AH - Italian Football - Butterflies in Milan

[Piave92]

European Supercup (Semifinal) - Naples - Andrea Doria (1-2)
In the UEFA Super Cup semifinal, held on the neutral ground of Rome, Andrea Doria (winner of the Cup Winners' Cup) faced Naples (winner of the UEFA Cup). It was a rather tense match, with several fouls and played on the balance of nerves of the two teams. Naples took the lead thanks to a masterful free kick by Maradona, only to be equalized in the second half by Doria with Vialli's goal first, and then surpassed thanks to another beautiful free kick by Roberto Mancini.

European Supercup (Final) - Milan - Andrea Doria (2-1)
Milan dominated the UEFA Super Cup final, attacking strongly and exploiting better physical condition. During the match, Pagliuca showcased numerous feats to keep the goal inviolate, including a charging out aggressively on Van Basten in the 20th minute and a spectacular save, deflecting Donadoni's shot out of the goal frame in the 38th minute. Unfortunately for him, Doria ended up conceding a penalty after a sprint by Gullit, for a foul by Carboni. Van Basten doesn't miss from the spot and puts Milan ahead 1-0. In the second half, Milan doubled their lead with a precise free kick from Evani. The goal by Mancini, making it 1-2, was of no avail, still remarkable, after an effective dribble past Maldini and Galli.

Intercontinental Cup - Milan - Atlético Nacional (1-0 aet)
Twenty years after their only victory, Milan finds themselves in the final again, this time against Atlético Nacional from Medellín, the first Colombian team to win the Copa Libertadores. The match is preceded by controversy regarding the wisdom of its holding, given the possible proximity of the South American team to the Medellín Cartel, promptly denied by Colombian authorities.

Contrary to pre-game predictions, which heavily favor the Rossoneri, the match proves to be balanced and highly tactical. This is partly due to the approach adopted by the white-green team's coach, Maturana, which shares similarities with Sacchi's tactics, such as pressing, short passing, and systematic use of the offside trap.
Hampered by the absence of the injured Gullit, Milan struggles to showcase its technical superiority and finds itself contained by the Colombian team. Their goalkeeper Higuita faces little danger in a first half predominantly played in midfield and, while intense and tactically varied, lacks clear-cut goal-scoring opportunities.

In the second half, the introduction of Usuriaga poses a threat to Milan's defense, well-led by Galli. At the 65th minute, Sacchi decides to bring on Evani, positioned to guard the left flank, with Rijkaard in the center and Ancelotti on the right. Although the move seems to make Milan more threatening in attack, it fails to prevent the game from going into extra time.

In a bid to avoid penalties, Milan continues to press in extra time. Minutes before the end of the game, a run by Van Basten forces the Colombian defense to concede a free-kick on the edge of the box. Supplanting the designated taker Donadoni, Evani steps up and slots the ball home with his left foot, bypassing the wall and placing the ball into the bottom corner of the net. Milan won its second Intercontinental Cup.

European Cup - Milan and Ambrosiana
In the European Cup, the reigning champions Milan progress through the rounds by defeating HJK Helsinki from Finland in the round of 32 with an aggregate score of 5-0, Real Madrid in the round of 16 with a 2-1 aggregate score, Mechelen from Belgium in the quarter-finals with a 2-0 win in extra time at San Siro (after a 0-0 draw in the first leg), and Bayern Munich in the semifinals, beaten 1-0 at San Siro (despite Milan missing Gullit, Ancelotti, and Donadoni) and narrowly victorious 2-1 in Munich: Stefano Borgonovo's goal in extra time secures Milan's progression due to the away goals rule. In the final, held on May 23, 1990, at the Prater in Vienna, the Rossoneri defeat Benfica 1-0 with a goal from Frank Rijkaard, fielding the same eleven as in the previous year's final except for the suspended Donadoni, replaced by Evani, thus winning their fourth European Cup in their history, which also secures qualification for the next edition.

Ambrosiana couldn't pass beyond the round of 32of the European Cup, surrendering to the Swedish side Malmö: after a narrow defeat on Scandinavian soil, in the return match, the team drew with Elqvist (benefiting from Zenga's mistake) equalizing after Serena's goal.

European Cup Roll of Honor

Cup Winners' Cup - Andrea Doria
Andrea Doria confirms itself as the champion of the Cup Winners' Cup with a flawless path: first eliminating the Norwegians of Brann with an aggregate score of 3-0, followed by Borussia Dortmund (1-1 and 2-0), the Swiss Grasshoppers (2-0 and 2-1), in the semifinals the French Sochaux (2-2 in France and 2-0 in Genoa), until reaching the final against the Belgian team Anderlecht. In the final, extended to extra time, Gianluca Vialli shines with two goals, in the 105th and 108th minutes.

Cup Winners' Cup Roll of Honor

UEFA Confederation Cup - Naples, Juventus, Atalanta, Firenze, and Capitolina
Preliminary Round
Only Atalanta couldn't pass to the direct elimination phase. Juventus dominated its round, while Firenze and Capitolina ended second. Naples won its round in the late game, facing more difficulties than expected.

Direct Elimination phase - Round of 16
Capitolina immediately faded out due to a defeat in Antwerp. Naples suffered a tremendous upset by Werder Bremen, being consistently and heavily defeated. Good runs for Firenze and Juventus against Eastern bloc sides.

Direct Elimination phase - Quarterfinals
Firenze dispatched Montpellier with a double 1-0 thanks to Volpecina and Nappi goals. Juventus overcame Hamburg with a home win by 2-0 (Schillaci and De Vitis) and an away defeat by 2-1 (Galia's starting goal for Juventus and then Furtok and Merkle for the Hanoverians).

Direct Elimination phase - Semifinals
The UEFA cup became and Italo-German affair, with Firenze facing Werder Bremen and Juventus facing Koeln.

The Florentines tied their home game 0-0 and went to impact on a 1-1 draw in Bremen, allowing them to pass the turn through the away goal rule (Nappi again for the Tuscans and an own-goal by Goalkeeper Landucci).

Juventus won 3-2 at home (Rui Barros, Higl (OG), and Marocchi for the Italians, Goetz and Sturm for the Germans). The return game in Rhineland closed into a scoreless game.

Final
The all-Italian final in Athens saw Juventus and Firenze clashing for the cup. Galia immediately put Juventus ahead in the 3rd minute, but was quickly equalized by the former Juventus player Buso in the 10th minute. The match became more tactical and tense in the following minutes, slipping into halftime. In the second half, Casiraghi put Fiorentina ahead with an assist from Baggio in the 60th minute. Just when it seemed like the momentum of the game was favoring the Tuscans, a run by De Agostini in the 75th minute brought Juventus back level. In the subsequent minutes, both teams continued to attack, with no holds barred. Baggio hit the crossbar with a free kick in the 82nd minute, while Zavarov missed an open chance in front of goal in the 83rd minute. As the game was winding down and the teams were preparing for extra time, Schillaci won a series of rebounds in the box after a cross from Rui Barros, finding himself one-on-one with Landucci and scoring Juventus' third goal in the 88th minute. Juventus reclaimed the UEFA Cup, while Fiorentina continued their streak of lost European finals.

UEFA Confederation Cup Roll of Honor

 

[Piave92]

Promotion & relegation knock-off
As usual, in the early August, the Playoff took place between Liberty Bari and Cremonese:

• Ascoli – Liberty Bari (1-0 - Casagrande)
• Liberty Bari – Ascoli (2-0 – Maiellaro and Raducioiu)

Verdicts

• Parma, Pisa, and Cagliari promoted to Serie A through Serie B placement;
• Lecce, Cesena, and Avellino relegated to Serie B through Serie A placement;
• Liberty Bari confirmed to Serie A / Ascoli confirmed to Serie B through Playoff.

Formula and international tournaments
The 1990-1991 Serie A consisted of a single 18-team national league. The latter three placed teams withstand direct relegation, while the 15th placed is forced to the playout against the 4th Serie B club.

