Parma and Reggiana a deeply felt derby and a rivalry, sporting and otherwise, since ancient times. Since the Middle Ages, in fact, at the time of the municipalities, the two cities have always entered into “conflict” over border issues, separated only by the Enza river. A rivalry spanning over a century: from history to dialects, different pronunciations as well as appellations and nicknames, up to the food, because even at the table it’s a real derby. But to close the circle there is undoubtedly the sporting one and in the football field this rivalry began 111 years ago. There have been many matches between the two teams, tonight’s match at the «Città del Tricolore» is number 80, but to find the most iconic ones you necessarily have to rewind the tape.
Obviously we cannot fail to mention the debut of the Enza derby between the two teams: Reggio Fbc and Parma Fbc, the result of which however was not recorded as the first official match took place on 7 December 1919. A bitter debut given the defeat of the Crusaders 2-1. That was the third day of the Emilian Promotion. In short, different times and different football compared to today. It must be said, however, that Parma found more pain than joy in Reggio Emilia. In the previous games, in fact, there were 17 successes for the Granata brand, as many draws and only 5 victories for the Giallobli. Among the most important we have often remembered that of December 2016 with the 2-0 scored by Giorgino and Baraye.
But to find Parma’s last success in the league, we need to go back to 30 December 1989 with Ganz’s brace at Mirabello and Nevio Scala on the bench. A historic year, that one, as in the end the ducals won promotion to Serie A for the first time. The two teams faced each other in almost all categories, especially in the professional categories.
And by searching through the almanacs we can also find other interesting matches for protagonists and results, such as the 3-1 victory in Serie C (again at Mirabello) on 15 December 1985 with Arrigo Sacchi leading the gialloblu and the initial advantage thanks to Signorini. Not only joys, however, but also pains. The last victory in Serie B for Reggiana dates back to 1975 with Passalacqua’s goal, even if the most particular match remains that of 1994. That match, in fact, was played twice: the first in February and interrupted for injury to referee Pairetto, then continued two months later (6 April, a few days before the second leg of the Cup Winners’ Cup semi-final against Benfica for Parma) and ended with a 2-0 victory for the Granata (Esposito and Padovano were the scorers ). Among the victories and defeats there were also several draws. The last ones: the 0-0 in 1997 with Ancelotti on the Crociati bench and the 2-2 in 1995 with goals from Esposito, Couto, Minotti and the unfortunate own goal from Apolloni. In short, we could go on for hours because every game in his way marked an era and this further confirms the historic rivalry between the two clubs. Now everything is really ready to enjoy this last and heartfelt Serie B match, hoping it can be a spectacle on and off the pitch.
Simone Brianti
