Italy-Argentina 1990

Day -63 WorldCup2018
One of the most significant, shocking, hard-to-believe, poignat even, moments at the 1990 World Cup in Italy happened in Naples, in the 67th minute of the semifinal between Italy and Argentina.

There was an element of surrealness as Claudio Caniggia rose to head the ball over Italy's goalkeeper Walter Zenga to make the score 1-1. This wasn't supposed to happen. Toto Schillaci had scored early on for Italy, again, Zenga had not yet conceded a goal in the tournament and this was supposed to be nothing more than another step on the way to the host nation becoming World Champions.

But this was Diego Maradona's Argentina and Maradona was playing where he was loved. He was and maybe still is, Naples' favourite adopted son. Before the match he played to the passion of the locals' support for him and their views of the importance of Naples as an unloved part of Italy by anybody from north of Rome.

Maradona (at a news conference): "I don't like the fact that now everyone is asking the Neopolitans to be Italian and to support their national team. Naples has always been marginalised by the rest of Italy. It is a city that suffers the most unfair racism."

"For 364 days out of the year, you [Neopolitans] are considered to be foreigners in your own country: today you must do what they want by supporting the national team. Instead, I am a Neopolitan for 365 days out of the year."

And later, in his autobiography, "El Diego" Maradona recalled the the moment the teams came out on to the pitch:

"When I stepped out onto the pitch, on July 3, the first thing I heard was applause. I read all the banners: 'Diego in our hearts, Italy in our songs'; 'Maradona, Naples loves you but Italy is our homeland'. The Argentinian national anthem, for the first time in the whole World Cup, was applauded from beginning to end. For me that was already a victory. I was moved: these were my people."

When Caniggia scored that goal, Italy hadn't lost yet. There was still a long way to go. But all of a sudden it seemed possible that Italy may not win.

I could not find a video of legendary Italian commentator Bruno Pizzul's stunned voice as Caniggia scored. So here is the happy Argentinian version.

But here is Pizzul's sad moment at the end.
"Aiiiii..." when Donadoni misses
"L'Argentina e finalista...." in his matter of fact, flat voice.