The Team: The 1934 Italian National Team was the first to ever play in the World Cup (the team refused to go to Uruguay for the inaugural tournament) and they would also be the first to ever win it, which they did on home soil. Vittorio Pozzo was the team’s coach and Giuseppe Meazza was its leader, just as they would be four years later.
Raimundo Orsi, Virginio Rosseti and Angelo Schiavio were also talented players who appeared for Italy at the 1934 competition. The team was compiled entirely of Serie A stars, with Juventus players earning a whopping nine selections. Other teams with men on the roster included Napoli, Milan, Bologna, Roma, Inter and Fiorentina.
The Tournament: Italy was one of the favorites entering the tournament, and they would earn that respect in their first match when they absolutely embarassed the US in a 7-1 beatdown featuring a hat trick from Schiavio. After tying Spain in the quarterfinal, Italy bested them in the replay on an early Meazza goal to advance to the semis.
After getting by Austria to reach the Final, Italy faced off against Czechoslovakia for the world title. The game was scoreless until the 76th minute when the Czechs took the lead, but Italy would equalize in the 81st minute to force extra time. Schiavio’s 95th minute strike won the title for the host squad, who I think was Italy’s third best ever.
