There are a lot. And for many reasons. I'll share mine which will be a lot of yours also. I'll go back from when I started watching them in 1994. 1994 Italy vs Norway - lost the first game 1-0 to Ireland and had Pagliuca sent off. We won with ten men as only us Italians can do! No room for error but we got the win and kept our hopes alive. Italy vs Nigeria - Baggio scores 2 goals the first in the 89th minute to equalise we once again win with ten men. Italy vs Spain Italy vs Brazil Final - first ever final to be decided on a penalty shoot out. 1997 1-0 win world cup qualifer at Wembley Cannavaro's first full cap took out shearer out of the game with brilliant man marking 3-3 draw with Brazil at Le Tournoi De France. Led 2-0 and 3-1, we should have got the win. 1-0 win at Stadio Olimpico { could have been San Siro, think it was at Olimpico tho } vs Russia 2nd leg world cup qualifier 1998 - 2-2 draw vs Chile Baggio exorcising his demons with that penalty kick he took to salvage a point in the 85th minute. 0-0 with France and exit on penalties in the quarters was still a memorable game just because of the tension. How close was Baggio with that volley in golden goal extra time? He should have started. Del Piero was a total flop in 1998 missing several good chances. 2000 - semi final win vs Holland where we played with ten men for 90 minutes of the match! Holland had a 100 percent record and just came off a 6-1 win vs Yugoslavia. Once again, only we could win in such circumstances. 2002 - 2-1 friendly win at elland road vincenzo montella 2 goals and scores last minute penalty. Drama as Del Piero equalises in the 85t minute to draw with mexico but even if we lost we were still going through with Croatia losing to Ecuador. The match's vs Croatia and South Korea were also memorable but for the wrong reasons. 1-0 win vs Germany in germany in a friendly game Vieri scored the winner. They just cant play us. Friendly or not 2003 - Smash Wales 4-0 in a euro cup qualifier in milan avenging the 2-1 loss in Cardiff. 2004 Cassano scores a 94th minute winner in our last euro group game but it wasnt enough as sweden drew 2-2 with Denmark. 2005 - 3-1 friendly win at Holland 2006 - 4-1 thumping win vs Germany in Florence. This win made me believe we could do well at the cup. We led 2-0 after about 6 minutes. Giladino and Toni taring them to pieces. vs Ghana world cup opening game for us. We won 2-0 and looked so brilliant in attack creating numerous chances. Like 2002 where we did in the opening game we almost blew it the next vs USA. Had a great start then played average the next. In 2002 we did have 2 goals disallowed tho, also had one vs the USA, they also had one denied from Beasely. vs Australia because we won with ten men. Totti's pressure 95th minute penalty. vs Germany semi final vs France The Final. 2007 - Scotland at Hampden in November! Toni after 64 seconds, Panucci winner at the death. Wasnt a free kick which led to the goal, was a foul by Chiellini not on him. But ill never forget that Di Natale's goal was onside yet ruled off, when we were up 1-0, then Furgeson for Scotland scored a goal which was offside. Unreal. And yet they complain they were robbed, when they still needed a win anyway with just a minute or two remaining on the clock. People are always anti Italia.. 2008 - 3-1 vs Portugal. A friendly but we played well despite Portugal dominating early. Toni got the break through on half time against the run of play lol. Quagilarella got one and Canna got the other but it should have been Pirlo's goal haha. Pirlo also had a goal disallowed in the first half but the keeper did stop. 2008 Euro vs France final group game we needed to win to advance and needed holland to at least draw vs Romania which they did. Pirlo penalty! Grosso great shot hit the post and Toni missed like 6 chances lol. He did earn the penalty tho. De Rossi got a deflected free kick which sealed it. penalty exit vs the champs without Pirlo, Gattuso and Canna who missed the tournament thru injury was still memorable even tho we played crap. 2009 - A rubbish year. 1 win at the confed cup against a ten man USA team isnt memorable so Ill put the 2-2 draw vs Ireland which meant we qualified top of the group going to the world cup. What a disaster that was. 2010 - 5-0 vs Faroe Islands. 2011 - Ill mention Matri and Balotelli's goals in a 2-0 friendly win vs Poland 2012 - Every game at euro bar the final. The match vs Ireland was just memorable for the reason that we qualified. And we can thank spain for being honest that they didnt dog us, although they certainly made us look stupid in the final and showed why they didnt have to haha. Credit to them, and screw them also! 1982 vs Brazil and Germany 1970 vs Germany I wasnt born yet when these last 3 I mentioned were played, but I seen highlights of course. There are more of course and some games mean more to others for various reasons. I also enjoyed the 2-0 win vs belgium 2000. They were unlucky in that game. They hit the bar, maybe twice, and came close other times. Also the match vs Romania at euro 2008 was a cracker. We should have won and how was Toni's goal called offside ill never know. Anyway, name yours. FORZA ITALIA!!!!!!!!!!!
