Perhaps it was fate that the mathematical condemnation of Pallamano Carpi arrived right at the PalaBursi in Rubiera. After 3 years in the Italian handball elite, the Bianconeri say goodbye to the Serie A Gold, losing the derby 30-29 against Rubiera, the team with which they made the super climb in 4 years, winning first the B (2020), then the Serie A2 (2021), therefore achieving two saves in the playouts (after facing their “cousins”) in the last two championships. It’s a sad farewell for Carpi, who with 2 games to go is last -4 behind second-last Rubiera (and now certain of the playout) who, however, having won the two direct clashes (+3 and +1) is no longer reachable. The Juventus team pays merciless numbers with just 3 victories in 24 matches and 12 knockouts in as many away games in a season marked by market errors on foreigners and also by a lot of bad luck, with the knockouts of Lorenzo Nocelli and Jan Jurina marking the whole group of return.
And as has happened many, too many times, Carpi played the derby with its head held high, losing in a sprint in the final 10′ after leading for 50′ even by 5 goals and giving shivers to a PalaBursi full to capacity, with over 200 fans arrived from Carpi to hope for a miracle. The start was sumptuous, with Daniele Soria, Thiago Marques Costa and Gabriele Sortino immediately making it 3-0, which then became 6-1 in the 9th minute. The Portuguese bombs from all sides and Rubiera has to immediately call a time out, also because Simone Sibilio is a wall between the posts. Ayoub Mejri’s goal of 10-6 in the 20th minute seems like a good start to close the first half ahead, but as soon as the great former Niko Kasa lights up Rubiera returns to the match and with a 6-2 break he scores the 12-12 of the 25′ the first connection. Sebastian Carabulea and Stefan Damjanovic’s penalty take care of it, sending the Reggio team back to -2, a score also from the break (16-14) after Alex Coppola’s splendid tap on the wheel and Mejri’s seal.
The second half is immediately black and white, Carabulea and Costa go further to +4 and in the middle Kasa shoots the ball into Sibilio’s face which costs him the 2′ exclusion, but Carpi doesn’t take advantage of it and the advantage of the first 20′ always fluctuates only between +1 and +2. The negative turn comes at 25-23 when first Soria takes the 2′ and then the same fate befalls Sortino, who causes a penalty: in double inferiority however Kasa sends the seven meter shot high and on the reversal Costa has the ball for +3, but the Reggio Emilia keeper Meletti, who had recently come in, says no and with the ball in his hand scores the 24-25 from his goal, the sensational goal that probably makes Rubiera understand that the Saints are on his side, because Strada shortly after also scores 25 -25 and launches the two teams into a fiery final 9′. There it is Rubiera who has the most fuel, with the trio of former Ceccarini-Kasa-Boni who with 3 close goals write the shot which is worth 29-26, Reggio’s maximum advantage in the 57th minute. Carpi’s back is against the wall, Francesco Errico’s goal and Coppola’s penalty are a shock (-1), Strada makes it 30-28 and Sortino with 40 seconds left brings Carpi back to -1, with Reggio’s time out to play the last ball, which however Kasa gets saved by Jurina. With 12 seconds left, Carpi makes the last action, which could at least be worth a draw which would postpone the arithmetic, but Samuele Serafini rushes the shot too much, central and prey to Meletti. Rubiera lets the ball of success die in his hand. After 3 years, Carpi says goodbye to the elite of Italian handball.
RUBIERA-CARPI 30-29
RUBIERA: Riva, Bartoli 1, Benci, Bartolotti 1, Oleari 2, Kasa 7, Meletti 1, Giovanardi 4, Moreno De La Santa Jimenez 1, Strada 8, Bonassi, Voliuvach, Canelli, Boni 1, Ceccarini 4. All. Ferroni.
CARPI: Jurina, Monzani, S. Serafini, Soria 2, Carabulea 4, Cioni, Coppola 2, Sibilio, Ferrarini, Quaranta, Damjanovic 2, Errico 4, Marques Costa 9, Sortino 4, Mejri 2.
Return results 11th
Rubiera-Carpi 30-29, Albatro-Cingoli 31-26, Bozen-Pressano 30-32, Cassano-Merano 28-24, Sassari-Conversano 31-32, Trieste-Eppan 31-32, Fasano-Brixen 31-30.
Classification
Fasano 41, Brixen 38, Merano 36, Conversano 35, Bozen 34, Cassano 32, Sassari 29, Albatro 18, Eppan 17, Cingoli 16, Trieste 13, Pressano 11, Rubiera 10, Carpi 6.