• Milan (National Champion and incumbent Champion) to 1990-1991 European Cup;
• Andrea Doria (Cup Winners’ Cup Champion) and Capitolina (Coppa del Re winner) to the 1990-1991 European Winners' Cup;
• Juventus (UEFA Confederation Cup Champion), Naples, Ambrosiana, Bologna, and Atalanta to 1990-1991 UEFA Confederation Cup;
• Milan and Capitolina to the Italian Super Cup;
• Milan, Andrea Doria, and Juventus to the European Super Cup;
• Milan to the Intercontinental Cup.

Serie A 1990-1991 roster:

• Milan
• Naples
• Andrea Doria
• Ambrosiana
• Juventus
• Capitolina
• Bologna
• Atalanta
• Lazio
• Firenze
• Udinese
• Torino
• Genoa
• Verona
• Liberty Bari
• Lecce
• Cesena
• Avellino
• Parma
• Cagliari
• Pisa

Italian Super Cup - Milan vs Capitolina (3-1)
The game, held in Florence, saw the two supporting sides ravaging both the Milan-Rome highway and the Florentine railway station of Campo di Marte (just 1 km from the stadium, venue of the Super Cup). Milan overcame Capitolina easily, with Van Basten scoring at 22nd and 40th. In the second half, a counterattack by Milan ended in goal thanks to a progression run by Gullit on 67th. Capitolina scored the consolation goal at 87th thanks to Muzzi, a striker coming from the Youth team.

Off-league events & transfer market
In the wake of contemporary changes in the rules, aimed at encouraging a more offensive and spectacular game, it was stipulated that the perpetrator of a "last man" foul-particularly, if the circumstance could have favored the clear realization of a goal-would be sanctioned with a direct red. It was also decided, after 65 years, to abolish the "line offside": henceforth, the player in line with the penultimate opponent would no longer be considered offside.

Italian and European champions AC Milan, still under Arrigo Sacchi's orders, make few changes to the squad. Young Sebastiano Rossi is promoted to starting goalkeeper (with the promising Massimo Taibi as his second), while Giovanni Galli is transferred to Naples. Several comprimarios also arrive in Sacchi's service, such as Gaudenzi (MF), Nava (DF/MF) and Carbone (CM). Borgonovo, after a long negotiation with Florence, remained in Milan, closed by the talent explosion of Casiraghi in the Viola team.

Naples returned to the market, alternating their starting goalkeeper Giuliani with Giovanni Galli from rivals Milan. Also in attack, Carnevale was replaced with young Silenzi and the experienced Incocciati. There was also a co-ownership swap with Torino, which brought Fusi under the Mole and Venturin under Vesuvius. Bigon remained confirmed as a manager. To make up for Maradona's increasingly frequent unavailability, Luciano Moggi (Naples' sporting director) signed young Orlando (CM/FW) from Reggina.

The ambitious Andrea Doria lost strong fullback Carboni (LB), bound for Capitolina, Munoz (CM) returning to Zaragoza in Spain, and utility player Salsano (LM/FW), also at Capitolina. On the entry front, Mantovani's team welcomed Soviet Mychajlyčenko for the midfield and Bonetti (CB) from Bologna.

Ambrosiana, in its last year of agreement with Coach Trapattoni, approached the market with a transitional outlook. Important elements such as Matteoli (DM) and Cucchi (CM) left the team, replaced by several good players from second-tier teams, such as Fontolan (CF) and Paganin (CB), combined with experienced players such as Iorio (FW) and Bodini (GK) from Verona. Among the arrivals was Battistini (SW), formerly a player for city rivals Milan.

In the summer of 1990, Juventus tried to change its skin, moving away from its historical corporate style and towards a real "cultural revolution," along the lines of the then victorious Ambrosiana of the "Berlusconian" mould. The "new course" of Juventus, already made official in the previous months with the change in the presidency between Giampiero Boniperti and Vittorio Caissotti di Chiusano, thus also led to the departure of another Bonipertian "pupil," coach Zoff. To replace him, came Maifredi, a proponent of the "zone" game and of overcoming the role of the sweeper. To lead the Bianconeri club, with executive powers, came Luca Cordero di Montezemolo, flanked by Gaetano Scirea in the role of the club's "liaison" within the locker room. Following Maifredi from his previous experience came defenders Luppi and De Marchi, while Montezemolo spared no expense, sealing the purchase of talented Prussian midfielder Häßler; midfield reinforcements also included playmaker Corini from Brescia, promising striker Di Canio from Lazio, as well as Brazilian stopper Júlio César. To make room for this refounding, Juventus let go its two Soviet strikers (Zavarov and Aleynikov), its Portuguese midfielder Rui Barros, and its two defenders, Tricella (SW) and Brio (CB). The latter was also the outgoing captain of the Bianconeri team, a role taken by Tacconi. On the way out, De Vitis also left Juve after only a disappointing year, replaced by Reggiana forward Ravanelli. In contrast, Juventus' courtship of Baggio, who remained in Florence, was futile, causing Juventus to turn to Romanian Lăcătuș.

The Capitolina, now in the hands of Ottavio Bianchi, sealed the coup Carnevale for the attack, while welcoming back Peruzzi (GK) after his loan to Verona. Other major strikes included the arrival of Salsano and Carboni from Andrea Doria, along with the purchase of strong Brazilian defender Aldair.

On the blazoned but second-tier teams, there was the continued strengthening of Calleri's Lazio, an increasingly solid Torino, and a growing and relevant growth of Genoa (in opposition perhaps to the triumphs of city rival Doria).

Among the newly promoted teams, Pisa scouted in Argentina the promising Diego Simeone, Cagliari strengthened with the Uruguayan trio Fonseca-Francescoli-Herrera, but most of all Nevio Scala's Parma stood out, with its effective zone play, which reinforced itself with Swedish Brolin and Belgian Grün and which also entrusted the keys to the goal - for commercial reasons as well - to Brazilian Taffarel.

The championship
First leg
The championship following the 1990 World Cup in Italy began on September 9, two months after the conclusion of the international event. It featured the debut of Nevio Scala's ambitious Parma, the first of the many teams from the Via Emilia to land in the top division in this decade, and several title contenders: Naples, however immediately ousted from the title fight after an underwhelming start, the Milanese clubs, the revamped Juventus and outsider Andrea Doria.

Arrigo Sacchi's Rossoneri took the lead with full points on the third day, remaining there until the end of October. A home defeat against Andrea Doria conferred temporary supremacy on the latter, which in turn was overtaken by Ambrosiana on November 25, 1990, because of the simultaneous Doria knock-out in the derby against Genoa. On December 9, the Checkers team found a platonic solitary lead when Andrea Doria and Milan had to postpone their commitments due to bad weather and fruitful participation in the Intercontinental Cup, respectively.

Although tailed by the Genoese and by a so far convincing Juventus, Giovanni Trapattoni's men maintained their supremacy, symbolically graduating as winter champions on January 20, 1991: in a so far very short ranking, the margin over the city rivals was one point, while the “old football” trio composed of Andrea Doria, Genoa and Juventus complained of a delay of two lengths.

Return leg
In the second half of the season, due to the inexperience of Genoa and the sudden collapse of Juventus, the fight for the Scudetto remained confined to Ambrosiana, Milan and Andrea Doria. It was the direct clashes that sanctioned the Doria’s dominance: on February 17, the victory at home against the Bianconeri launched the Dorians to first place; on March 10, the Rossoneri also came out of Genoa defeated; finally, on May 5, the Ligurians beat the Checkers at the Mazzola stadium in Milan, putting the title race on balance. Mathematical certainty of win for the Genoese came on the 19th of the same month, after a 3-0 home victory over a Verona team condemned to relegation.

