With the knock-out phase of Euro 2024 about to commence, the Gentleman Ultra reflects on the highs and lows, heroes and villains of past European campaigns.
Gianluca Vialli’s winner against Spain at Euro 88
It was a case of double deception.
The perfectly timed dummy and momentary pause, then the surge of pace and astute finish.
Gianluca Vialli’s only goal for Italy in a major tournament still makes for compelling viewing, a masterpiece in trickery and execution.
Just 17 minutes remained in Frankfurt as the Azzurri were locked in a stalemate with Spain in their second game of the 1988 European Championships.
Carlo Ancelotti – an accomplished midfielder before becoming a highly decorated coach – threaded the ball through for replacement Alessandro Altobelli.
The Inter striker fooled the Spanish rearguard by letting the ball run through his legs to Sampdoria’s Vialli. The Doria attacker hesitated for a split second, turned and accelerated, then placed the ball into the far-left corner of Andoni Zubizarreta’s net.
Vialli was named in the Euro 88 team of the tournament as a result of his wholehearted performances as Italy fell to the Soviet Union in the semi-finals.
The brilliant forward scored 16 goals in 59 caps for the Azzurri yet could never quite reproduce his club form at international level.
Yet his decisive goal in Germany remains as a permanent reminder of a player at the peak of his game on the big stage.
Totti delivers at Euro 2000
It’s a strange quirk of tournament football that the players and teams most fondly remembered are often not those that end up winning the thing.
Euro 2000 featured a truly fearsome France team with what I’d argue was Zidane at his peak. But ask people what they associate with that summer and they invariably name-check the alice-banded Francesco Totti.
The year 2000 was a strange hinterland, where football was becoming more globalised and commercialised but not at the point of no-return. The internet wasn’t available in your pocket and players weren’t digestible in 30 second highlight reels. The 24-year-old Totti was known, but not over-hyped.
This was a tournament full of superstars evenly spread amongst the traditional powers and some of the smaller nations. Yet despite the likes of Figo, Beckham, Raúl and Zidane, Totti seemed to capture everyone’s attention.
The flicks and tricks were a wonder, but there was an end product as well. Goals against Belgium in the group stages and Romania in the quarters showed there was a ruthless edge to the kid from Rome.
But his finest moment was reserved for the semi-final against the Netherlands. Regularly lauded as the greatest 0-0 ever, it had too many dramas and subplots to feature in this small piece. But the Dutch psychodrama associated with penalty shootouts was cracked open with Totti’s outrageous ‘spoon’ penalty. To attempt one in a regular game is one thing. But in Amsterdam, in a Euro semi-final against Van Der Sar?
It established Totti as that irresistible blend of flamboyance and end product with which he would be associated for the next ten years.
Words by James Oddy
Tardelli celebrates at Euro 1982
In many ways, it was to be the prototype celebration to the goal he would score in the 1982 World Cup final. While Macro Tardelli’s outpouring of emotion at the Santiago Bernabéu was to become one of the most iconic images in the history of the game, the similar reaction to his winning goal against England during the 1980 European Championship remains a lesser-known pleasure.
In a crucial game at the Stadio Comunale in Turin, a win was vital to two teams that had drawn their opening games. After riding their luck, inclusive of Ray Kennedy hitting the frame of Dino Zoff’s goal, it was Tardelli who broke the deadlock for Italy with little over ten minutes remaining.
Having doggedly shadowed Kevin Keegan for most of the match, Tardelli momentarily cast off his man marking duties and, when Giancarlo Antognoni and Francesco Graziani combined down the left, with the latter drawing a poor attempted challenge by Phil Neal, suddenly the otherwise vigilant England defence was split open, with Tardelli stealing in front of Dave Watson to guide the ball past a rooted Peter Shilton.
A rare magical moment in a largely lamentable tournament, Tardelli’s exuberant celebration was a work of under-appreciated art.
words by @scraggy_74
Buffon’s tears at Euro 2016
A save by a 38-year-goalkeeper in a game that Italy would ultimately loose may not seem like an obvious choice, but this moment captures everything we know and love about Gigi Buffon.
Nearly 20 years after his international debut and with more than 150 caps to his name, the 2006 World Cup winner was still a towering presence in the Italian team. Italy were widely un-fancied going into the tournament, but beat the much-fancied Belgium 2-0 in the open game of the group. A late winner against Sweden was enough to progress and Gigi sat out the final game of the group against a brave Republic of Ireland which they lost 1-0 (a game I was lucky enough to attend).
In the first knockout round a dominant Italy brushed aside holders Spain to set up a quarter-final confrontation with Germany. It was in that game that Buffon made that remarkable save. The balance, poise, concentration and agility that had kept him at the top of the game for so long were all on display as he somehow got a finger to a ball fired at him from point blank range.
Buffon epitomized the spirit and character of that resilient Italian team. Unfortunately, the evening ended in tears for Gigi following an epic penalty shoot-out. It would be the legendary goalkeepers last appearance at a major tournament as Italy failed to qualify for the 2018 World Cup.
words by @rick_hough
Heads or tails at Euro 1968
Overlooked? Under appreciated? Or was it just so long ago. When looking at Italy’s best moments in the European Championships, even Italians may overlook the importance of the victory at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome in 1968.
Admittedly, this was a quick-fire tournament in Italy that would take place in Rome, Naples and Florence. There were only four teams participating, Italy, England, Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union but it was well attended with crowds averaging 52,000.
What makes this tournament seem so nostalgic and so beautifully amateur when compared with the modern game, are these small facts that show that the game really is one of small margins.
Firstly, Italy played the Soviet Union in the semi-final in Naples in front of 70,000 spectators. They were, in fairness, bored to tears with the 0-0 result and, believe it or not, the game was decided by Kurt Tschenscher, the referee. That’s because at the end of extra time, the match was decided by coin toss, and Italy progressed to the final, although Giancinto Facchetti took the credit.
So, after a game of heads and tails, Italy reached the final against Yugoslavia who had beaten England. This was the only final that was decided with a replay over two legs. The first game ended 1-1 in Rome. Extra time could not separate the teams and so it was back to the Olimpico. Italy made six changes and eventually emerged 2-0 winners thanks to goals from Gigi Riva and Pietro Anatasi, fine margins indeed for the Azzurri.
words by @RichHall80