Page 58 - Soccer360 Issue 105

TOP RIGHT:
Giuseppe Meazza for Italy during the 1934 World Cup
RIGHT:
The team was coached by Vittorio Pozzo, who popularized a 2-3-2-3 formation with two half-backs and inside- forwards.
BOTTOM RIGHT:
Silvio Piola was a key ingredient in Italy’s second straight World Cup win in 1938
AZZURRI FLASHBACK
IN ANY DISCUSSION ABOUT THE TOP SOCCER 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 WITH FIVE WINS, AS THE MOST SUCCESSFUL TOURNAMENT PARTICIPANT OF
ALL TIME.
FIRST TIME GLORY
In 1934 Italy hosted the 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 defeating 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, with Meazza voted player of the tournament.
ITALY REPEAT
With the addition of the talented young striker Silvio Piola, many pundits believed that the Italian squad at the 1938 World Cup was even stronger than the previous one. Italy proved them right by beating Norway, France, Brazil, and Hungary on its way to the second consecutive World Cup title.
TRAGIC TURN
With the ongoing WWII, the 1938 World Cup turned out to be the last major tournament in 12 years. One year before official national competitions would resume, however, Italy was struck by a terrible disaster. Namely, the
entire Torino football team lost their lives in the infamous Superga air disaster.
This had a severe impact on Italy, as the Torino players were the lynchpin of the national team. Following this accident, the team started traveling by boat.
The following period saw the Azzurri struggle to establish their previous dominance. After failing to advance from the group stage at the 1950 and 1954 World Cups, they missed the 1958 edition of the tournament altogether. The 1962 and 1966 World Cups saw Italy return with more talented teams, but they were again knocked out
in the group stage. The team also missed out on the first two European Championships in 1960 and 1964.
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