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Meazza (left) meets Hungarian captain Gyorgy Sarosi before the 1938 final. Allsport UK/Allsport |
Meazza was a deadly goalscorer for Italy, scoring 33 goals in 53 games, but his greatest performances for the Azzurri came after he was moved to inside forward by coach Vittorio Pozzo. With Meazza creating chances for his teammates as well as scoring them himself, Italy swept to the World Cup title on home soil in 1934 and then retained the title in 1938 in France.
In 1934, Meazza was on target in a 7-1 win over the United States in the first round and scored the winner in Italy's 1-0 win in the second-round replay with Spain which followed their tough 1-1 draw the previous day. But Meazza's most telling contribution was saved for the final. A late, freakish equalizer had denied Czechoslovakia a deserved victory, and in extra time Meazza laid on the cross from which Schiavio eventually grabbed the winning goal.
Four years later Meazza was captain of the world champion, and he had been joined in attack by the talented Silvio Piola. The Italians struggled past Norway in its opening game but Piola's two goals helped them beat France in the second round. In the semifinals, Italy took advantage of Brazil's decision to rest the prolific Leonidas and earned a 2-1 win to return to the final, with Meazza striking the winning goal from the penalty spot.
If Italy's win in 1934 had been fortunate, and tarnished by its appropriation for propaganda purposes by Mussolini's regime, its performance against Hungary established it as a deserving champion in the final tournament before the interruption of war. Meazza assisted on goals for Piola and Gino Colaussi in a comfortable 4-2 win.
