Genoa vs Juventus Throwback: A Playoff for the UEFA Cup

For one season – one magic season only – the capital of Italian football was not Milan or Turin and not even Rome. The 1990/91 Serie A campaign is remembered as the season when both Genoa clubs went above and beyond with Sampdoria incredibly winning their first and only Italian title, and the Rossoblu finishing a remarkable fourth (but only after beating the Blucerchiati in a legendary edition of the Derby della Lanterna).

After a thrilling campionato run, Genoa ended their season on May 26, 2021, with a home game against Juventus that turned into an authentic playoff to grab a spot in the UEFA Cup the following season.

On one hand, was a Genoa side that was absent from European competitions since more than 50 years and that only two years earlier was still playing in Serie B. On the other hand, there were Juventus, who were coming from a disappointing campaign and risked missing the European train for the fist time in 28 years.

With just 90 minutes to go, Genoa were one point ahead of the Old Lady and the Bianconeri were sharing the fifth spot in the table with city rivals Torino and Serie A debutant Parma.

The Grifone was coached by the mild-mannered Osvaldo Bagnoli, the man of the “Miracle of Verona” who had led the Gialloblu to an incredible Scudetto six years earlier. Genoa had an impressive roster featuring a well-assorted front line where short-sized Carlos Pato Aguilera from Uruguay played alongside Czechoslovakian towering striker Thomas Skuhravy.

But more stars shone in the squad, from future Milan win-it-all midfielder Stefano Eranio to Brazilian left-back Branco and his deadly free-kick weaponry. They were captained by poor Gianluca Signorini, who would eventually die from ALS – but only after a courageous battle that significantly contributed to raise awareness on this terrible disease.

Juventus, on the other hand, were in the middle of a risky experiment. After witnessing the farewell of Dino Zoff after two seasons in the dugout, the Bianconeri management had put the up-and-coming Gigi Maifredi in charge. But Maifredi had miserably failed, scrambling to lead Juventus to a disappointing fifth place despite having secured the services of Roberto Baggio in previous summer.

Juventus had literally collapsed in the last 13 games of the season, collecting only 10 points, and losing 6 times. They were exhausted, both mentally and physically. Conversely, Genoa were full or energy and willing to “distract” themselves from the scorn of seeing cross-town rivals Sampdoria securing the Italian title only one week earlier.

And so – as absurd as it may sound today – the odds were in favor of Genoa as the two sides squared off at the Luigi Ferraris Stadium on that afternoon. To make things worse for the Old Lady, Roberto Baggio was forced to abandon the match just 20 minutes after kickoff due to an injury. He was replaced by Paolo Di Canio (because, yes, Di Canio also played for Juventus during his remarkable career…).

Five minutes later, Branco served the specialty of the house for Genoa – an atomic left-foot screamer from the free kick spot that went into the top right corner of Stefano Tacconi’s goal, guided by that bizarre effect that only the future 1994 World Champion seemed able to give to the ball.

The Bianconeri’s reaction was feeble. With Salvatore Schillaci being only the shadow of the lethal striker admired during the 1990 World Cup Notti Magiche (“Magic Nights”), it was up to defender Gigi De Agostini to try to trouble Genoa with a long range shot but his attempt gave no serious concern to the Grifone’s goalie Simone Braglia.

Right after the restart, the home side stroke again as Skuhravy received a filtering pass from midfield and progressed to slot the ball home with very little opposition from a Juventus defense in disarray. It was the 15^th season goal, all from open play, for the Czechoslovakian forward who used to celebrate his goals with a back-flip.

Picture a 193cm-tall giant with a 1980s rockstar’s hair doing a backflip and imagine it happening 15 times. It must have been a fun season to watch on the red-and-blue side of Genoa.

Skuhravy’s goal wrapped the game in favor of Genoa who could burst in a wild celebration at full time, hailing in triumph their hero Bagnoli and their volcanic president Aldo Spinelli. Never would the Grifone reach again such heights in Serie A, even though an exciting UEFA Cup campaign was waiting for them following season: Genoa would climb as high as the competition Semi Finals, eliminating Liverpool in the process (beating them twice!) and only succumbing to Dutch giants Ajax in the Semis.

Juventus’ season ended as bad as it possibly could, with the Bianconeri passed by both Torino and Parma and ending 7^th in the top-flight table. For the first time in 28 years, the Old Lady was out of Europe. It was time for a revolution, one that started with recalling their talismanic coach Giovanni Trapattoni at the helm. The next year, things would already start to change for Juventus, even though they would need to wait three more seasons before winning the title again.

MATCH SCORECARD

May 26, 1991 – Serie A 1990-91 Round 34
GENOA – JUVENTUS 2-0

SCORERS: 20′ Branco, 46′ Skuhravy