Azzurri striker left field in tears after penalty miss
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| Aldo Serena places the ball on the spot before his fateful penalty kick against Argentina |
Aldo Serena, one of the two Italian players who most felt the agony of defeat after the Azzurri suffered the pain of losing at the semi-final stage when the football World Cup last took place on home soil,
was born on this day in 1960 in Montebelluna, a town in the Veneto.
The match that ended the host nation's participation in the Italia '90 tournament took place in Naples against an Argentina
side that included the local hero, Diego Maradona. It was decided on penalties
after finishing 1-1 over 120 minutes.
Italy converted their opening three penalties, as did
Argentina. Then Roberto Donadoni’s shot
was saved by the Argentina goalkeeper, Sergio Goycochea. Up stepped Maradona, who scored, to the
delight of many in the crowd who had divided loyalties.
Suddenly, everything was down to Aldo Serena, who could not
afford to miss if Italy were to stay alive in a tournament in which they had
played football at times that deserved to win.
Serena, the Internazionale striker, had been a fringe player
for Italy throughout the tournament, picked only as a substitute, although he
had scored in that capacity against Uruguay in the round of 16 – on his 30th
birthday.
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| Roberto Baggio consoles Aldo Serena (left) after Italy's defeat in the semi-final |
He had said since that he never wanted such responsibility,
but Azeglio Vicini, the Italy coach, said there was no choice. Gianluca Vialli and Giuseppe Giannini, who
would have been chosen ahead of Serena, had both been substituted, while Toto
Schillaci, who had emerged as Italy’s talisman during the tournament, had finished
extra time with a groin injury, which Vicini felt might be too big an
impediment. Serena had scored more than 100 goals during his Serie A career. He
knew what it took to put the ball in the net.
Yet though hit a firm enough shot Goycochea read his
intentions, diving to his left to smother the ball. Unlike Donadoni, who had
dropped to his knees, head in hands, Serena remained upright. Hands on hips, he tipped his head back and
looked towards the heavens. Goycochea
ran past him, eager to join his team-mates as they celebrated their passage to
the final.
Serena had not done too much wrong throughout the tournament
so to be held responsible in some ways for the Azzurri demise was unfair.
Twenty-four hours later, it would be the turn of Stuart Pearce and Chris Waddle
to be Donadoni and Serena as England were knocked out by West Germany, also on
penalties.
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| Serena with the trophy he won as Serie A's top scorer in 1988-89 |
Yet at that moment it must have seemed there was no
consolation or comfort available. The hopes of a nation had rested on his
shoulders and he had not been able to deliver. No wonder he left the field in
tears.
The moment should not have defined his career but it has
tended to overshadow his achievements, which were not inconsiderable. He won the Serie A title no fewer than four
times, with Juventus (1985-86), Inter (88-89), and AC Milan (91-92 and 92-93),
although his contribution to the two Milan championships was minimal because of injuries.
A powerful, athletic centre forward with good aerial ability
and a fierce shot in his left foot, his best years were at Inter, where he was
Serie A’s leading scorer in 1988-89 with 22 goals. Yet fans of the nerazzurri found it hard to
forgive him for joining their arch rivals AC Milan under Fabio Capello.
He retired in 1993 as the only player to have played for
both Milan clubs and both Turin clubs, having spent part of the 1984-85 season
on loan with Torino. Nowadays he works
as a TV pundit.
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| The church of Santa Maria in Colle in Montebelluna |
Travel tip:
Montebelluna is situated about 22km (14m) northwest of
Treviso and about 67km (42m) from Venice on the way to the Valdobbiadene wine
growing region famous for prosecco. A pleasant, orderly town, it is best known
for its long tradition in the footwear industry, particularly the production of
sports footwear, from ski boots to football boots. There is a museum dedicated to the industry
in Vicolo Zuccareda, not far from the church of Santa Maria in Colle. The
international sportswear giant Nike has a factory nearby, while another, Fila,
has a research facility based at Montebelluna.
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| Inside the Stadio San Paolo |
Travel tip:
The football stadium in Naples, where the 1990 semi-final
took, place is the Stadio San Paolo, built in the Fuorigrotta neighbourhood on
the north side of the city and completed in 1959, more than 10 years after work
began. It is the third largest football
ground in Italy with a capacity of 60,240. Diego Maradona played there for SC
Napoli between 1984 and 1991, helping the club to the most successful period in
their history, in which they won the Serie A title twice, the Coppa Italia and
the UEFA Cup. The local council wanted to rename the ground Stadio Diego
Maradona but Italian law prohibits the naming of a public building after any
person who has not been dead at least 10 years.