For Vujadin Boškov's men, who had been at the top of Italian soccer for a few years but had never won the Scudetto in history, became history. Andrea Doria returned as Italian champion after 73 years and 61 years since the last time Scudetto came to Genoa (to Doria’s city rivals, Genoa).

In a year to remember for Genoese soccer: Osvaldo Bagnoli staged another small "sporting miracle" after Verona, leading the “Griffon” with a glorious past, but for more than half a century away from any success, to rise to fourth place overall - its best placing after World War II -, the result of an eleven in which the leadership of captain Signorini and the goals of Czechoslovakian bomber Skuhravý stood out.

They did not go beyond a fifth-place finish to a free-falling Juventus, struggling with results problems and a disappointing management, and favored Naples, shaken in April by Maradona's positive drug test; the escape of the Pibe de Oro to Argentina (who precisely in Genoa, against the future Scudettati, scored his last "Italian" goal from the penalty spot), marked in retrospect the definitive waning of the Neapolitan team's dreams of glory after years of exceptional success; although, in the immediate aftermath, from that moment Naples did not lose a game until the end of the championship, pulling itself out of dangerous standings situations and coming close to the UEFA zone, lost only on the last day.

Convincing performances came from Torino and Cagliari, with the latter clinching salvation with one round in advance at the expense of Verona and Pisa, with the Venetian team falling to Serie B after many seasons and the Tuscans returning to the cadets after just one year, despite a good initial spurt including two wins.

Bologna also fell, remaining at the bottom for most of the championship: for the Felsinei it was the beginning of a period of decline identical to that already experienced at the beginning of the previous decade.

Andrea Doria's winning eleven

Scudetto Roll of Honor

Coppa del Re
The Coppa del Re continued with the following setup, using a scoreboard based on rankings from 1 to 64. The participants were as follows:

• 18 Serie A teams
• 20 Serie B teams
• 20 Serie C teams
• 6 Serie D teams (4 winners of respective rounds + 2 winners of a playout phase among the second placed in each round)

Round of 32
Reggina managed to overcome Atalanta and oust a solid team from the Coppa del Re. Ascoli snatched a berth in the Round of 16 taking eliminating Udinese. The biggest surprise involved the Turin clubs, with Juventus and Torino eliminated by the modest Triestina and Pisa.

Round of 16

• Milan achieved qualification against Cesena (1-0 in San Siro, Borgonovo's goal, and 1-1 in Romagna, with Agostini for the Rossoneri and Pierleoni for the locals)
• Lazio eliminated Reggina with a double 2-0 (Sosa's brace in Rome and Riedle and Gregucci in Reggio Calabria)
• Ascoli surprisingly passed the turn against Capitolina, with a 1-0 home win (Casagrande) and 1-1 tie in Rome (Voeller for Capitolina and Giordano for Ascoli)
• Ambrosiana had a hard turn against Cagliari, drawing in Sardinia and trailing at home 0-1 (Zola) at the 80th minute. Luckily for the Checkers, Serena closed the gap at minute 83rd and a penalty by Matthaus sealed the qualification at the 87th minute.
• Verona eliminated the to-be Serie A champions of Doria with a double 1-0 win (Pusceddu in Verona and Prytz scoring in the away game in Genoa)
• Pisa won in Trieste 0-1 (Simeone) and drew at home against Triestina (Padovano for Pisa, Scarafoni for Triestina)
• Bologna eliminated Firenze in the Apennines Derby, with a home draw (Casiraghi for the Tuscans, Türkyılmaz for the Emilians) and an away win (Waas)
• Naples sealed their qualification with a 0-2 away win in Bari (Silenzi and Crippa) and a 1-1 draw at San Paolo (Careca for the Neapolitans and Maiellaro for the Apulians)

Quarterfinals

• Milan won 0-1 in Rome against Lazio (Donadoni), but crumbled 1-4 at home due to Sacchi's turnover (Madonna, Riedle, Sosa, and Sclosa for the Romans, consolation goal by Simone), with the latter qualifying to the Semifinals.
• Ambrosiana quashed Ascoli 1-5 away (Klinsmann, Matthaus, Berti, Costacurta, and Bianchi for the Milanese, Casagrande for the Marche team) and tied 2-2 at Mazzola stadium (Giordano and Casagrande for Ascoli, Fontolan and Serena for the Checkers).
• Pisa overwhelmed Verona with a double 2-0 win (Simeone and Neri in Pisa, Piovanelli and Polidori in Verona)
• Naples won 3-1 away in Bologna (Maradona, Incocciati, and Ferrara for the Neapolitans, Türkyılmaz for Bologna)

Semifinals

• Lazio defeated Ambrosiana 1-0 at home (Sosa) but was severely defeated by 3-0 in Milan by Ambrosiana (Klinsmann's brace and Berti)
• Naples clinched the qualification to the Finals with a 0-2 win in Pisa (Careca and Francini) and a scoreless tie in Naples in the return leg

Finals
The Finals became important, since Naples was looking to end its winning cycle with a last title and Ambrosiana strived to achieve the excellence that its owner, Berlusconi, required. Moreover, the match became a clash of Northern Italy vs Southern Italy, even if indeed Ambrosiana represented more or less Milan city and its immediate surroundings (vs Milan, headed by Rivera, which was more supported in both City and northern Italy alike).

First leg - Stadio Valentino Mazzola, Milan - attendance: 43,311 - ref. Pairetto (Turin - Nichelino) - Ambrosiana - Naples (4-1)
Ambrosiana sprinted immediately in the first half, achieving a 3-0 dominance thanks to Klinsmann's head (11th minute), followed by a successful counterattack by Tassotti, finalized in goal by Berti (22nd minute) and a magistral free kick by Matthaus (40th minute). In the second half, Naples attacked furiously, achieving the 3-1 goal with strong shot form outside the box by Orlando (67th). Ambrosiana put its hands on the cup, when Serena dribbled Ferrara and shot towards Galli at minute 77th, with the score settling on the 4-1 for Ambrosiana.

Second leg - Stadio San Paolo, Naples- attendance: 50,224 - ref. Lo Bello (Siracusa) - Naples - Ambrosiana (0-2)
Without Maradona, compromised for his drug abuse, and discouraged after the first leg, Naples fell again at home, with Klinsmann and Matthaus scoring in the first half again (15th and 33rd minute), delivering the Coppa del Re to the Checkers.

Ambrosiana's winning Eleven

Coppa del Re Roll of Honor

 

[Piave92]

Hello fellow readers, some notes from my side:

• I'm lagging a little bit on the usual graphics of the updates (i.e. winning team, game card and so on...), please bear with me
• I'm thinking of reviewing Parma's role, being absorbed partially by continuous exploits of Torino, Genoa, and Doria -> let me know what you think about it...
• Ambrosiana is not Berlusconi's Milan, so many players stay where they are. In this TL, mr. Berlusconi suffers some serious setbacks in early Nineties, and Ambrosiana will be affected for at least a couple of years...
• ...and Juventus is not as dominant as in OTL, thus Baggio remains in Florence...
• and Milan is held by Rivera and Nardi through popular participation, so don't expect big money in the future alike mr. Berlusconi's one.

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

and Milan is held by Rivera and Nardi through popular participation

Would this in fact make Milan the first Italian club with fan/popular ownership outside Germany? If I am not mistaken, many were usually owned by big families or were simply company/party teams like in East Europe

 

[Sevsdast]

I feel like Genoa being a top 90's threat would be fitting for a old king to be revived to relevancy

 

[Piave92]

Would this in fact make Milan the first Italian club with fan/popular ownership outside Germany? If I am not mistaken, many were usually owned by big families or were simply company/party teams like in East Europe

Yes. Milan was saved by Rivera and Nardi in the eighties, opening to the "Azionariato Popolare", which is the fan ownership. Indeed, Rivera is the face of the club, Nardi is putting more money than other shareholders, Braida is the Sports Director, Galbiati leads the scouting and is the deputy coach, Capello oversees the Youth system, and Sacchi manages the first team.

