The Cult Of Calcio

17/05/2024

Roma have more question marks than certainties on their defensive wings and set sights on Lecce, earmarking Valentin Gendrey and Patrick Dorgu.

14/12/2023

Qualifying three teams out of four to the Champions League knockouts would have looked like a great achievement for Italian football before the tournament started...
..and still, it looked like even Milan - who didn't make the cut - had some good chances of advancing despite being seeded in a tough group

The Rossoneri did their job last night as they beat Newcastle away, but that wasn't enough as they were no longer the masters of their own UCL destiny ...

                                                         

13/12/2023

03/12/2023

On this day in Serie A:

Today's story comes from a dusty Serie C1 pitch, in what used to be the third level of the Italian football pyramid

On December 3, 1990, Salernitana caught a precious 1-1 away tie against Casertana, salvaging a point in one of the many regional derbies from Campania

The Granata were en route to conquer their promotion to Serie B for the first time in 23 years and their only goal of the day was scored by the unforgettable Agostino Di Bartolomei

What a player, "Ago"...after winning a Scudetto with Roma as the captain of the team and also playing for Milan, that promotion with Salernitana achieved at 34 years of age was the last hurrah of a remarkable career

A quiet leader and an introvert personality, Di Bartolomei was as far as one could be from the cliché of the average footballer

Unfortunately, his life ended tragically only four years later as he committed su***de, reportedly for not being given any more space and opportunities in the world of calcio...

17/11/2023

On this day in Serie A:

November 17, 1993 - Italy beat Portugal 1-0 at the San Siro to qualify to the 1994 World Cup

This was the last game of the Qualifiers campaign and the Portuguese needed to win it, while Arrigo Sacchi's Azzurri could be happy with settling for a tie

Midfielder Dino Baggio broke the deadlock with seven minutes to go, sending Italy to USA94

Let's see this as a good omen for tonight as the Azzurri approach a key Euro 2024 Qualifiers game against their nemesis (!) North Macedonia

15/11/2023

On this day in Serie A:

Sometimes, Italy DO win a World Cup Qualifiers Playoff

The first time the Azzurri were forced to a battle to the death to sn**ch a last minute ticket to the FIFA grand ball, they managed to prevail over Russia in a tense two-match confrontation

After tying 1-1 in Moscow under a heavy snowstorm, Italy had the upper hand in Naples on November 15, 1997, thanks to a lone strike from veteran goalscorer Pierluigi Casiraghi

The danger of missing a World Cup was thus avoided, and the Azzurri went on to put up a more than decent show at France 1998, only losing to the hosts on the penalties in the Quarter Finals

08/11/2023

On this day in Serie A:

November 8, 1942 - Another calcio legend was born!

Striker Sandro Mazzola needs no introduction, right?

His name is an absolute synonym for "Inter" as he spent his full playing career (1960-1977) with the Nerazzurri

116 goals out of 417 caps, two Scudettos, two European Cups, two Intercontinental Cups as well as participations to three World Cups and a Euro 1968 win with the Azzurri speak for themselves...

08/11/2023

With two group stage games to go, both Milan and Lazio are still the masters of their own destiny in Champions League as their qualification chances got a massive boost last night!

🔴⚫️

08/11/2023

No doubt Ciro Immobile is always there for Lazio when needed!

His 200th goal as a Biancoceleste helped the Roman Eagles sail past Feyenoord and re-ignite their chances of making it through the UCL Group Stage!

08/11/2023

THIS is the Milan we want to see!

Stefano Pioli and co. treated themselves to a dream Champions League night as goals from Rafael Leao and Olivier Giroud toppled PSG at the San Siro!

🔴⚫️

07/11/2023

Is this going to be a two-horse race?

06/11/2023

An early goal by youngster Fabio Miretti, then a strenuous defense of the slim lead...

Juventus beat Fiorentina to stay on Inter's trail in typical Max Allegri fashion, their backline continuing to be an impregnable fort!

06/11/2023

On this day in Serie A:

November 6, 1960 - Milan legend Gianni Rivera scored his first goal for the Rossoneri in a 3-4 away win over Juventus at the Stadio Comunale in Turin

Rivera, who had just been acquired from Alessandria at 16 years, scored the fourth goal in a match that Milan dominated much more than the final score said

The future Rossoneri icon is here depicted next to another all-time great - 1950 World Cup Winner Juan Alberto Schiaffino

🔴⚫️

05/11/2023

An incredible epilogue at the Stadio Olimpico as Roma came from behind during stoppage time to overturn Lecce and grab all three points on offer!

Josè Mourinho can thus breathe a sigh of relief ahead of next week's Derby della Capitale against Maurizio Sarri's Lazio

05/11/2023

Udinese finally caught their first league win this season, adding to Milan's woes as the Rossoneri are now winless in three games (1 D, 2 L)

With a key UCL game against PSG coming up on Tuesday, Stefano Pioli must quickly find a way to change his side's ways...

