Memebers of The ITALIAN NATIONAL FOOTBALL Team
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.
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.
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