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

Yes. Milan was saved by Rivera and Nardi in the eighties, opening to the "Azionariato Popolare", which is the fan ownership. Indeed, Rivera is the face of the club, Nardi is putting more money than other shareholders, Braida is the Sports Director, Galbiati leads the scouting and is the deputy coach, Capello oversees the Youth system, and Sacchi manages the first team.

Very interesting. Though, it wouldn't surprise me that some veterans would then claim that the system is not OK and whatever. That's how it is here anyway, even if results might be decent

 

[kinnikuniverse]

Man, Firenze should've won the UEFA Cup. Fucking Juve is just like real madrid. Even when they suck, they always win something.

At least, Baggio stays so the BBC dream is still alive

 

[Piave92]

FYI - Domestic 1990-1991 is now fully updated, including graphics and Coppa del Re's results

 

[Piave92]

European Supercup (Semifinal) - Juventus - Andrea Doria (0-2)
In the preliminary bout of European Supercup, Andrea Doria (Cup Winners’ Cup title holder) faced Juventus (UEFA Confederation Cup champion) in Turin. The game went through with Doria absolutely smashing Juventus, and only an incredible performance by Juventus’ goalkeeper Tacconi allowed Juventus to limit the degree of the defeat. Vialli (27th) and then Dossena (58th) were the scorers.

European Supercup (Final) - Milan - Andrea Doria (3-1)
Milan faced Andrea Doria again in the final, achieving again victory with ease. Despite Andrea Doria put itself ahead thanks to the Soviet Mychajlyčenko at minute 31st, Milan equalized thanks to a free kick by Evani mere eight minutes later (39th). Milan started to get advantage on the pitch, showing a superior degree of physical shape, finalizing their advantage goal at minute 44th, when Rijkaard rushed to the Doria’s penalty area to score a header on a cross by Maldini. The second half saw Milan dominating the game and trying to achieve the “safety goal”, that arrived at minute 76th with a superb kick by Gullit from outside the box. Milan won again the European Super Cup.

Intercontinental Cup - Milan – Olimpia Asunciòn (3-0)
Just one year later, Milan returned to the final act of the intercontinental event. Facing them were the Paraguayans of Olimpia Asunción, winners of the Copa Libertadores after 11 years. Forced to renounce two important players such as Ancelotti and Evani (who had decided the previous year's final with a free kick), the Rossoneri coach Sacchi placed Carbone and Stroppa on the sides of midfield, to support Van Basten and Gullit.

In the 25th minute a clash in the Paraguayan penalty area forced Maldini (who turned out to have fractured his right collarbone) off the pitch early, and he was replaced by Stefano Nava. The Rossoneri proved to be able to withstand the odds that saw them favourites, and at the end of the first half they legitimised their superiority by taking the lead thanks to a goal from Rijkaard, who headed in Gullit's cross.

The second half of the game saw Milan take possession of the pitch and, after seventeen minutes, seal the second goal with Stroppa, lucky to correct into the net a rebound by Almeida on a Van Basten shot deflected onto the post. In the 65th minute, the Dutch striker's umpteenth percussion ended with a lob that hit the post again; the ball was hit on the dive by Rijkaard, whose personal brace practically sealed the game (despite a crossbar hit later by Amarilla). Shortly afterwards, an insertion by Samaniego, who had already engaged the Rossoneri goalkeeper in the first half, forced Pazzagli into a difficult save.

European Cup – Milan
In the European Cup, reigning champions Milan faced Ajax in the Round of 32, overturning their defeat by 1-0 in Amsterdam with a 3-0 win at San Siro. Then, they faced Belgian side Club Bruges, passing the round by drawing 0-0 in Milan and winning 1-0 in Bruges, thanks to a goal by Angelo Carbone. In the quarterfinals, the Milanese team was eliminated by Olympique Marseille who, after a 1-1 draw at Meazza, managed to win 1-0 in Marseille. A few minutes before the end of the match, the lighting system at the Velodrome in Marseille failed, forcing the referee to suspend the game at 1-0 to the locals. Milan, believing that Marseille were trying to stop the Milanese's attempt to equalise the match, lost their nerves. When play resumed, some of the Milan managers had to 'force' the players back onto the pitch, who then failed to equalise, handing the Provençals access to the semi-finals.

European Cup Roll of Honor

Cup Winners’ Cup – Andrea Doria and Capitolina
Andrea Doria managed to convincingly reach the Quarterfinals, eliminating Kaiserslautern and Olympiacos, before abdicating from their Cup Winners’ Cup throne, losing the match-up against Legia Warszawa.

Capitolina achieved little more success than Doria, reaching the Semifinals and being eliminated by finalist Barcelona.

Cup Winners’ Cup Roll of Honor

UEFA Confederation Cup - Naples, Ambrosiana, Bologna, and Atalanta
Preliminary round
All the Italian clubs managed to qualify to the Direct Elimination phase.

Direct Elimination phase
Only Naples ended eliminated in the Round of 16, with all the other clubs reaching the Quarterfinals. There, Bologna ended up eliminated by Sporting CP, while Ambrosiana had the upper hand in the Lombard derby against Atalanta. Trapattoni’s team then managed to qualify for fhe Final, defeating Sporting CP and, in a certain way, avenging Bologna. In the Final, Ambrosiana demolished the French of Bordeaux, winning their third UEFA Cup.

UEFA Confederation Cup Roll of Honor

 

[Piave92]

Some food for thought and comparisons for the winners of the different competitions...

What do you think about Berlusconi's Ambrosiana (he arrived in 1984)? I believe they were quite successful, in the end @Neoteros @kinnikuniverse @Sevsdast @panpiotr @ArupinumMaivista @TPL99 does it look ok?

 

[Sevsdast]

View attachment 898995
Some food for thought and comparisons for the winners of the different competitions...

What do you think about Berlusconi's Ambrosiana (he arrived in 1984)? I believe they were quite successful, in the end @Neoteros @kinnikuniverse @Sevsdast @panpiotr @ArupinumMaivista @TPL99 does it looks ok?

WOAH, Spoilers for next year! Also, Doria winning in 92 is perfect

 

[kinnikuniverse]

Ye, it's pretty good. Personally, i had Roma/Capitolina win the treble in 83-84, Verona gets their time in the sun in 85 and Napoli win 87 and 90 like IRL, while the 87-88 and 90-91 cup winners cup, i had Real Sociedad win it with Bakero, Beguiristain, Lopez Rekarte, Salinas, Aldridge and Goikotxea.

Also, due to butterflies and circumstances in England, i had Nottingham Forrest win the 91-92 CWC so that Clough wins every single trophy to go out with a bang.

 

[Piave92]

Promotion & relegation knock-off
As usual, in the early August, the Playoff took place between Udinese and Padova:

• Padova – Udinese (1-0 – Del Piero)
• Udinese – Padova (2-0 – Balbo, Balbo)

Verdicts

• Foggia, Cremonese, and Ascoli promoted to Serie A through Serie B placement;
• Verona, Pisa, and Bologna relegated to Serie B through Serie A placement;
• Udinese confirmed to Serie A / Padova confirmed to Serie B through Playoff.

Formula and international tournaments
The 1991-1992 Serie A consisted of a single 18-team national league. The latter three placed teams withstand direct relegation, while the 15th placed is forced to the playout against the 4th Serie B club.

