A new era for the National Team began seventy years ago on 13 December 1953. Italy vs. Czechoslovakia, the International Cup match played at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris in Genoa in front of 70,000 spectators, was the first to be broadcast live on Rai.  Seven repeaters located in different areas of central and northern Italy provided coverage of approximately 36% of the Italian population. Rai, which would officially begin broadcasting on 3 January 1954, decided to broadcast the second half of the match, connecting at half-time and relying on commentary from Carlo Bacarelli and Vittorio Veltroni.

The second-half footage, as announced by journalist Claudio Ansaldo who reported on the match for La Domenica Sportiva, was 'cinematographed' by RAI operators from a television screen during the live coverage of the match. This is the earliest recording made from a television screen using the only technique available at the time, known as a kinescope, preserved in the Rai archives.

And the first, historic live Rai coverage of an Italy match brought luck to the National Team, who won 3-0, thanks to goals from Sergio Cervato, Eduardo Ricagni and a penalty from Egisto Pandolfini.