Italia '90 - the magical nights of "Toto" Schillaci

Jackie Charlton, Eoin Hand, Johnny Giles, Ireland
Mick McCarthy, Stephen Staunton, Cascarino
Tony Galvin, Niall Quinn, Packie doesn't let em in
North of Ireland, South of Ireland, Only one can go

Paul McGrath, Back Four, Aldridge got another score
World Cup, English Clubs, Kevin Moran and the Dubs
European Championship, How can we forget the trip
Andy Townsend, Kevin Sheedy, Stapleton's a supersub

We're gonna start a fire, And when Rome is burning
there'll be no returning
We're gonna start a fire, We have Jack to mind us
and the fans behind us

I was 12 years of age.  I had the sticker album.  I can even remember the World Cup motto so vividly – “Italia ’90, I’d watch out for it if I were you!

It was such a historic occasion with the Republic of Ireland’s first appearance in a World Cup Finals.  Group games against England, Egypt and Holland was enough to whet any soccer fans appetite.  The memories come flooding back of the first group game against England in Cagliairi on a Monday evening, June 11^th 1990.  England’s ace marksman Gary Lineker had put the English ahead with a bundled finish in the 9^th minute.  However, Everton’s favourite son, Kevin Sheedy, equalised with a sweeping finish across Peter Shilton in the 73^rd minute and the game finished all square.  We were up and running!  

As hosts the Italians had gone in to this tournament as favourites to win the competition on home soil.  In their opening group game against Austria in Rome, they had struggled to break down a rugged Austrian side.  In the 75^th minute coach Azeglio Vicini took the bold decision of replacing the misfiring striker Andrea Carnevale with the virtually unknown Salvatore “Toto” Schillaci.  It took the little man from Palermo just 3 minutes to shake off obscurity and head what would be the winner in the 78^th minute from a perfect whipped cross by Gianluca Vialli.  The Notti Magiche di Totò Schillaci (magical nights of Totò Schillaci) had begun.

 

As an Irish fan being well accustomed to the underdog role, the tale of Schillaci was intriguing. Signed by Juventus in the summer of 1989 for his debut Serie A campaign, Schillaci made the step up seamlessly, netting in important matches such as the UEFA Cup ¼ Final first leg in Hamburg.  The season ended with Juventus winning both the UEFA Cup and the Italian Cup.  “Toto” finished as Juventus top scorer with 15 goals in 30 games, behind only Marco Van Basten (19 goals), Roberto Baggio (17 goals) and Diego Maradoona (16 goals) in the Italian top goalscorer chart.  He had timed his run perfectly and was called in to the Italian squad by coach Vicini just months out from the start of the World Cup.

In their second group game against the USA in Rome, “Toto” was once more sprung from the bench by coach Vicini for the underperforming Carnevale.  The Italians scraped through on a 1-0 scoreline and had in turn qualified for the second round of the competition.

Meanwhile, as the Irish Nation was shutting down for our Group F games, we now faced the pretty much unknown Egyptians in our second group game in Palermo.  It was a Sunday evening game which ended in a underwhelming 0-0 draw.  Should we have shown the Egyptians more respect after they had a very creditable 1-1 draw against the Dutch in their opening group game?  Regardless, my only abiding memory of that game is returning home that evening after a Track & Field event, interrupting my poor grandmother who was watching the News to check the up to date score and slumping in the coach with the realisation that we were not putting a cricket score on these unknown Africans.  And of course it was the night of Eamon Dunphy’s famous reaction stating that he was “embarrassed and ashamed of the performance”.

