Emerging against the backdrop of the Balkan conflict, Goran Vlaovic was a precocious young talent. The teenager’s midas touch in front of goal had illuminated the newly-formed Croatian League and led to his debut for the national team, all before his 20th birthday.
Vlaovic had first crossed paths with Padova back in 1992. He participated in a triangular pre-season tournament at Stadio Appiani that pitted his HASK Gradanski side against Padova and AC Milan. A goal scored against Milan’s illustrious backline, was a coming-of-age moment for the youngster.
Fast, technically adept and with a cunning about his game, Padova kept tabs on Vlaovic’s progress. Having secured promotion to Serie A, the Biancoscudati made a decisive move for his signature in the summer of 1994, seeing off competition from Ajax.
A modest return of 5 goals in 27 matches in a struggling Padova team represented a steady rather than spectacular debut season in Italy. Arguably, however, his £1.5 million transfer fee was repaid in full by his goal in the knife-edge relegation play-out which sealed Padova’s salvation.
Expectations were high for Vlaovic’s second year, but those hopes were cruelly extinguished during a dramatic pre-season. In August, the Croatian began complaining of debilitating headaches. Things escalated quickly with a diagnosis of fluid on the brain and emergency neurosurgery in Belgium. At this point, the most pressing concern was not Vlaovic’s career but his mortality.
Thankfully, the surgery was a success. Just three months later, Vlaovic was miraculously ready to return to the pitch, just in time for the visit of Roy Hodgson’s Inter Milan.
Embed from Getty ImagesRoy Hodgson had recently been handed the challenge of bringing order to a talented but dysfunctional Inter squad. Amidst a disastrous start to the 1995/96 season, the Nerazzurri hit the bottom of the barrel when they were embarrassingly dumped out of the UEFA Cup by Lugano. Under Hodgson, the tide was beginning to turn and Inter travelled to Stadio Euganeo looking to extend a five-match unbeaten sequence.
If Inter thought they had endured a torrid start to the season, they might have spared a thought for their hosts. Padova were anchored to the foot of Serie A with a single victory from their opening twelve fixtures. The solitary glimmer of hope in an otherwise bleak start was the rise of young forward Nicola Amoruso.
Twenty-one-year-old Amoruso had been signed from Fidelis Andria after a promising season in Serie B. He had adapted seamlessly to life in the top flight with 6 goals in his first 12 appearances, stepping up in the absence of Vlaovic. Heading into December, Amoruso and Vlaovic were finally able to line up together in the white shirts of Padova.
On a bright winter’s afternoon, captain Giuseppe Bergomi led a formidable Inter team onto the Euganeo pitch. It was nothing short of a mystery that a team furnished with the abundant talents of Gianluca Pagliuca, Roberto Carlos and Paul Ince had made such an insipid start to the season. Nevertheless, they were now firmly on an upward trajectory and Padova would have their work cut out if they were to take anything from the game.
Padova rose to that challenge gallantly. After a quarter of an hour, Amoruso picked the pocket of Salvatore Fresi on the right flank and played an inviting ball across the six-yard box. Vlaovic was in the right place to connect, evading the desperate lunge of Bergomi to send the ball high into the net. Padova found themselves in the unexpected position of defending a lead.
Inter immediately went hunting for an equaliser. First, Marco Branca tamely headed wide, then a trademark Roberto Carlos free-kick from fully 35 yards fizzed wide of Adriano Buonaiuti’s goal. It was then the turn of Benito Carbone to try his luck from a set piece, but Padova hung on.
On the stroke of half time, the mounting Inter pressure finally told. Ince crossed from the byline for Maurizio Ganz to nod the ball beyond Buonauiti’s reach. Honours even at the break.
Padova began the second half just as they had the first and, just two minutes later, they had restored their lead. A precise through ball set Vlaovic free. As Roberto Carlos tried to recover his position, Vlaovic’s early shot from the edge of the area left Pagliuca flat-footed. The ball nestled perfectly in the corner of the net as the Inter inquest began.
The Biancoscudati were not sitting back on their lead this time and Vlaovic, high on confidence, was denied a spectacular hat-trick when his acrobatic volley was blocked en route to goal.
Inter ratcheted up the pressure. Roberto Carlos had another opportunity from a set piece, this time from closer range, but Buonaiuti was equal to his powerful drive. The Brazilian tried again from open play; his long-range thunderbolt seemed destined for the top corner before Buonaiuti spectacularly pushed the ball away.
As the clock ran down, Inter’s frustrations were beginning to mount. First, the Nerazzurri were denied a penalty when Stefano Nava appeared to handle in the box. Then Marco Branca fell under the challenge of Silvio Vittorio Gianpietro but, again, the referee was unmoved.
Padova were pouring every last ounce of energy into the fight, but their disciplined resistance threatened to unravel with fifteen minutes remaining. Carmine Nunziata’s midfield lunge on Paul Ince successfully snuffed out an Inter counter-attack but at the cost of a red card.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, Padova clung on for an unlikely victory that instilled fresh belief heading into the winter break. It was a Paduan victory for the ages. In the post-match press conference, an emotional Vlaovic dedicated his comeback goals to his surgeon, Prof Jack Caemaert.
It was a moment that lit the touch paper of 23-year-old Vlaovic’s career. He went on to score 13 goals over the remainder of the season, earning himself a return to the Croatia line-up for Euro ‘96 and ultimately a big-money move to Valencia.
As for Inter, they shook off this humbling defeat, taking violent retribution in the reverse fixture at San Siro, on their way to securing qualification for the UEFA Cup.
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