On July 3, 1990, Italy-Argentina was played in Naples. The 1990 World Cup is the dream of a generation, of a country that finally hosts a huge, global event. Argentina is World Champion, Italy hopes to win: zero goals conceded in the entire World Cup, Schillaci’s goal that puts the Azzurri ahead. The one-nil seems to give the pass to the final, Vicini’s National team is in control despite Diego Armando Maradona’s desire to make the San Paolo, his stadium, almost incited in the previous days against Italy. There are those who say that if it had been played in Rome that match would not have ended like this, because Naples has its heart divided in half.
Flowing hair, model-like physique, great saves and timing in exits. This is why Walter Zenga was the starter at Italia 90not for his trichotic characteristics, but for his technical ones. Inter goalkeeper, until the last minutes of Italy-Argentina he was almost in a state of faintness. Zero goals conceded by Austria, Czechoslovakia or the USA in the group stage. Zero by Uruguay in the eighth-finals, zero by Ireland in the quarter-finals. And indeed, zero by the South Americans until that cursed minute number 68, when Claudio Caniggia, Atalanta striker, beat him to Burruchaga’s cross from the left and scored twenty minutes from the end. It was the 1-1 that took the match to extra time first and then to penalties.
Caniggia’s header is still a clear image of someone over forty. Then there are the penalties, where Sergio Javier Goycochea, 27 years old and a nobody until that World Cup: amazing against Brazil, decisive against Yugoslavia on penalties stopping the shots of Brnovic and Hadzibegic. And, unfortunately for us, also Donadoni and Serena, sending Argentina to the final and ending the Italian dream of winning the 1990 World Cup.