Why is it always me who gets hurt? 9-0 becomes 1-4, the Calciopoli scandal is still engulfing Italy

A dragon swims in shallow water and is teased by a shrimp; a tiger falls in Pingyang and is bullied by a dog.

However, can the current Italian team still be regarded as a dragon or a tiger?

In the final focus match of Group I of the 2026 World Cup European Qualifiers, the Italian team faced the Norwegian team at the San Siro Stadium. For Italy, a four-time champion that has fallen in the play-offs twice in a row, the only way to avoid falling into the play-offs again is to defeat Norway 9-0 at home.

Obviously, this is an impossible task for the Blue Jackets, who have never been good at attacking, even in their heyday.

Sure enough, the Italian team was defeated by the Norwegian team after advancing 1 goal. The 9-0 that carried glory and dreams turned into a cold and ruthless 1-4, and the Italian team fell into the abyss in an atmosphere of near despair.

suffered a double murder, and his life or death was uncertain, but this was not the end.

One day later, the German team, which also lost in the first round and faced a last-ditch battle in the final round, defeated the Slovak team 6-0 at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig and qualified.

Among the eight teams that have won the World Cup, seven have already received direct tickets to the World Cup, with only Italy lacking four stars. This in itself is a very harmful shame. If the Italian team fails in the play-offs again, it will be the only culprit for failing to gather a championship team for three consecutive World Cups.

Including the 2010 South Africa World Cup and the 2014 Brazil World Cup group stage exit, the Italian team has been in decline since winning the 2006 World Cup in Germany. If it weren't for the 2020 European Cup trophy that shines on the lintel, the Italian team may have been kicked out of the top wealthy circles.

Looking at today's five major leagues, the prestige of Serie A is declining. Most of the starting lineups of the top three in the north are occupied by foreign players. There are few Italian players who can firmly occupy the main force in the top giants outside Serie A.

With the foundation and tradition of Italian football, this should never be the case. So, what exactly is the problem? It would obviously be too far-fetched to just use the economic downturn as a excuse. What really ruined Italian football for more than ten years has to start in 2006.

That year, the Italian team reached the top of the world despite being completely under-promised. The blue jersey was embroidered with a glorious fourth gold star. However, it was during the World Cup that a scandal that shocked the football world came to light.

The "Calciopoli" directed by Juventus manager Moggi completely destroyed the ecology of Italian football. The "Little World Cup" has become history. Top stars and foreign capital have stayed away from Serie A. Coupled with the overall economic recession, reaching the top of the world for the fourth time has also become an inflection point for Italian football from prosperity to decline.

Although the Italian team can occasionally perform well in the European Cup, the downward trend is unstoppable. The most obvious example is: the striker line, which used to be full of talents, now shamelessly hopes to be naturalized.

Look at the Azzurri today. Apart from Donnarumma, Calafioli and Tonali, how many of them have the strength to be the main force of the top giants? Of course, when an avalanche occurs, no snowflake is innocent. Can the Italian team learn from their shame and be brave enough to fight their way out of the play-offs? At present, it seems that this is really a problem.