Comeon now that match deserves a few extra words... Many consider it as one of the most emotional and amazing Azzurri wins ever, it was insane, I could barely speak the next day lol. Other than that, great thread =)
Man i keep getting banned. Im jason tilt lol. here is my response. haha man there's too many to comment on tho. If I start, I wont stop believe me. Im watching Italy vs Ghana atm, just after Pirlo scored im up to just before half time haha. I didnt realise we gave them 3 chances to score in succession from about the 31-38 minute mark. I wish my vhs was working properly I have most Azzurri games on VHS. To be honest,im still hurting from the spain loss. I cant help but think how better things would be if we won and id still be celebrating not only now but for the next 4 years until next euro. Everything would be so much more sweeter haha. Id watch old football games every day, but now i figure im going to do it anyway lol. Not just Azzurri games, but old world cup and euro games in general. Im a freak. I love the Azzurri so much its not funny { trust me, if only you knew the lengths ive gone to to see them play live in the flesh } Anyway, in the Ghana match Totti behind an in form Gila and Toni was unreal and we still had DP, Inzaghi on the bench and of course Iaquinta who scored vs Ghana. In the discussion who was better Azzurri 2006 or 2012 I dont think people realise the focal point Toni gave us. He had many chances, granted only took two but had numerous vs Australia and in the final hit the bar as he did vs Ghana and had a very close offside call. Toni was a big presence for us in 2006, and one we needed. I cant believe how he went into euro 2008 as probably the most in form striker in the world at that time { top scorer in bundesliga for bayern and had 2 last ditch goals in extra time to put them thru the semi's of the uefa cup vs Espanyol } to just fail miserably. That being said again he had a perfectly onside goal ruled out vs romania for offside. THta would have put us 1-0 ahead and could have changed his tournament. Sorry to go off track, I get too excited. After the germany game I remember thinking yes the cup is ours. I was so sure, yet we almost lost it. It just felt like our time. After we beat germany this time, I didnt have that same feeling and only saw casillas lifting the cup but closer to the game I thought we could do it and maybe it was our time. This spanish team justdont go according to history and they keep defying it. Again, im still pissed we lost. To have the honour of being champs for the next four years would have been sensational. To be honest even if we failed at Brazil 2014 I wouldnt have been that upset seeing as though we would be euro champs, but now success depends even more from it but I cant see us winning it. Thats what hurts so much, to get to a final is so hard there's no guarantee when youre going to get there again if at all { tho being a great nation with our history we certainly should } 2 days rest before a final is a joke. UEFA are a joke. And maybe Prandelli did get his selection wrong, tho hindsight is a mofo andwho the f-- am I to question him? Motta going down injured, ahhhhh it just wasnt meant to be. Pirlo, man I love that guy. The Germany game you ask? well Gila and Zambrotta hitting the bar in extra time in the space of a minute, Podolski forcing Buffon into a great save and then the elation from Grosso's goal { which was passed by Pilro who also earnt the corner through his powerful long range shot } well I remember seeing Grosso shoot then like whooaaaaaaa it's in that's it they cant recover from here we're in the FINAL!!!! { by the way ballack could have crossed it far post straight after woulda been 1-1 but he blazed thankfully and it went miles over } Then Del Piero's goal after a great no look pass from Gila. Whoaaaaa, craaaaazzzzy ending and man, the azzurri owed us that after all the heartache they put us through. What can I say, I love the game, I love the azzurri. Why couldnt we win euro 2012? thats what many say after a final loss. Lucky we even got here. Most dont. Most dont win A trophy. Weve won 5