Tag: Featured Content

On April 12, 1981, Gaetano Musella scored the only goal of the day in a key battle at Torino that sent Napoli top of the Serie A table with five games left

Torino vs Napoli Throwback: Musella Strikes for a Scudetto Illusion

Italian Football, Napoli, Serie A, Throwback Thursday, Torino Leave a comment
Before Diego Maradona, the Neapolitan fan hearts beat for a young lad raised just a few meters away from the San Paolo Stadium. His name was Gaetano Musella and, on April 12, 1981, he scored the only goal of the day in a key battle at Torino that sent Napoli top of the Serie A table with just five matchdays left.
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On February 12, 2012, Luis Enrique's Roma annihilated the remains of Inter’s Triplete-winning squad at the Stadio Olimpico by a 4-0 score

Roma vs Inter Throwback: A Fleeting Glimpse of Luis Enrique Brilliancy

Inter, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Roma, Serie A, Throwback Thursday
Luis Enrique endured a torrid maiden campaign as a coach, ending a disappointing 7th with Roma in Serie A and resigning at the end of the season. Still, he did manage to show glimpses of the good things to come in his career, especially on February 12, 2012, when Roma annihilated Inter’s Triplete-winning squad.
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Roma vs Inter Throwback: Nine-Goal Thriller with Baggio and Ronaldo

Inter, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Roma, Serie A, Throwback Thursday
What happens when you put against each other a star-studded Roma side, coached by an ultra-offensive manager in the name of Zdenek Zeman, and one of the most impressive Inter lineups ever seen – where Roberto Baggio had just joined the Fenomeno Ronaldo Nazario da Lima? That's easy: You get one of the craziest games in the history of Serie A.
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Fiorentina of Florence is the first club from Italy and Serie A to not only win a title in Europe but also play in three different European finals

European Football Stories: The Early Exploits of Fiorentina in Europe

AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Calciomercato, Catania, Champions League, Coppa Italia, Europa League, European Cups, European Football Stories, Fenerbahce, Fiorentina, Inter, Inter Milan, International Football, Italian Football, Italy, Juventus, Lazio, Napoli, Premier League, Real Madrid, Roma, Sampdoria, Serie A, Spanish Football, Stuttgart, Torino, Udinese, UEFA Cup, West Germany
When it comes to Italian football, Fiorentina represent a very unique and interesting case study. The Viola are the first club from Italy and Serie A to not only win a title in Europe but also play in three different European finals, as they prevailed in the Cup Winners' Cup maiden edition.
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Losing the semi-final on a coin toss marked a forgettable end to an otherwise memorable European competition debut for Roma

European Football Stories: How Roma’s Fate Was Decided by a Coin

AC Milan, Atalanta, Bologna, Bundesliga, Cagliari, Calcio Stories, Champions League, Conference League, Coppa Italia, Europa League, European Conference League, European Football Stories, FIGC, Fiorentina, Genoa, Inter, Inter Milan, Italian Football, Italy, Juventus, La Liga, Lazio, Mourinho, Napoli, Olimpico Roma, Premier League, Real Madrid, Roma, Sampdoria, Serie A, Serie B, Torino, Totti, UEFA Cup
The coin that could have ended Roma's maiden campaign in the Cup Winners Cup early (against PSV), opted to give the Romanisti initial hope before ensuring eventual disappointment in the Semi Finals against Gornik Zabrze, one that would take a long time to recover from.
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Defender Fabio Grosso is the man who in 2006 led Italy to their 4th world title, despite not being part of coach Marcello Lippi's initial lineup

World Cup One-Hit Wonders: Grosso, the Man of the Last Minute

France, Germany, Italy, Meanwhile In Moscow, Serie A, The Azzurri, The Grass Is Greener, World Cup, World Cup 2022
“You will take the last penalty, because you have always been decisive so far.” This is what coach Marcello Lippi told Fabio Grosso before the penalty shootouts that determined the outcome of World Cup 2006 Final between Italy and France. Lippi’s choice to bet on a player who was not even part of his original starting lineup proved to be a winning one.
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Sergio Goycochea was not even supposed to play in World Cup 1990 but he ended up leading the Argentina all the way to the Final, shattering Italy's dreams

World Cup One-Hit Wonders: Goycochea, the “Notti Magiche” Killer

Argentina, Brazil, Germany, Italy, Meanwhile In Moscow, Serie A, The Azzurri, The Grass Is Greener, World Cup, World Cup 2022
Sergio Goycochea was not even supposed to play in World Cup 1990, as the starting goalkeeper of Argentina was undoubtedly Nery Pumpido. But when Pumpido suffered an injury, the first choice became this unknown goalie who ended up leading the Albiceleste all the way to the Final, shattering Italy's Notti Magiche dreams in the process.
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Who doesn’t remember Cuauhtemoc Blanco's cuauhteminha, a feat that consisted in dashing past your opponents with the ball tied between your feet?

World Cup One-Hit Wonders: Blanco, the Mexican Juggler of France 1998

Meanwhile In Moscow, Mexico, Serie A, The Grass Is Greener, World Cup, World Cup 2022
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 of you who don’t remember the cuauhtemina, a feat that consisted in dashing past your opponents with the ball tied between your feet. This is what Mexican attacking midfielder Cuauhtémoc Blanco showed during the 1998 World Cup in France.
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Asamoah Gyan will never forget that moment when he hit the crossbar from a penalty kick that could have consigned him to the history of African football

World Cup One-Hit Wonders: The Asamoah Penalty Nightmare

Ghana, Meanwhile In Moscow, Serie A, The Grass Is Greener, Uruguay, World Cup, World Cup 2022
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 when 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 team to ever each a World Cup Semi Final.
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Stephen Guivarc'h is the France striker who won the World Cup 1998 title without scoring a single goal in the process. A true !World Cup One-Hit Wonder

World Cup One-Hit Wonders: Guivarc’h, the Goalless World Champ

Meanwhile In Moscow, Serie A, The Grass Is Greener, World Cup, World Cup 2022
Sometimes, you make it to history not because of what you did, but because 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 Stéphane Guivarc'h. This World Cup One-Hit Wonder is a striker who won a world title without scoring a single goal.
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