Butragueño, Hungary, We scared the Dutch in Germany
Charlie Hurley, Liam Tuohy, Opel Invest
Ray Houghton, Liverpool, Ronnie Whelan's so cool
O'Leary in the Sunday World, Con is in the press

Stuttgart was no dream, now we have a winning team
Billy Bingham, Budapest, Man of Magic, Georgie Best
Eamon Dunphy writes it down, Dalymount to Landsdowne
English Football in a mess, Trouble on the Terraces

We're gonna start a fire, And when Rome is burning
there'll be no returning

We're gonna start a fire, We have Jack to mind us
and the fans behind us

Having already been assured of their place in the second round, “Toto” and his teammates would now top their group if they defeated Czechoslovakia in their final group game in Rome.  He was paired up front with Roberto Baggio and they both scored in a 2-0 win.  Schillachi had now cemented his place in the team and was fastly becoming a firm fans favourite.

Meanwhile, on a balmly Thursday evening in Palermo, my beloved Irish team were taking on a Dutch team of superstars such as Frank Rijkaard, Ronald Koeman, Ruud Gullit and Marco Van Basten to see who would qualify for the next stage of the competition.  Both teams had drawn their opening two fixtures so a win would be viewed as essential in order to ensure qualification.  It did not take the Dutch long to stamp their undoubted class on the game with Gullit firing them ahead in the 11^th minute.  Our no nonsense style of play drew criticism from those wanting a more sophisticated style of play.  But while we may have lacked the individual brilliance to win games like some of the other top teams, we as a team fought to the bitter end.  And so it proved again.  Oh, the memories! Packie Bonnar’s grimace,  his long punt down field.  Hans Van Breukelen fumbles and Niall Quinn stretches to capitalise and equalise in the 71^st minute.  Big Jack’s simple formation of 10 defenders, 10 midfielders and 10 strikers with Packie in goal behind had worked once more.  The nation rejoiced.  With 3 draws each and an identical goals tally, both teams went through to the second round along with the English who topped the group.  How three teams qualified from the group I still find hard to fathom!  After the drawing of lots for positions in the second round of games, the Dutch drew the short straw with a meeting with West Germany (the game of the famous spitting incident between Rijkaard and Rudi Voller) and we went on to Genoa to play Romania.  Happy Days!

Schillaci continued his astonishing tournament to date in the second round game in Rome against Uruguay.  In the 65^th minute he smashed home an unstoppable, swerving drive to send the Italians on their way to a comfortable 2-0 win. 

Matters were by no means as clear cut in Genoa between Ireland and Romania and after 120 minutes of sterile, safety first football, a penalty shoot out would decide if we would make it to Rome to face the hosts in the quarter finals.  Step forward Sheedy, Houghton, Townsend and Cascarino to equal the efforts of Hagi, Lupu, Rotariu and Lupescu.  Up next is Romanian sub Daniel Timofte.  Bonnar stares him down and dives to his right and saves.  The old warrior Dave O’Leary then steps up.  If he scores then we can start planning the trip to Rome.  He duly obliges, at our first World Cup we are now through to the ¼ finals.  Sick leave is extended, houses are re-mortgaged, cars are sold off, marriages are in danger, all to take in this historic occasion.  And a meeting with the Pope by the players thrown in to the mix!!

Dasayev, Sócrates, Maradona, Ardiles,
Puskás, Bessonov, René van de Kerkhof,
Hamilton, Jim Magee, Saint And Greavsie on TV,
Maradona, Hand of God, Brady should be in the Squad

Chris Morris, score draw, Don Givens, Denis Law,
Eusebio, Junior, Ronnie Whelan Senior
Pelé #10, We'll never see his like again
Goycockea's meaner, Champions, Argentina

We're gonna start a fire, And when Rome is burning
there'll be no returning

We're gonna start a fire, We have Jack to mind us
and the fans behind us

Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Saturday 30^th June 1990.  The day the country stood still.  Jimmy McGee’s commentary.  Paul McGrath wrongly called back for offside in the early minutes.  Walter Zenga in goal for Italy.  I always wanted to pull that chain off his neck!  And then in the 17^th minute, disaster struck.  I can still hear Jimmy vividly....Donadoni.................Schillaciiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii as Bonnar stumbled when parrying  Donadoni’s effort.  We battled gamely but Schillaci was unlucky not to double his tally with a thunderous free kick in the second half which cannoned off the crossbar and a dubious offside decision in the final minute.  He was later quoted as saying “it was the hardest goal I had to score.  Ireland under Jack Charlton was the most robust team we faced”.  So the dream was over for us.  However, the national morale boost was enough to kick start a sleeping giant.  Or the Celtic Tiger as it became known!!  But the man who had only one cap to his name prior to the tournament now had 4 goals in 5 games at the World Cup finals.  The name Schillaci was resonating around the world. 

