Today in Serie A – February 12, 1984: Serie A’s Best (Disallowed) Goal Ever | OneFootball

One of the best goals ever scored in Serie A is one you won’t find in any football history book. It was disallowed and, as of today, it is still not fully clear why. The author of such a feat – a spectacular overhead in legendary defender Franco Baresi’s face – is Aldo Cantarutti, a prolific left winger who journeyed through many top-flight clubs during the 1980s.

When he scored to Milan on February 12, 1984, he was wearing the red-and-blue jersey of Catania. With the score set at 1-1 and just a few minutes to go at the Cibali Stadium, Cantarutti was picked in the middle of the Rossoneri box by Brazilian defender Pedrinho. He stopped the ball with his chest, made it bounce twice, then fired it past goalkeeper Ottorino Piotti with a fine bicycle kick.

It was a gem of a goal, one to remember, made it even more remarkable by Cantarutti being marked by Baresi in the occasion. But referee Vittorio Benedetti had a different idea. His right arm stretched up immediately quashed Catania’s celebrations. What did he see? A foul from Cantarutti perhaps?

Whatever the reason might have been, one thing is for sure: The home crowd at the Cibali Stadium did not want to hear about it. All hell broke loose on the stands. One solitary, reckless Catania supporter, even sneaked past the (indeed weak) security line and burst into the pitch. You can be sure that it was not to take a selfie with some player.

A Catania defender managed to block the intruder just before he could put his hands on the poor Benedetti, then a whole host of carabinieri took him down and escorted him off the pitch.

The match was suspended for two minutes, and then concluded with no added time as the enraged Catania supporters started to treat the referee and the Milan players to stone-throwing and other niceties. Nothing that you would not regularly see on your average Italian football pitch in the 1980s, after all.

For the record, Vittorio Benedetti retired from refereeing only a few weeks later and that Catania vs Milan game ended up being his last showing in Serie A. Some say that the overwhelming criticism he received for disallowing Cantarutti’s goal was a major driver in his decision. However, he was already 43 and probably close to ending his referee career anyway.