• Andrea Doria (National Champion) to 1991-1992 European Cup;
• Ambrosiana (Coppa del Re Winner) to the 1991-1992 European Winners' Cup;
• Milan, Naples, Genoa, Juventus, and Torino to 1991-1992 UEFA Confederation Cup;
• Andrea Doria and Ambrosiana to the Italian Super Cup;
• Ambrosiana to the European Super Cup;

Serie A 1991-1992 roster:

• Andrea Doria
• Milan
• Ambrosiana
• Genoa
• Juventus
• Torino
• Capitolina
• Lazio
• Naples
• Atalanta
• Firenze
• Cagliari
• Liberty Bari
• Parma
• Udinese
• Verona
• Pisa
• Bologna
• Foggia
• Cremonese
• Ascoli

Italian Super Cup – Andrea Doria vs Ambrosiana (1-0)
Andrea Doria dominated the final, with Zenga achieving to cut the losses for Ambrosiana. Only at minute 76, Mancini managed to overcome a tackle from Costacurta, finding himself in front of the goalkeeper and scoring the final 1-0 goal.

Transfer market
The Italian champions Andrea Doria, still under Boskov's command, made limited moves on the entry market, preferring instead exits. From this point of view, there were the departures of captain Pellegrini (DF/MF) in the direction of Verona, the disappointing Soviet Michajličenko (MF) to Rangers Glasgow, and the utility player Dossena (MF/FW) to Perugia. On the entry side, the Ligurian club limited themselves to small-scale operations, including D. Bonetti (DF) from Juventus, Buso (MF/FW) from Firenze, Orlando (LB) from Udinese, and, after chasing the Brazilian Silas (MF) from Cesena, they set their sights on the Swede Brolin (MF) from Parma.

At Milan, Sacchi's period as coach came to an end, with the promotion of the head of the youth sector, Fabio Capello, to the head of the first team. In terms of football, there were numerous movements, with the return of some talented youngsters from loans, such as Albertini (MF) and Antonioli (GK). In terms of incoming players, only the purchase of Gambaro (DF) from Parma and the option on the talented Croatian Boban (MF/FW) from Gradanski Zagreb, who was diverted on loan to Triestina, stand out. On the way out, there were numerous disposals of players deemed not up to Milan's standards, such as Gaudenzi (MF), Carobbi (DF), and Agostini (FW).

Ambrosiana saw the end of the Trapattonian period, with chairman Berlusconi's direct bet on the up-and-coming coach Orrico, who had cut his teeth in the lower categories. In terms of the market, Berlusconi spared no expense, signing Prussian Sammer (MF) and Alemannic Bierhoff (FW), then transferring them out on loan. There was also the return of Ciocci (MF/FW) after a few years under the Madonnina and the acquisition of Desideri (MF) from Capitolina. On the exit side, the Italian-Belgian Scifo (MF) was finally sold. There were then numerous incoming and outgoing operations of young players, including the arrival of the two Tacchinardi brothers (Massimiliano, born in 1971, and Alessio, born in 1975) from Crema and the promotion of Marco Delvecchio (FW) from the youth teams to the first team.

The surprising Genoa, led by coach Bagnoli, made a few small market moves, finally trying to re-enter the top half of the league table. The Brazilian Branco (LB) was exchanged for Benarrivo (LB) who arrived from Parma. To further strengthen the team, Argentinean Caniggia (MF/FW) also arrived from Atalanta. Joining the team for the first time from the youth academy was the future flagman, full-back Christian Panucci.

Trapattoni's Juventus operated on the market in a solid manner, getting rid of the Romanian Lacatus (MF/FW) and replacing him with a two-pronged attack, buying Casiraghi (FW) from Firenze. On the foreign front, he let Hassler go, replacing him with defender Kohler. To shore up the defence, Torricelli from the minor leagues and Carrera also arrived. In midfield, defensive midfielder Conte made his debut. Also important was the signing of young Peruzzi (GK) from Capitolina, who contested the starting role for captain Tacconi.

The Torino of coach Mondonico and president Borsano continued their consolidation campaign, with the arrival of Scifo (MF) from Ambrosiana and Casagrande (FW) from Ascoli. On the other hand, Haris Skoro left the black and gold, after several seasons under the Mole.

The Capitolina and Lazio made few market transactions. Of particular note for the Tricolours was the arrival of Haessler from Juventus (swapped for Peruzzi) and the sale of Lazio to financier Sergio Cragnotti, its new president.

Naples called the young coach Ranieri to the bench, also limiting himself to minor operations. Maradona's important exit from the scene was not made up for, giving confidence to the trequartista Orlando.

To Florence, following the auspices of the ambitious president Cecchi Gori, came the Brazilian Mazinho and the Argentinean forward Batistuta.

The championship
First round
The tournament began on 1 September 1991 and after just two weeks, on the third day, an important clash between Juventus and Milan was immediately staged in Turin, which ended 1-1. The two teams were the protagonists at the start of the season, with Inter and Napoli slightly behind.

Trapattoni's Bianconeri, thanks to the postponement of a match by their Rossoneri rivals, took the lead on the fifth day, but seven days later they lost the lone top spot to Naples (4-1 victory in Ascoli Piceno), who in turn were overtaken and overtaken by Milan; The team, led by Dutch bomber Marco van Basten, overcame the Neapolitans 5-0 at the San Siro on 5 January 1992, excluding them from the Scudetto fight, which was then reduced to just two teams due to the Checkers’ drop in the second half of the season.

The Rossoneri won the winter title on 12 January and, the following Sunday, closed the first half of the season with three points more than Juventus, collecting 29 points out of 34 in the first half of the tournament, a record that would be improved (31 points out of 34) again by Milan the following year.

Second round
The Rossoneri stretched their lead even further at the start of the second half of the season to the point where they had a five-point advantage going into the direct clash on 9 February. The final 1-1 draw left the gap unchanged, allowing them to calmly manage the advantage by alternating wins at the San Siro and draws away from home. The Bianconeri's already faint hopes of a comeback were crushed on the 27th day (5 April) with the defeat in the derby, while Milan overwhelmed Andrea Doria 5-1 for an ideal handover. The Scudetto was now only a matter of time and the mathematical certainty arrived at the San Paolo in Naples two days early, on 10 May.

Milan won the championship unbeaten, the first team to do so since the institution of the single-round Serie A in 1929-1930. Only Perugia, in the 1978-1979 season, had managed to end a championship unbeaten in the single-round Serie A era, finishing second just behind the Rossoneri. For Capello's men it was the twentyfirst Scudetto.

In addition to Parma's stabilization in the top flight, the newly promoted Foggia of coach Zdeněk Zeman did well, finishing tenth thanks to a highly spectacular game. In the UEFA zone, a favorable calendar helped Capitolina’s chase, while outgoing champions Andrea Doria and, after sixteen years, a failing Ambrosiana were left out. With several days to go before the end of the tournament, Liberty Bari, Cremonese, and Udinese were already relegated, with Cagliari, Monaco, and Parma battling for the playout position. In the end, it was Cagliari the club doomed to the playout.

Milan’s winning Eleven - Scudetto

Scudetto Roll of Honor

Coppa del Re
The Coppa del Re continued with the following setup, using a scoreboard based on rankings from 1 to 64. The participants were as follows:

• 18 Serie A teams
• 20 Serie B teams
• 20 Serie C teams
• 6 Serie D teams (4 winners of respective rounds + 2 winners of a playout phase among the second placed in each round)

Round of 32
Among the surprises, there were the elimination of Torino and Firenze by Brescia and Ascoli and the even more incredible defeat of Ambrosiana against Messina.

