23 September 2022
On Friday 23 September at San Siro, Italy host England in the Nations League. Thoughts inevitably go back to the European Championships won at Wembley one summer ago, and how much Juve has been and will be in the history of the match.
EUROPEAN CHAMPIONS
Italy-England on 11 July 2021 had strong Juventus connotations, perfectly expressed in the two players holding the trophy aloft in the above photo. Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini were named in the starting line-up, as was Federico Chiesa, to make Juventus the most represented team, Napoli and Chelsea had two players, while Milan, Inter, Lazio and PSG one player each.
During the match, another Juventino and one other player that would wear the black and white stripes by the end of that summer would enter the action - Federico Bernardeschi, who scored one of the penalties in the deciding shoot-out, and Manuel Locatelli, called up as a Sassuolo player and destined to arrive in Turin as European champion.
THE FIRST VICTORY
"Anastasi and Capello, incomparable artists of a splendid Italy vs England," so wrote Hurrà Juventus in the headline that celebrated the first Italian victory over the inventors of football.
The heroes were the number 9 and number 10 of Juventus, both on the scoresheet, with a goal in each half. What's more, they did it in front of their own public, the Comunale of Turin. Pietro's goal latched onto a rebound from goalkeeper Peter Shilton (in the photo), while Fabio's goal arrived following a precise left-foot finish.
EUROS '80
Turin's Comunale stadium was the setting again and inspiration for another title for the Bianconeri monthly magazine Natio-Juve beats England 1-0. Marco Tardelli scored the game's only goal and the team chosen by the coach Enzo Bearzot amply justified the Hurrà's headline.
More than half the team came from Juve ranks. In addition to the goalscorer, there were Dino Zoff, Claudio Gentile, Gaetano Scirea, Franco Causio and Roberto Bettega. The occasion was the 1980 European Championship, Italy were playing at home but Belgium ended the Azzurri's dreams by virtue of having scored more in the group stage, which led directly to a place in the final.
ROBERTO & TOTO'
A photo that made the Juventus people dream in the summer of 1990, the summer of the so-called Magic Nights. Roberto Baggio and Totò Schillaci began to team up in black and white after having done themselves proud at World Cup '90.
And in the last game, the third-place final against England, they both scored for the 2-1 victory. First Roberto, then Totò from the penalty spot, while the English goal also came from a future Juventus player, David Platt.
90 MINUTES AND COUNTING
The last victory over 90 minutes against England played in Italy dates back to 15 November 2000. Leading the Azzurri was a Juventus man through and through, Giovanni Trapattoni.
Played at the Delle Alpi, it was Gennaro Gattuso who emerged as the match decider. The Juventus presence, however, was limited to Filippo Inzaghi and the player who replaced him, Alessandro Del Piero.
