For me, who lives in the lower Bergamo area, the journey begins in the early afternoon. I want to savor the emotions of the city in view of the Europa League semi-final return match which sees Atalanta against Marseille. At stake is access to the Dublin final on May 22nd. It’s five o’clock, I park my car in via Angelo Maj and head towards piazzale Goisis where I will find my press accreditation. I walk along Via Camozzi and already find myself face to face with the first fans. I have a chat with them and discover that they come from Rovetta. The chants spread along the road and, in no time at all, I found myself in Piazzale Oberdan. Here the crowd of fans increases in the blink of an eye and I find myself pleasantly involved in singing chants from the corners. The stadium is getting closer and closer and Viale Giulio Cesare seems like Piazzale Loreto in Milan at peak times. I go towards the stadium entrance where the gates are still closed. As soon as they give me the go-ahead, I enter the “Gewiss” which is still empty. The Curva Nord is strangely silent. As the minutes pass, the fans arrive. They are men, women and children all united by one thing: THE BLACK AND BLUE COLOR that distinguishes them. We recorded the first roar from the entire stadium at 8.23pm when the players entered the field to warm up. Time passes quickly and you can already see the first preparations for tonight’s choreography. A few minutes before the start of the match the first chills arrive. When the speaker begins to pronounce the surnames of our champions, all the people of the Goddess respond with an OLE’ in perfect synchrony which culminates with a thunderous applause that is lost in the sky of the city. After a few seconds, as the players enter, the Curva Nord takes on the appearance of a film set. In a few minutes it transforms into a multicolored curve with a banner along the entire length of it. “THE MEMORY OF MALINES REMEMBERED FOR EVERY CHILD. WIN TODAY TO TELL DUBLIN”. A way to unite fans of various generations even more with their favorites through sport. The spectacle that the city offers to Europe is simply grandiose. As soon as the initial whistle blows, the cheers begin. We start with “Atalanta win for us”, alternating with “win for us magical Atalanta” and “alè-oo alè-oo Atalanta alè you must win” which echo inside the “Gewiss”. When Marseille attacks the applause turns into a deafening whistle. A continuous waving of flags and chants cheer on the 11 Nerazzurri players. Then, in the 30th minute of the first half, the curve explodes with blood-curdling enthusiasm for Lookman’s goal which gives Gasperini’s men the lead. The second half began with go-go calls until the explosion of Nerazzurri happiness with Ruggeri’s second in the 52nd minute. The fans do not fail to applaud at every substitution. The first to leave the field were Ederson and Scamacca followed, after a few minutes, by De Ketelaere who received a dose of applause worthy of a Heart. In the end it’s Zappacosta and Lookman’s turn to receive their share of applause. And, while in the 94th minute the fireworks began in the sky of Bergamo, Touré scored the third goal right under the curve. What happens at the end of the game is indescribable. A stadium standing and applauding the players, the players applauding the fans. In short, scenes of high emotional intensity that will remain in the hearts of the 15,000 Nerazzurri fans who sing “We’re going to Dublin” under the eyes of a moved president Percassi.
Thank you Goddess and thank you Bergamo.
Giovanni Spiranelli
