1934 World Cup Italy Review
Italy Become First European World Cup Champions, Second Hosts To Win
Jun 29, 2009
The Azzurri of Italy collected Europe's first FIFA World Cup title as the 1934 hosts knocked off Czechoslovakia 2-1 in the final. The tournament increased in size but was missing the defending champions Uruguay.
Bigger Field, Holders Missing
The second World Cup saw its field increase to 16 teams with hosts Italy having to qualify for the tournament. Noticeably missing from the field was defending champions Uruguay, who declined to participate in the event after Italy turned town their invitation in 1930. Egypt meanwhile became the first African team to play at the World Cup and the event featured live radio broadcasts. The tournament ran from May 27-June 10, 1934.
Mussolini Rules Over World Cup
Similar to the up-coming 1936 Olympics in Adolf Hitler's Berlin, Italy's fascist leader Benito Mussolini used the 1934 World Cup as a personal showcase, even coming up with a separate trophy, the Coppa del Duce.
Preliminary Round Sees Off Argentina, Brazil, France
The first stage of the event was a knock-out preliminary round in which Sweden and Spain knocked off Argentina and Brazil, respectively, while Austria ousted France in extra time.
All European Quarters
The quarter-finals were an all-European affair. Italy - 7-1 winners over the United States in the opener thanks to Angelo Schiavio's hat-trick - tied 1-1 after extra time with Spain and finished off the Spaniards 1-0 the next day with Giuseppe Meazza scoring the goal. Frantisek Svoboda scored two goals as Czechoslovakia beat Switzerland 3-2 on Oldrich Nejedly's late winner while Austria knocked off Hungary 2-1 and Germany fended off Sweden by the same scoreline thanks to two strikes by Karl Hohmann.
Italy Hold Off Contenders Austria, Czechoslovakia Bounce Germany
Austria and Matthias Sindelar came into the tournament as title contenders with an excellent short passing game. But the wet, heavy field slowed the Austrians in the semi-final against Italy, who grabbed the 1-0 victory on Enrico Guaita's first half score. Coach Karel Petru's Czechoslovakia set up their final date with Vittorio Pozzo's Italy by easing past Germany 3-1 as Golden Shoe winner Nejedly scored three of his five goals.
Italians Come Back To Collect Title
Some 50,000 saw the final in Rome's Nazionale PNF stadium. And they saw Czechoslovakia grab the lead after 76 minutes through Antonin Puc. Svoboda nearly gave Petru's men the title but hit only the framework. And the Italians saved themselves with Raimondo Orsi equalizing with nine minutes left. Five minutes into extra time, Angelo Schiavio was fed by Guaita for the winner for a 2-1 victory.
Italian Team Full Of Argentina-Born Players
Argentina were bounced in the first round but perhaps could have gone much further since many of the Italian title-winners were born in the South American country. Luisito Monti played for Argentina in the 1930 final while Atilio DeMaria, Guaita and Orsi all are Italians of Argentinean descent.
