Gianluca Vialli and his memory of the Italia 90 semi-final against Argentina: “I was the setting star”

The link between Gianluca Vialli and Argentina It only has a handful of chapters. The Italian striker who died on Friday at the age of 58 after battling pancreatic cancer for the past five years has barely shared a locker room with Argentinian players in his career that began at Cremonese, continued at Sampdoria and Juventus and ended at Chelsea. He was hardly the partner of a very young man Juan Pablo Sorin in the Turin team, in 1995.

But the bond most remembered by Vialli himself with Argentina was the semifinal played at the San Paolo in Naples in the 1990 World Cup between the local team and the South American team, just world champion in Mexico 86 and which had Diego Armando Maradona.

Vialli arrived at the 1990 World Cup as one of the protagonists of the team he led Azeglio Neighbors. Luca was Sampdoria’s top scorer and already had more than 150 whistles in Serie A, and with the Genoese he had won three Italian Cups.

“The 1990 World Cup in Italy was fantastic. The atmosphere around the team was very supportive and happy. I felt the pressure because I was called to be one of the stars of the tournament. After two games in which I didn’t score, but missed a penalty (laughs), well, but I gave two assists… then I got injured… I couldn’t do without in the following games, in which Italy played very well. Baggio and Schillaci have become a very creative and effective couple,” Vialli recalled shortly after winning Euro 2020 as adviser to Roberto Mancini – his partner on the pitch in Sampdoria – in the Italian team.

Vialli started Italy’s debut against Austria in his country’s 1990 World Cup. But the 1-0 goal was scored by Salvatore Schillacci, the attacker who was not in anyone’s plans and who broke into the team to become a hero. It is true that the cross for Totò’s header came from Vialli.

Then, Luca played from the start against the United States and assisted Giuseppe Giannini, author of the 1-0 that would have been definitive, with a pass without touching the ball: he opened his legs in front of a throw from Donadoni which left him alone his teammate. A few minutes later, the locals conceded a penalty and Vialli took over: he shot across and cheated goalkeeper Tony Meola, but hit the post.

Injury kept him out of the World Cup, but he quickly returned for the semi-final against Argentina. A shot from him causes a rebuttal from Sergio Goycochea, who serves Schillaci for the 1-0. In the second half Claudio Caniggia equalized and the definition extended to penalties, but Vialli was replaced by Aldo Serena, whose fifth penalty was saved by Goyco and decreed the victory of the Argentine and the ticket to the final. Italy claimed third place, but Vialli did not play in the 2-1 draw with England.

“I came back in the semi-final against Argentina. We played in Naples, where people cheered us, but they also shouted at the top of their lungs for Maradona, because they had a very strong bond with him. We lost on penalties and, of course, I was guilty of being back on the team (in place of Roberto Baggio). When one star appears, there is always another to fall. And I was the faded star there. I wish it was different. But I accept it because football is like this: ups and downs,” he recalled in statements collected by the official Fifa website.

Vialli had already faced Argentina in a World Cup: in the 1-1 draw in the 1986 group stage, he came on in the second half in place of Bruno Conti. “I played all the matches as a substitute. I was on the bench with Paolo Rossi, Marco Tardelli, Antonio Cabrini… It was a fantastic experience. Even if it wasn’t very successful for the team. I was quite devastated even though at the same time a little relieved, because he was very young and wanted to go home”, explained Gianluca, now retired, about that participation in the World Cup at the age of 21. The Azzurri, who were defending their title, fell 2-0 to France in the round of 16.

A year later, in a friendly match in Zurich, at the Sportzplatz Hardturm stadium, to promote the 1990 World Cup, Italy clashed with Argentina. In the previous one there was Pelé, who gave the initial kick. And Maradona, king of football after his consecration in Mexico, received from Altobelli, the Italian captain, a piece with the figure of the World Cup logo.

That day the figure was Vialli. Italy won 3-1 with a brace from Luca, the first after dribbling past José Luis Cuciuffo and finishing with his left foot. The second, after a counterattack, left Goycochea on the ground and defined with a free arc. Implacable.