Half of the World Cup and the gentleman's tears

(Baonghean.vn) - Having to become spectators of a World Cup, Buffon and the Italian "nobles" shed tears, but did not cry but held their heads high and accepted.

Nghe An Newspaper introduces the opinion of a reader who loves the Italian team.

An integral part of World Cup history since 1958, Italy are a testament to true collective football, a team spirit, not relying on superstars.

Looking back to the recent past, in 2002, the Azzurri squad included many stars such as Francesco Totti, Christian Vieri, Gianluigi Buffon, Alexandro Nesta...., but were eliminated early in Korea. They were eliminated because they played like men against the home team who used the worst tricks and also because of the men in black.

Buffon ended his journey with Italy with the most forgettable Play-off match of his career. Photo: Getty

In 2006, a much more ordinary Italy won the world championship. However, Fabio Cannavaro, Gennaro Gattuso, Andrea Pirlo, De Rossi, Francesco Totti... once again made many fans fascinated by the fascinating top football. A combination of physical strength, spirit, scientific playing style, identity and art. Under Prandelli, even those who seemed to be discarded like Giaccherini knew how to shine at EURO 2012 and then Confed Cup 2013.

Then came Antonio Conte, a master of defensive counter-attack tactics. At EURO 2016, Conte brought to France what could be said to be the worst quality squad in the history of Italian football. Like Conte’s masterful chess moves, the team still played with emotion, played better and better, and made the tifosi (Italian national team fans) proud.

With the support of an experienced defense, Pelle, Eder…, true workers, can still become stars. Watching Italy play, even the most demanding fans want to stay and enjoy every second of football that is considered an art.

Not as sluggish as the German “Tank Neck”, but the Italian national team in the past and present always finds a way to come back from where they fell. Not as charming as Spain in the past, not as young as the French national team today, but in any period, the Italian national team still exudes elegance, nobility and is extremely effective.

Only recently under coach Antonio Conte, the Italian national team still impressed at EURO 2016. Photo: Internet

How about Ventura now? He has a more talented squad than Conte had at EURO 2016. Conte only needed Giaccherini, Eder, Pelle to defeat the World Champion Spain. Ventura now has Verratti, Jorginho, Belotti, Insigne, Donnarumma, Bernardeschi, Immobile..., but he couldn't score a single goal against Sweden, and couldn't help Italy get a ticket to the 2018 World Cup.

Ventura “killed” G. Buffon’s dream of making history in the World Cup, overshadowing a generation of Italian players. And he also crushed the hearts of a generation of Tifosi with his conservatism. In yesterday’s match, Italy needed a goal and a win, not a draw? Why was De Rossi and not Insigne started? An attacking player with the most creative ability of Italy like Insigne was not on the field for a single second in the most important match of Azzurri in the past decade.

Buffon started his journey with the Azzurri with a play-off against Russia 20 years ago. And 20 years later, he also ended his journey with Italy with another play-off. Unfortunately, this time he and his teammates failed.

Buffon said: “Although we didn’t qualify for the World Cup, I hope we gave them something. Our defeat was something very important for the whole country.” When asked about coach Piero Ventura, goalkeeper Buffon said: “In football, you win as a team and lose as a team, you share praise and criticism. The coach is part of this team.”

So, Buffon's statement is the message of an Italian team throughout a long journey. They do not blame anyone, dare to accept defeat and optimistically move forward despite inevitable disappointment and pain. Because Azzurri has made Italy famous for decades. And this disappointment is certainly not despair. Those "nobles" shed tears but did not cry, raised their heads and accepted.

Goodbye, thank you Buffon, De Rossi, Barzagli and Chiellini too. So world football had to say goodbye to the last remaining legends from the 2006 World Cup. It felt like something very familiar was missing. After nearly a century, the tifosi had to face the feeling of not being able to cheer for the Azzurri in a major tournament. Next summer, the World Cup will be half gone!

Hoai Hoan