🔴⚫️

05/11/2023

A massively important win for Inter as they extended their perfect record away this season (five wins out of five games)

Lautaro Martinez hit the mark once again and is well ahead in the capocannoniere race with 12 goals!

05/11/2023

It was all easy for Napoli in the regional derby against Salernitana as Giacomo Raspadori is showing no problem in filling in Victor Osimhen's shoes

The Granata's new gaffer Filippo Inzaghi, on the other hand, has still not managed to turn his bottom-placed team around

04/11/2023

A lone goal from Scotman Lewis Ferguson turned Bologna into the dark horse in the race for European football next season!

Thanks to last night's win over a disappointing Lazio side, the Rossoblu are now fifth in the Serie A table alongside Napoli

04/11/2023

On this day in Serie A:

November 4, 1998 - One of the most exciting European nights in Udinese's history!

Coached by Alberto Zaccheroni, the Friulani took on Dutch powerhouse Ajax (who only two years earlier were a UCL finalist) at the Friuli Stadium in a UEFA Cup Second Round matchup

Goals from Paolo Poggi and Oliver Bierhoff brought Udinese to 2-0, but their dreams were shattered with just ten minutes to go when S***a Arveladze halved the gap

Ajax had won the first leg at home 1-0, so Arveladze's goal was enough to send them through on away goals

Still, what a scare for Ajax and what a dream performance for Udinese!

19/10/2023

On this day in Serie A:

Not all legends make it to Serie A...

Striker Stefan Schwoch, who was born in South Tyrol on October 19, 1969, only collected 14 caps in the top-flight (scoring 2) but there is not a single calcio fan between the 1990s and the 2000s who does not remember his name!

With 135 goals, Schwoch is the most prolific striker ever in Serie B, where he wore the jerseys of Ravenna, Venezia, Napoli, Torino, and Vicenza

He was a specialist in achieving promotions as his goals helped Venezia to come back to Serie A after 31 years and Napoli to regain top-flight status two years after their shocking 1997/98 demotion

He closed his career at Vicenza after a seven-year final stint with the Biancorossi

18/10/2023

Here's the situation in the Euro 2024 Qualifiers Group C with two games to go...

With England already qualified, Italy need a win against North Macedonia in their next game (Nov 17) in order to be able to face Ukraine in the final matchup (Nov 20) knowing that a tie would be enough to book their ticket to the Euro...

18/10/2023

On this day in Serie A:

The first Derby di Milano was not even played in Milano!

It was October 18, 1908, when the newborn Inter (who were founded just a few months earlier) locked horns with Milan for the first time ever in Chiasso, Switzerland, to win the friendly - yet illustrious - Chiasso Cup!

After two periods of 25 minutes, it was the more experienced Rossoneri to prevail 2-1

🔴⚫️

17/10/2023

Too much England at Wembley tonight...

A brilliant first half and Gianluca Scamacca's first goal with Italy gave us an early illusion, but then the Azzurri were hit by a "hurri-Kane" and succumbed to Jude Bellingham's magic!

It is now imperative to win the last two Euro 2024 Qualifiers game against North Macedonia and Ukraine...

16/10/2023

On this day in Serie A:

October 16, 2002 - Italy hit rock bottom!

Coming from a disappointing 2002 World Cup campaign, the Azzurri were facing Wales in a Euro 2004 Qualifiers match-up but ended up defeated 2-1 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff

That was the lowest point of Giovanni Trapattoni's four-year tenure as Italy's coach, an experience that looked promising initially but overall ended up being one of the poorest in the Nazionale's recent history...

Itally made it to the Euro and "avenged" their loss to Wales as they won 4-0 in the second leg but even their trip to Portugal 2004 was a disappointing one...

15/10/2023

Only a few weeks ago, it seemed impossible for the Azzurri to catch the Three Lions a the top of their Euro 2024 Qualifiers table...

But now, Italy have a golden chance as they face Englan at Wembley on Tuesday...

14/10/2023

A Giacomo Bonaventura masterpiece, a brace from Domenico Berardi, and Davide Frattesi's finishing touch...

Ahead of the key Euro 2024 Qualifiers against England, coach Luciano Spalletti got many positive indications from the Azzurri's tonight routing of Malta!

13/10/2023

On this day in Serie A:

October 13, 1992 - Arrigo Sacchi's Italy beat Scotland 3-1 on the way to the USA 1994 World Cup

After scrambling against Switzerland to salvage at least a point a few days before in their Qualifiers campaign opener, the Azzurri needed a boost of confidence to raise their morale

They got it by trampling the Tartan Army with goals from Roberto Donadoni, Pierluigi Casiraghi, and Stefano Eranio