Round of 16

• Doria overcame Pisa with a tie in Tuscany (2-2 - Scarafoni and Ferrante for the hosts, Mancini and Brolin for the guests) and an overtime win in Genoa (1-0, Vialli)
• Lazio had the best of Naples, winning 2-0 at home (Sclosa and Sosa) and 0-1 in Naples (Gregucci)
• The incredibile matchup between Ascoli and Brescia closed with a Lombard win by 5-4 on aggregate. Ascoli won 3-0 at home and Brescia overturned the outcome with a 5-1 win in Lombardy
• Genoa eliminated Cremonese, winning 1-0 in Lombardy (Skuhravy) and tying 2-2 at home (Aguilera and Signorini for the Ligurians, Dezotti and Florijančič for the Lombards)
• Messina continued its amazing run, overcoming Parma with a 3-1 home win (Ficcadenti, and Protti's brace for the Sicilians, Melli for the Emilians) and a 1-1 tie in Parma (Melli and Protti again)
• Juventus tied in Cagliari 1-1 (Zola for the Sardinians and Casiraghi for Juventus) and won 2-1 in Turin (Casiraghi and Ravanelli for Juventus, Zola again for the Sardinians)
• Triestina tied at home 2-2 (Boban and Godeas for the Julians) vs Atalanta (Bianchezi and Piovanelli for the Lombards). In the return game, the Bergamo team won 3-0 with a double by Bianchezi and a Strömberg's goal
• Milan won 2-0 in Bologna (Simone and Massaro) and tied at home 1-1 (Maldini for Milan and Türkyılmaz for Bologna)

Quarterfinals

• Andrea Doria and Lazio tied at Flaminio (1-1 - Vialli for Doria, Sosa for Lazio) and the Ligurians achieved a 1-0 late win with a head by Vierchowod
• Genoa demolished Brescia 0-4 in Lombardy (Skuhravy's brace, Bortolazzi, Benarrivo) and 2-0 at home (Aguilera's brace)
• Messina stopped Juventus on a home 2-2 tie (Protti's double, Di Canio and Casiraghi for Juventus), but crumbled 6-0 in Turin (Di Canio, Ravanelli, Casiraghi, Kohler, De Agostini, and Alessio)
• Milan tied with Atalanta in Bergamo (Van Basten's brace, Strömberg and Piovanelli for the Bergamo team) to then win 3-0 at home (Van Basten, Gullit, and Massaro)

Semifinals

• In the Genoese derby, Doria won 2-1 at Genoa's (Vialli's double and Aguilera for the Griffin), to then stop the guests attackers in the return leg at the Calì stadium, stalling the game to a 0-0
• In the other "Classica", Juventus defeated Milan 1-0 at home (Galia), and managed to stop Milan in the return leg, with Peruzzi deflecting a Van Basten's penalty

Final - Andrea Doria vs Juventus
First leg - Stadio delle Alpi, Turin- attendance: 54,246 - ref. Lo Bello (Siracusa) - Juventus - Andrea Doria (1-1)
Juventus managed to go ahead with a strong shot from outside the box by Conte (22nd minute), and then moved to a defensive playstyle for the rest of the game, with many on the newspapers noticing the day after that Trapattoni had taken a page from his mentor Rocco's playbook "Catenaccio". Despite Juventus' tight defense, Doria's quality became too much to bear, with Mancini tying the game at the 73rd minute for the final draw.

Second leg - Stadio Francesco Calì, Genoa - attendance: 33,704- ref. Baldas (Trieste) - Andrea Doria - Juventus (2-0)
Doria immediately took the lead in the game, with Juventus' players running across the field following the net of passes and runs of the Ligurians. The superiority of Doria became apparent with Lombardo's goal (17th) and consolidated with the additional score by Vialli (24th). From then, Juventus tried to recoved the gap, without success.

Andrea Doria's winning eleven - Italian Super Cup, Coppa del Re, and European League

Coppa del Re Roll of Honor

 

[Piave92]

European Cup – Andrea Doria
For the first time, European Cup involved a group stage to pick the two Finalist teams: the new structure of the Cup included two preliminary rounds (Round of 32 & Round of 16), followed by a group stage of 4 teams each, in which the winner of the group (round-robin games) would then qualify to the Final.

Andrea Doria eliminated with not much effort the Norwegian champions, Rosenborg (1-7 on aggregate) and had instead a hard qualification match-up against the Hungarians of Kispest Honvéd, resolved only in the return leg in Genoa. Throughout the Final Qualification Group, Doria lost only against Anderlecht, securing two draws against Panathinaikos, two wins against the incumbent European Cup champions Crvena Zvezda of Belgrade, and a win against the aforementioned Belgians.

Thus, Doria qualified to the Final, to be held at Wembley Stadium, against the Catalan giants of Barcelona, for sure the favorite according to the bookmakers.

In London, Barcelona, champions of Spain, and Andrea Doria once again challenged each other. The match was enjoyable, with the Catalans holding the ball while the Ligurians relied mostly on long throws, which often caught the opponent's defence unprepared. The regular time ended in a scoreless draw: the Ligurian centre-forward Gianluca Vialli had a poor night, missing two chances on goal, while the two goalkeepers, the Doriano Gianluca Pagliuca and the Azulgrana Andoni Zubizarreta, produced a series of decisive interventions.The goal was a good one.

Nine minutes from the end of the overtime Andrea Doria were awarded a free-kick from the edge of the box, after a clash between Barça's Ronald Koeman and Doria's Roberto Mancini. The latter took charge of the shot and pierced Zubizzarreta with a powerful right-footer that kicked off the Italian celebration. After the triple whistle it was the Italians to celebrate, while the Azulgrana, annoyed by a refereeing they deemed insufficient, did not attend the customary post-match press conference.

European Cup Roll of Honor

Cup Winners' Cup - Ambrosiana
Ambrosiana had a good run, despite never convincing throughout the season, Orrico's men (and then Suarez's, due to the substitution on the bench midway throughout Serie A) passed the first turn against CSKA Moskva thanks to the away goal rule. Then, Ambrosiana demolished the Finnish Ilves with a 6-3 aggregate score and had instead a diffult Quarterfinal against the upcoming Cannes, winning 1-0 at home (Matthaus) and securing the Semifinals.

In the Semifinals, the Checkers tied 1-1 in Rotterdam against Feyenoord and finished eliminated when Damsachin impacted the score on a 2-2 at Mazzola stadium at the minute 87th, qualifying the Dutch to the Final thanks to the away goal rule.

Cup Winners' Cup Roll of Honor

UEFA Confederation Cup - Milan, Genoa, Juventus, and Torino
Qualification rounds
Milan was narrowly eliminated in the preliminary qualification group, while all the other Italian clubs managed to overcome the first group. Capello's team met an upsetting home draw against Steaua, that in the end forced the Milanese giants out of the UEFA Cup.

Direct Elimination phase
All the Italian teams passed the Round of 16, while then Juventus finished eliminated by Real Madrid. In the Semifinals, Genoa went close to the miracle of eliminating the strong Dutch side of Ajax, while Torino achieved the impossible, overturning their away defeat in Madrid and winning 2-0 at home against the Blancos.

Final - Torino - Ajax
In the Final, Torino and Ajax battled, with the Dutch going in advantage two times (Jonk before and Pettersson then), always reached by Torino thanks to a monstrous performance of the Yellow-blacks brazilian striker, Casagrande (a brace). The game slided to the extra time and then arrived to the penalties.

• Policano (TOR) - goal - 3-2
• Blind (AJA) - goal 3-3
• Bresciani (TOR) - hit the post - 3-3
• Winter (AJA) - goal - 3-4
• Scifo (TOR) - goal 4-4
• Bergkamp (AJA) - Marchegiani deflected the shot 4-4
• Vazquez (TOR) - goal 5-4
• De Boer (AJA) - hit the crossbar 5-4
• Lentini (TOR) - goal 6-4

Torino won the UEFA Confederation Cup!

UEFA Confederation Cup Roll of Honor

Torino's winning Eleven

 

[Sevsdast]

wondering how next year will go thanks to Andrea Doria winning the UCL

 

[ArupinumMaivista]

Torino Wins their deserved UEFA Cup. Hopefully they retain their squad now and win the Serie A

 

[kinnikuniverse]

Aw man, i thought Firenze had what it took to pip Capitolina out of the final UEFA Cup spot...Baggio and Batistuta together, with the final piece of the puzzle incoming...

