The non-traditional Elite Italian Teams in the Continental Finals

 

Some non-elite Italian teams did reach the finals in European competitions before Atalanta and Fiorentina.

The Italian clubs are on the headline again as they advance to the finals in European competitions as Atalanta and Fiorentina advance to the Europa League and Conference League finals, respectively. This is La Dea’s first ever continental final, while La Viola repeats their last season’s success. Such results lead to extra spots in the Champions League next season, which will use the new format. Italy is likely to have nine teams in the continental competitions.

However, it does not create as much hype as last season, when Milan reached the semifinals of the Champions League, AS Roma advanced to the Europa League final, and Fiorentina advanced to the Conference League. The absence of traditional elite sides such as Juventus, Inter, AC Milan, or AS Roma in the summit might be the reason. Yet, it could be a sign of the silent rise of Italian football, just like in the old days.

Back in the 1980s and early 2000s, Serie A was the hub for global stars. The likes of Zico, Diego Maradona, Michel Platini, Zinedine Zidane, Diego Simeone, and Ronaldo Luiz had all tasted the fierce competition in the Italian top flight. It was also the era when Italian clubs were the kings in continental competitions such as the European Cup (1st tier), the Cup Winners Cup (2nd tier), and the UEFA Cup (3rd tier). Not only the traditional elites who were able to go through the summit and lift the trophy, but also the non-elite ones. Here are those non-elite teams that managed to reach the finals in the past.

Napoli

Il Partenopei was the first non-traditional elite Italian team to reach the continental final. It was in the 1988/89 season, and Napoli, captained by Diego Maradona, was able to eliminate the favourites such as Bordeaux, Juventus, and Bayern Munich on the road to the summit. 

In the final, they met VfB Stuttgart, which had eased past Groningen, Real Sociedad, and East German Dynamo Dresden at the knockout stage. The final was held in two legs. Maradona and Co. were finally able to deliver their first and only continental trophy to date. They defeated the Bundesliga side 5-4 on aggregate (a 2-1 win at home plus a 3-3 draw on the road). The second-leg final was probably one of the most entertaining finals in UEFA Cup history.

Sampdoria

Il Samp is the next one to fly high in Europe. They did not only reach the continental final once, but three times. Roberto Mancini and Co. advanced to the summit twice in the Winners Cup and once in the European Cup. 

Their first final was the Winners Cup in 1989. Under Vujadin Boskov, they reached the summit after beating Dinamo Bucharest and the reigning champion, KV Mechelen, in the knockout stage. Unfortunately, Sampdoria lost 2-0 to Johan Cruyff's Barcelona. 

They eventually find their redemption in the following season. They repeated their success in the same competition. This time, the result was different. Il Samp had an unbeaten run throughout the tournament, knocking out Borussia Dortmund and Monaco in the final. They finally clinched their first European trophy after crushing Anderlecht 2-0. 

Sampdoria's last final was in the 1992 European Cup. After winning the league in 1991, they earned one berth in UEFA's top-tier competition. Il Samp went through the final after seeing off Panathinaikos, Anderlecht, and the reigning champion, Red Star Belgrade. Sadly, Lady Luck did not smile at them as they slumped to another defeat in the summit against the similar opposition, Barcelona, this time with young Pep Guardiola in the team. 

Torino

Il Toro had an incredible campaign in the UEFA Cup 1992 and was on the verge of creating an all-Italian final against their fellow dark horse, Genoa. They managed to defeat FC Copenhagen and Real Madrid in the knockout stage. Unfortunately, Genoa was unable to follow in their footsteps after suffering a 4-3 loss against Ajax Amsterdam.

The Turin-based side eventually faced off against Louis Van Gaal’s men. They only shared spoils in a 2-2 tie in the first leg and mustered a goalless draw in the second leg. What a devastating way to lose for Emiliano Mondonico’s men, as they failed to lift the trophy due to the away goal rule. 

Parma

The mid-1990s marked the meteoric rise of AC Parma. They only made their continental debut in the UEFA Cup in 1992, but immediately won their first European title after snatching the Winners Cup in 1993. Gianfranco Zola and Co. were able to win over Atletico Madrid in the semi-final before smashing Royal Antwerp 3-1 in the final. 

They reached two more finals in the two following seasons consecutively. In the 1994 Winners Cup, their hope to defend the title was dashed after losing to Arsenal. However, in the 1995 UEFA Cup, Nevio Scala’s side had a triumphant campaign after thumping Bayer Leverkusen in the semifinals and their rival in the 1994/95 Serie A title race, Juventus, in the final.

Parma’s last silverware came in 1999. Led by Juan Veron, Enrico Chiesa (the father of Federico Chiesa), and Hernan Crespo, they ran rampant against Bordeaux, Atletico Madrid, and Olympique Marseille in the summit to clinch their second UEFA Cup title.

Lazio

Last but not least, there was Lazio. Biancoleste had its pinnacle under Sven Goran Eriksson. The Swedish boss who took charge of the team in the late 1990s was able to guide them to reach the continental final twice, in the UEFA Cup 1998 and the Winners Cup 1999. 

In the former, they knocked out Atletico Madrid in the semifinals to stage the all-Italian finals against Inter Milan. Unfortunately, Lazio succumbed to a 3-0 defeat at the summit. In the latter, Dejan Stankovic and Co. finally clinched their first ever European title after thumping Mallorca 2-1 in the final. It was the last edition of the Winners Cup before UEFA combined it with the UEFA Cup.