The Cult of Calcio - Page 1309 of 1321 - Italian Football and Serie A News in English

Meteore Mondiali: Salenko, una partita di ordinaria follia

June 10, 2018 Antonio Guarini Cameroon, Meanwhile In Moscow, Russia, The Grass Is Greener, World Cup

Scoring five goals in a single match surely is a heck of an exploit. Doing it in a world championship game makes it even more noteworthy. Indeed, this is something that has happened only once, as of today. The author of that astonishing glut was Oleg Salenko, Russia’s top striker during the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.A. It happened on June 28, in Stanford, California.

Meteore Mondiali: Blanco, il giocoliere messicano di Francia ’98

June 10, 2018 Antonio Guarini Meanwhile In Moscow, Mexico, The Grass Is Greener, World Cup

When you manage to give your name to a specific trick, it means you have made it to the history of football. Raise your hands, those who don’t remember the cuauhtemina, a feat that enabled you to dash past your opponents with the ball tied between your feet. This is what Mexican attacking midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco showed during World Cup 1998 in France.

Meteore Mondiali: Quando Letchkov fece piangere la Germania

June 10, 2018 Antonio Guarini Bulgaria, Germany, Meanwhile In Moscow, The Grass Is Greener, World Cup

"Football is a simple game. Twenty-two men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win.” British footballer Gary Lineker, the author of this famous quote, was not always right. Because during World Cup 1994, the incumbent World Champions were eliminated by a header by Yordan Letchkov, a Bulgarian striker who looked like a bookkeeper.

Meteore Mondiali: Asamoah, un incubo lungo 11 metri

June 10, 2018 Antonio Guarini Ghana, Meanwhile In Moscow, The Grass Is Greener, Uruguay, World Cup

It is said that, just one moment before dying, a person relives their whole life in an instant. In the case of Asamoah Gyan, one of the top images will likely be that moment in which he hit the crossbar from a penalty kick that could have consigned him to the history of African football - making his native Ghana the first African Country to ever reach a World Cup Semi Final.

Meteore Mondiali: Guivarc’h, il Campione del Mondo senza goal

June 10, 2018 Antonio Guarini Meanwhile In Moscow, The Grass Is Greener, World Cup

Sometimes, you make it to history not because of what you did, but of what you didn't do. The France squad that won World Cup 1998 featured strikers like Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet. Yet, their starting forward was Stephan Guivarc'h. Today's World Cup Meteor (Number 9 on the pitch, and in our countdown) is the striker who won a world title without scoring a goal.

Meteore Mondiali: Ahn, il Killer Coreano del Trap

June 10, 2018 The Cult of Calcio Staff Meanwhile In Moscow, Perugia, The Azzurri, The Grass Is Greener, World Cup

Click here to read the English version of this article

In Italia, una “meteora” è quel giocatore che vive un breve periodo di gloria, prima di tornare nuovamente nell’anonimato. I Mondiali sono pieni di storie del genere, di giocatori che

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Forza Azzurre! The Italians That Made It to World Cup

June 9, 2018 Matteo Carnevale Italy, The Azzurre, Women's World Cup 2019

There is one Italian National Team that made it to the football World Cup, even if we will have to wait one year to see it. Girl power restored our battered national pride yesterday as the Azzurre wrapped a sensational qualification to Women’s World Cup 2019 in France by beating Portugal 3-0, with goals by Cristiana Girelli, Cecilia Salvai, and Barbara Bonansea.

Emery from Missing Panini Sticker to Arsenal Coach

May 29, 2018 Carlos Molano Arsenal, The Grass Is Greener, Unai Emery

Football fans debate every summer about the potential new signings for their clubs, and whether they are good or not. But this was something completely unknown to Arsenal fans, at least for what concerns their manager, until Arsène Wenger decided to step down after 22 seasons. His substitute Unai Emery was once famous as a player for his Panini sticker being very hard to find.

Torres and Iniesta, Hasta Siempre Campeones!

May 22, 2018 Carlos Molano The Grass Is Greener

Last Sunday marked the end of an era for Spanish football. Fernando Torres and Andrés Iniesta played their last games for their respective clubs. Torres said goodbye to his Atlético fans by scoring two goals in the beautiful new home of Los Colchoneros, the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium. Iniesta received his last homages from Barcelona supporters at the Camp Nou.

Meanwhile In Moscow: No Love In Russia for Ibra

May 21, 2018 Matteo Carnevale Italy, The Azzurre, Women's World Cup 2019

The World Cup is getting close, and even if we Italians may still be in denial about the fact that the Azzurri will be watching it from home, the greatest show on Earth will still take place. In our "Meanwhile In Moscow" column, Swedish correspondent Arjun Sethi reminds us about some other big name who will not go to Russia: Zlatan Ibrahimović, or simply Ibra.

The Grass Is Greener: Real Madrid’s Road to Kiev

May 19, 2018 Carlos Molano Champions League, The Grass Is Greener

The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, they say. We may be in love with Italian calcio, but there’s more to football than what happens south of the Alps. As the Champions League Final approaches, The Cult of Calcio’s Spanish correspondent Carlos Molano takes a look at Real Madrid’s road towards Kiev, mixing personal memories with the club’s recent history.

Take-It-All Juventus Win Fourth Coppa Italia In a Row

May 10, 2018 Matteo Carnevale AC Milan, Coppa Italia, Juventus One comment

Juventus and their coach Massimiliano Allegri are like the Asso Pigliatutto (Ace-take-it-all), the key point in a popular Italian card game, which enables its holder to capture all the cards on the floor. The dominant Bianconeri didn’t leave anything to their opponents this year either, as they wiped out Milan 4-0 last night in a one-sided Coppa Italia final, to conquer their fourth domestic cup in a row.