Torino Wins their deserved UEFA Cup. Hopefully they retain their squad now and win the Serie A

I actually had them win Serie A in 1994-1995, with Claudio Ranieri as coach due to Trappattoni going to Fiorentina in 1991, with Christian Vieri exploding with 25 goals and Ruggiero Rizzitelli's 15 goals.

1994-1995 Torino

GK: Marchegianni

RB: Pessotto
CB: Mussi
CB: Cravero
LB: Pancaro

RW: Enzo Scifo
CM: Giorgio Venturin
CM: Sandro Cois
LW: Lentini

ST: Rizzitelli
ST: Christian Vieri

Bench: Backup GK, Abedi Pelé, Robert Jarni, Fusi, Falcone, Silenzi, Pellegrini

 

[Piave92]

Lots of things are brewing with big names of Italian business entering football (Barilla, Ferrero, Cragnotti with his Cirio, Tanzi with Parmalat, but not chiefly in football...)

 

[Piave92]

DISCLAIMER: Winning elevens cards will be delivered after International Cups update from this season. I'm lagging on the graphics of the transfer market, hope to update them in the evening.

Promotion & relegation knock-off
As usual, in the early August, the Playoff took place between Udinese and Padova:

• Triestina – Cagliari (1-0 – Godeas)
• Cagliari – Triestina (3-0 – Zola, Francescoli, Oliveira)

Verdicts

• Brescia, Anconitana, and Pescara promoted to Serie A through Serie B placement;
• Liberty Bari, Cremonese, and Udinese relegated to Serie B through Serie A placement;
• Cagliari confirmed to Serie A / Triestina confirmed to Serie B through Playoff.

Formula and international tournaments

The 1992-1993 Serie A consisted of a single 18-team national league. The latter three placed teams withstand direct relegation, while the 15th placed is forced to the playout against the 4th Serie B club.

• Milan (National Champion) and Andrea Doria (Incumbent Champion) to 1992-1993 European Cup;
• Juventus (Coppa del Re Runner-up) to the 1992-1993 European Winners' Cup;
• Torino, Naples, Capitolina, and Firenze to 1992-1993 UEFA Confederation Cup;
• Milan and Andrea Doria to the Italian Super Cup;
• Andrea Doria and Torino to the European Super Cup;

Serie A 1992-1993 roster:

• Milan
• Juventus
• Torino
• Naples
• Capitolina
• Firenze
• Andrea Doria
• Atalanta
• Ambrosiana
• Foggia
• Lazio
• Genoa
• Parma
• Monaco
• Cagliari
• Liberty Bari
• Cremonese
• Udinese
• Brescia
• Anconitana
• Pescara

Italian Super Cup – Milan vs Andrea Doria (2-1)
Milan took the lead in the 14th minute with a goal from the usual Van Basten, being reached in the 45th minute thanks to a penalty by Mancini. In the second half, Milan's overflowing physical shape closed Doria further and further into a corner, with the goal of the final Rossoneri advantage by Massaro in the 70th minute closing the game.

Off-league events and transfer market
During this season several innovations were introduced, including new rules for goalkeepers, who were now obliged to play the ball with their feet following a back pass. Perhaps the most important regulation, however, was the possibility of registering more foreign players, with the obligation, however, not to present more than three in the match list. Many teams took this new regulation in their stride, signing numerous foreign aces.

A.C. Milan, for the first time in a decade, saw the consolidation of its shareholding under a single person, Guido Barilla, president and entrepreneur of the important Italian food company. The new president, elected by the shareholders' meeting, kept Rivera as honorary president, giving him once again the position of executive vice-president, maintaining the winning Rivera - Braida (Sports Director) - Galbiati (head of scouts) - Capello (Coach) set-up.

The new course of Barilla's Milan saw a rich buying campaign to make another assault on the Champions Cup: Croatian Boban (MF/FW) and Carbone (MF/FW) arrived, returning from loans, along with Serbian fantasist Savicevic (FW) for 10 billion lire from Crvena Zvezda of Belgrade. On the disposals front, Barilla took it upon themselves to cover the financial shortfall for the year, thus avoiding the sale of top players to make up the losses, if not the sacrifice of Borgonovo (FW), who was headed to Pescara.

Boniperti's Juventus were desperate to close the gap with the Rossoneri and return to compete for the Scudetto. So, the strong German Moeller (CM) arrived to support a very strong attack (Ravanelli and Casiraghi), while outgoing Schillaci (CF) headed for Ambrosiana. Boniperti went so far as to offer 40 billion lire for Vialli to Andrea Doria, who rejected the offers. In the end Juventus turned to Naples' Silenzi (FW) as a back-up striker, while Di Canio (SS/FW) had already been sent off.

Torino, with president Borsano in great economic difficulty, saw unexpected help for the first time from the Ferrero family, well-known Piedmontese confectionary entrepreneurs with a yellow-black faith, who, concerned by the Barilla family's grand entrance into football, financed the club with the Nutella sponsor. This led to the switch to the first granata-coloured shirt, for chromatic harmony with the sponsor, causing numerous protests. Thanks to the Ferreros' cash injection, Borsano was able to maintain a competitive squad, sacrificing only Policano (DF), Benedetti (DF), Bresciani (FW) and Vazquez (CM). On the entry side, Poggi (FW) arrived from Venezia, along with Aguilera (FW) from Genoa. The continuous first-team appearances of the young Giovanili forward, Christian Vieri (FW), were notable.

Naples, who declared themselves ready to compete for the Scudetto again, bought the strong Uruguayan centre forward from Cagliari, Fonseca (FW), adding the Swedish Thern (MF) and Policano (DF/MF) in midfield. From Capitolina came Nela (DF), to replace Blanc, who was deemed not up to expectations, while Doriano Pari (MF/DM) replaced Alemao (DF/MF), who was heading to Atalanta.

The Capitolina entrusted itself to the care of Vujadin Boskov, who was responsible for the Doriano triumph in the Champions Cup and the numerous successes of the Genoese. Benedetti (DF) arrived from Torino, Mihajlovic (DF) from Crvena Zvezda and Caniggia (FW) from Genoa (the latter replaced Caniggia with Asprilla). Instead, the bomber Rudi Voeller (FW) left the team, along with the flag-bearer Di Mauro (MF). Also worth mentioning here was the debut in the top division of young Francesco Totti (CM/SS).

Cecchi Gori's ambitious Firenze, with Luigi Radice on the bench, bought Danish Laudrup (RM), German Effenberg (MF), defender Luppi (CB) and Di Mauro (MF). To make room for these new additions, Dunga (CB/DM), Mazinho (MF), Fiondella (DF), Maiellaro (CM), and Branca (FW) left.

Doria did not strengthen, struggling to hold on to the goal twins, Mancini (tickled by offers from an ambitious Lazio) and Vialli (practically sold to Juventus before the player had second thoughts). Worth mentioning is the entry into the first team of the promising centre forward Chiesa, returning from a loan at Chieti.

Furious about the bad results of the previous year, Berlusconi called Bagnoli to the bench and ordered Galliani a pharaonic buying campaign. In one fell swoop, Brehme, Klinsmann, Matthaus, G. Baresi, and Serena left Ambrosiana. Schillaci (FW) came in from Juventus, Papin (FW) from Marseille, Pancev (FW) from Crvena Zvezda, Shalimov (SS/FW) from Foggia, and the Golden Ball winner Sammer (MF).

Cragnotti's new Lazio, with Zoff still on the bench, opened their portfolios in a big way, grabbing Signori (FW) from Foggia, Favalli (DF), Bonomi (DF) and Marcolin (MF) from Cremonese, Winter (MF) from Ajax and Gascoigne (MF/CM) from Tottenham.

The championship
First round
Initially Giovanni Galeone's newly promoted Pescara aroused curiosity, but they soon came back into the fold as the league gradually abandoned the classic catenaccio for a more offensive and spectacular game and a not always impeccable zone defence; the 48 goals scored on 4 October broke an old record (42) that had stood since 1930. It was the Torino of the pragmatic Emiliano Mondonico who attempted a chase, first stopping the Rossoneri on a draw on 1 November 1992, but then losing the derby two weeks later.

