International Career
Schillaci made his official debut at the 1990 World Cup, replacing Andrea Carnevale during Italy's first match against Austria. Schillaci then scored the decisive goal, and the match eventually ended with a 1-0 win for Italy. Against the USA, Schillaci again made an appearance as a substitute.
The next match, against Czechoslovakia, was characterized by Schillaci's presence in the starting lineup, alongside Roberto Baggio. The match eventually ended 2-0, with Baggio and Schillaci scoring one goal each. In the round of 16 and quarter-finals, against Uruguay and Ireland respectively, Schillaci went on to score decisive goals for his team.
For the semifinal against Diego Maradona's Argentina, Gianluca Vialli replaced Baggio, whereas Schillaci was confirmed. The match ended 1-1, with Schillaci scoring first. The score was then tied by Claudio Caniggia, and the match was eventually won by Argentina after a penalty shootout.
For the third-place match against England, won 2-1 by Italy, and played with Schillaci and Baggio on the forward line, the first goal was scored by Roberto Baggio. Totò scored the second goal from a penalty, and won the Golden Boot, with six goals. He retired from international competition with seven goals in sixteen caps, his seventh and last goal was scored against Norway in 1991.
The 1990 World Cup is still well remembered today by Italian football fans as the Notti Magiche di Totò Schillaci (magical nights of Totò Schillaci), even though the Italian national team did not win the World Cup at home.
Read more about this topic: Salvatore Schillaci
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