And the Schillaci fairytale continued in the semi final meeting with defending champions Argentina in Naples.  In the 17^th minute “Toto”, with the eyes of a hawk, hammers home the rebound after a thumping volley from Vialli was parried by Argentina keeper Goycochea.  However, in what developed in to a very cynical encounter, the Argentinian defence would not allow Schillaci such freedom again.  As the game went on, and with the weight of expectation of a nation on their shoulders, the Italians became more anxious and Argentina finally equalised through Claudio Caniggia.  The game went to extra time and a subsequent penalty shoot out.  Goycochea became the hero saving from both Donadoni and Aldo Serena.  Schillaci did not take a spot kick and gave the reason as follows “I had a muscular injury to my leg and I was tired so I thought I would leave it to someone in better condition than me and someone better at taking penalties”.  He looked on in horror as Italy’s World Cup dream was brought to a shuddering and painful halt.

Netherlands, Egypt, England got a free trip
Pleaded, Seeded, Because of their supporters
Ruud Gullit might be out, Holland wouldn't have a shout
Hoddle and Waddle, Have they got the bottle?
We have England in the draw, And the Dutch like before
One thing that we're grateful for, We didn't get the Mafia

We're gonna start a fire, And when Rome is burning
there'll be no returning

We're gonna start a fire, We have Jack to mind us
and the fans behind us

Toto was not done yet however.  In the 3^rd/4^th place play off in Bari against England, he scored, ironically, an 86^th minute penalty to secure a 2-1 victory.  Italy had finished third and Schillaci had won the Golden Boot award with six goals ahead of Czechoslovakia’s Thomas Skuhravy.  He became the second Italian footballer to do so after Paulo Rossi in Spain in 1982.  He also won the Golden Ball award – handed to the best player of the tournament – in recognition of a string of performances that captured the imagination of the watching world and made him a hero in Italy.  There was even a racehorse in Australia named after him following his exploits.

“Toto” retired from international competition with seven goals in sixteen caps, his seventh and last goal scored against Norway in 1991.  Alas, he had failed to keep up this scintillating form for either club or country.  Injuries persisted during his next two seasons at Juventus where he added just eleven further goals before being sold on to Inter Milan.  Pundits began to label him with the unfortunate tag as a one hit wonder.  He will forever be remembered however for the big grinned, screaming celebrations as he took Italy on a rollercoaster ride through the 1990 competition.

He was quoted in 2010 as saying “The World Cup experience was amazing and unique.  Every player would dream to take part in a World Cup like that one.  It was amazing for me which allows me to be known all over the world, even twenty years on.  It feels like yesterday, they were really magic nights”.

He was the very definition of an underdog story, one that no-one saw coming, and who better to appreciate that than our own nation of followers who appreciate, and sit more comfortably with, the underdog tag better than almost any other nation in international sport.

Seeded in Sicily, Off the coast of Italy
6 hour boat trip, We can take the hardship
But the fans couldn't care, They can travel anywhere
No one else can match the sound, Our supporters bring around

June 11, English Game, We can do the trick again
Egypt next and then the Dutch, Its the second round for us
When we finally get to Rome, No one will be left at home
Aldridge is about to score, Listen to the Irish Roar

We're gonna start a fire, And when Rome is burning
there'll be no returning

We'll bring the Sam Maguire, We have Jack to mind us
and the fans behind us