Bologna is the proud owners of Stadio Renato Dall’Ara and have been since 1927. The stadium was originally called Stadio Littoriale, but the name was changed in 1945 to Renato Dall’Ara. The stadium seats over 38,000 people making it one of the bigger stadiums in Serie A, but certainly not the biggest venue by any stretch of the imagination.
The stadium, like most Serie A destinations, has an incredible amount of history regarding the events that have taken place on the grounds. It hosted the legendary England-Belgium knockout match of the 1990 World Cup in which England would win 1-0 over Belgium thanks to a 119th minute goal from David Platt. Also it is home to the quickest goal ever scored in World Cup history.
San Marino (who I must admit I didn’t even know existed as an international team) forward Davide Gualtieri scored against England in 8.3 seconds. 8.3 seconds! That’s about how long it takes to say Renato Dall’Ara. Where was the defense that day for the Three Lions? Were they on a tea break or something? Unfortunately for San Marino, that quick goal did not make England very happy at all and they went on to win the match 7-1 making it officially the wackiest World Cup match of all time.
The stadium is a multi-purpose facility, but it mostly concentrates on Bologna football. Renato Dall’Ara has hosted other sporting contests including rugby matches. In 1995 the legendary New Zealand club, the All Blacks, played a friendly match against the Italian international rugby squad. The All Blacks won that match 70-6.
