What do you get if you cross an Italian striker, a coca-cola can, and a 7-1 defeat in Germany? Answer: Pandemonium.
Roberto Boninsegna was what you’d call a bulldog of a striker. He was 5ft 10”, but one of those players who’d get right into each and every defender that attempted to thwart him. He represented Cagliari, but turned out more famously for his pride and joy, Inter. Following his move from the Rossoblu alongside the up-and-coming Luigi Riva, he rejoined the club he supported and played for as a young man, the Nerazzurri. It was here that one of the greatest, if you could call it that, moments occurred in European football history, where the striker nicknamed ‘Bonimba’ was at the centre of controversy, due to a game now dubbed the “Match of the Can.”
Boninsegna was going about his footballing career without much controversy to this point. He had, at one stage, lost his cool with a referee alongside his team-mates at Varese, but other than that had been steering clear of such troubles.
It was now the 1971-72 season. Boninsegna had already gifted his former side Cagliari a historic Scudetto by leaving the club for an influx of funds, but then also earned that honour for himself at Inter. Although they suffered a minor blip the following season, he had become the league’s Capocannoniere twice in a row, a feat not many players can say they’ve achieved.
As such, the European Cup was at the forefront of Inter and Boninsegna’s mind, and in the second round they were drawn against German side Borussia Monchengladbach. It should have been a simple two-legged affair, with the winner over the course of both matches proceeding in the tournament. That was, of course, before the infamous ‘Partita della Lattina’ occurred.
The first-leg was hosted in Germany, and midway through the first-half Monchengladbach led the tie 2-1. All of a sudden in the 29th minute, Boninsegna was struck by a Coca-Cola can.
Yes, that is correct, a Coca-Cola can.
At first thought, it appeared as though an angered fan had lobbed the metallic object in displeasure of the opponent, something you see in today’s modern game, though usually with coins or plastic bottles. So, as expected, the match continued and the German side went on to completely humiliate the Nerazzurri, crushing them 7-1. But wait, hold the champagne Monchengladbach, because all was not as it seemed.
Following the match, Italian fans pulverised UEFA, screaming and pleading for a replay. After a long and arduous legal case, the ruling was given that the legs would be swapped around – Inter hosting the first leg – and the original opener would be stricken from the record. Bonimba’s boys won the first match 4-2, then drew 0-0 back in Germany.
One of Monchengladbach’s and German football’s greatest victories was now just a distant memory, all because Boninsegna went down after getting hit by a can.
But what actually happened?
Well, unfortunately for us, there was no television evidence. German broadcasters had their own legal case in trying to gain rights to air the match, but nothing could be sorted in time. It meant that only those in attendance, and even then the select few who saw the actual incident, would know exactly what unfolded on the day.
One man, Ludwig Muller, a defender for Monchengladbach, had his say on the crazy moment by noting how Boninsegna ‘looked around, telling his team-mate [Sandro Mazzola] to go down, so he collapsed’. This proceeded Bonimba then ‘winking to one of his compatriots’.
Even the referee, Jef Dorpmans, was stunned by UEFA’s decision to allow the game to be replayed and reiterated how much the occurrence was blown out of proportion.
Funnily enough, Mr Boninsegna himself remained quiet about the incident, opting for the more cliched choice of focusing on his football and not trivial matters. The only consolation for the German team would be Johan Cruyff embarrassing Inter in the final, where Ajax triumphed 2-0.
So that was that, one of Italy’s finest ever strikers, symbolised in one shocking moment of European football. No matter how many goals he scored, or how well he kept his shining locks in such pristine colour, it was the can that will forever capture the essence of Roberto “Bonimba” Boninsegna.
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