the Italian press, Meazza was a prolific goalscorer and a virtuoso with the ball. The team was coached by Vittorio Pozzo, who popularized a 2-3-2-3 formation with two half-backs and inside-forwards.
After routing the United States 7-1 in their first match in World Cup history, Italy was set to play Spain. The game ended in a 1-1 draw, with various controversial decisions favoring the home team. In the replay match, Italy defeated Spain 1-0 on a Meazza winner. They then beat Austria 1-0 in the semi-finals and Czechoslovakia 2-1 in the finals, winning the World Cup title in their debut appearance. Meazza was voted player of the tournament.
Italian 1934 WORLD CUP TEAM
ITALY in The OWRLD CUP
4 WORLD CUP CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 1934, 1938, 1982, 2006
Italy is one of the most successful national teams in the history of the World Cup, having won four titles (1934, 1938, 1982, 2006), just one fewer than Brazil. The team was present in 18 out of the 21 tournaments, reaching six finals, a third place and a fourth place.
ITALY in The EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS
Two EURO CUP CHAMPIONSHIPS 1968 and 2020
Italy have participated in ten UEFA European Championships, and reached the final on four occasions. They became European champions at home in 1968, the first European Championship they qualified for, and finished as runners-up in 2000 and 2012, before winning their second continental championship at Euro 2020.
ITALIAN NATIONAL TEAM
"AZZURI"