By the thirteenth day Milan were already 8 points ahead of the Granata, Ambrosiana and Firenze, who, despite their good position in the table, threatened to dismiss coach Luigi Radice due to misunderstandings with the management. At the end of the first half of the season the Rossoneri, despite the forced defection of their number nine Van Basten due to physical problems, maintained the +8 over the fellow countrymen Checkers while the third placed team, Marcello Lippi's surprising Atalanta, was 11 points behind. The results for Naples and Capitolina were disappointing. The Azzurri plummeted to third-last place and the coach Ranieri paid the consequences, in place of whom Bianchi, the coach of Maradona's successes, was recalled. The same shame befell the Tricolori, but Boskov remained on the bench after his triumphs at the helm of Andrea Doria.

Milan ended the first half of the season with 31 of the 34 points available, thanks to fourteen wins and three draws, improving on their record of 29 points from the previous tournament.

Second round
The Rossoneri's domination of the tournament became ever greater: on 7 March they exacerbated Florence's problems and stretched Ambrosiana to a +11. Only in the last ten days the Rossoneri, also because of the commitments in the Champions League and the persistent illness of Van Basten, accused a sharp decline in performance; on 14 March they were recovered by Lazio the double advantage, while seven days later suffered the first defeat after 58 games and almost two years of unbeaten streak: it was Genoa to conquer the Meazza thanks to a free kick by Asprilla. Ambrosiana hoped for a rapprochement, but they did not go beyond a draw in the derby on Easter Eve and, despite seeing the Rossoneri's results crisis continue, beaten 3-1 at home by Juventus the following Sunday, they only managed to gradually get closer to -4.

The draw between Milan and Brescia on the penultimate day allowed the Rossoneri to celebrate their 22nd Scudetto. Ambrosiana took the place of honour, with consequent qualification for the UEFA Cup, while third place went to a faltering Juventus, in the face of a Doria, perhaps satisfied with its successes. In fifth place was the Lazio of the young top scorer Signori and in sixth place Cagliari, just outside the Europa Zone. Left out of the European Cups Zone were the disappointing Capitolina, an Atalanta that abruptly dropped in the final and Torino (who, however, managed to maintain a European profile by winning the Coppa del Re).

In the relegation zone, Capitolina and Naples were saved before the end of the season, but they too had to deal with financial problems that led to historic managerial changes. Foggia was saved again, while Genoa only snatched the vital points in the last few days. The vertical collapse of Firenze in the second half of the season (which led to the dismissal of Radice, replaced by Chiarugi) did not stop and the Viola ended the championship in a disappointing thirteenth place. Anconitana and Pescara were condemned at the half-way mark of the tournament, while Monaco, Brescia, and Atalanta fought it out for direct relegation and the playout place, with Brescia ending up in Serie B and Monaco in the playout due to goal difference.

Scudetto Roll of Honor

Coppa del Re
The Coppa del Re continued with the following setup, using a scoreboard based on rankings from 1 to 64. The participants were as follows:

• 18 Serie A teams
• 20 Serie B teams
• 20 Serie C teams
• 6 Serie D teams (4 winners of respective rounds + 2 winners of a playout phase among the second placed in each round)

Round of 32
Among the biggest upsets in this phase were the elimination of Firenze by Anconitana, Brescia winning the eternal derby against a stronger Atalanta, and Cosenza achieving the elimination of Naples, despite the only goal scored by Maradona in the season came against them.

Round of 16

• Milan overcame Liberty Bari 5-2 away (Boban, Simone’s brace, Albertini, Donadoni, and Massaro for the Milanese, Tovalieri and Protti for the Apulians) and won 2-1 at home (Van Basten’s brace and Protti again).
• Capitolina won 0-2 away in Parma, with Caniggia’s brace, and tied the home game 1-1 (Bonacina for the Romans, Ferrante for the Emilians)
• Genoa won 3-1 in Cagliari (Asprilla, Skuhravy, and Ruotolo for the Ligurians, Francescoli for the Sardinians) and lost the home game 0-1 (Oliveira)
• Doria tied against Anconitana 2-2 in the away game (Vialli and Brolin for the Genoese, Agostini and Detari for the Marche team) and won 4-1 at home (Vialli, Mancini, Cerezo, and Mannini for the hosts, Agostini for the guests)
• Brescia stopped Juventus with a 1-1 tie (Casiraghi for the White&Blacks and Hagi for the Lombards) and managed to defeat Juventus at the Delle Alpi stadium by 0-1 (Raducioiu)
• Lazio went on to win both matches against Pescara (0-1 in Abruzzo, Signori, and 4-0 at home, with Sosa, Signori, Gascoigne, and Stroppa)
• Cosenza halted Torino to a scoreless game at home and put the newly christened Maroon team at odds with a 0-2 early lead at the Filadelfia (Marulla and Negri), to be then overcame thanks to Lentini, Vieri, and Poggi, closing the game on a 3-2 result.
• Monaco surprisingly eliminated Ambrosiana, winning at home 1-0 (Thuram) and away 0-2 (Grimandi and Djorkaeff)

Quarterfinals

• Milan crushed Capitolina away 0-3 (Van Basten, Rijkaard, and Baresi) and 2-0 at home (Van Basten’s brace)
• Doria won 0-2 in Cagliari (Vialli and Mancini) but lost the home game 3-4 (Vialli, Cerezo, Brolin, and Vierchowod for the hosts, Pusceddu and Francescoli’s brace for the guests). Cagliari, at the minute 65’ led 0-3, before Doria came back to save qualification.
• Brescia continued to eliminate stronger sides, winning 3-2 at home (Raducioiu, Rossi M., and Hagi for the locals, Signori’s brace for Lazio) and impact on an away 1-1 (Raducioiu again and Bacci for Lazio)
• Torino won 0-2 in Monaco (Vieri and Poggi) but lost the game at Filadelfia 0-1 (Djorkaeff), nevertheless qualifying for the Semifinals.

Semifinals

• Milan faced Doria, achieving a 3-1 win in Genoa (Van Basten, Massaro, and Simone for the Milanese, Vialli for the Genoese) and 1-0 in Milan (Boban), qualifying for the Finals.
• Torino faced Brescia, winning 0-4 away (Lentini’s brace, Fuser, and Poggi) and drawing 2-2 the home game (Poggi and Cravero for the Maroons and Raducioiu’s brace for the Lombards).

Finals
First leg - Stadio Filadelfia, Turin - attendance: 57,302 - ref. Amendolia (Messina) – Torino – Milan (1-1)
Milan and Torino fought hard in the early game, with both teams annulling themselves with pressing and defensive concentration. Breaking the equilibrium was, as usual for the Torinese, winger Lentini, who managed to get over Bergomi’s man-marking, enter the box and cross for the incoming Cois, who scored a header on the 57th minute. Milan reaction was quick and swift, Donadoni and Gullit had a series of passes, closing the triangle with Massaro to put again Gullit in a good position for a shot, that he transformed in a goal on the 63rd minute. Then, the game stalled, and neither the substitutions changed the profile of the game.

Second leg - Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milan - attendance: 74,588- ref. Sguizzato (Verona) – Milan – Torino (0-2)
Milan, focused on the incoming European Cup final to be held the following week, took the game not that seriously, with the Maroon team finding themselves leading 0-2 in the first half thanks to the exploits of the youngster Vieri’s talent, who scored a brace thanks to a header (26th) and strong left foot shot from outside the box (39th). Milan moved to close the gap in the second half, Van Basten hit the post two times, Bruno saved a goal by Massaro on the line at minute 71st, and Marchegiani saved an incredible shot-cross by Donadoni at the minute 74th. Torino went on to win their eleventh Coppa del Re.

Coppa del Re Roll of Honor