RAVENNA. Ravenna also beats Imolese, closing the ‘regular season’ with 7 consecutive victories and 72 points ‘on the pitch’. Carpi respects the prediction, beats Certaldo 5-1 and wins the C. But it is a celebration with gritted teeth, because Forlì’s appeal for the defeat against Carpi could reshape the rankings. In theory, Ravenna will play the playoff semi-final against Lentigione next Sunday at Benelli.
Locker rooms. «We, on the field, won this championship». It’s a saber slash that cuts through the air. At the end of the ‘regular season’ and at the end of the seventh consecutive victory without conceding a goal, Mister Gadda – visibly moved, like the whole team in the locker room – turned on the tap. And he didn’t send them to say: «Beyond the appeals and sporting justice, we ‘lost’ a championship which, if there had been normal parameters, we would have ended with a ‘sensational’ goal difference against Carpi, without forget the advantage in direct confrontation. My team lost a championship by default. And it’s absurd. We had incredible regularity. Ravenna have conceded 13 goals in 34 games, which is a fantastic average; he scored almost 60 goals. Then he rekindled the enthusiasm in this square. All useless”. All useless and unfair, waiting for the decisions of the sporting justice system: «Now we are ‘forced’ into this appendix of the playoffs. We will have to recharge our batteries, but, here too, the problem is regulatory. It would be enough to reward the runners-up with a separate ranking, and ‘recognise’ the history of the club, the city, the stadium and the youth sector. Instead they force us to play these playoffs, which don’t have much value.” The coach doesn’t even talk about yet another pearl, the success against Imola. «I only know that, today, there is a team, Carpi, that is celebrating and that has the same points as us, but a worse goal difference and a disadvantage in head-to-head matches. A play-off would have been necessary, but instead they celebrate and we cry.” Then comes the reflective moment: «A necessary clarification: Carpi has nothing to do with it. Our rivals played a great championship and a great comeback. They were favored by the preliminary decision on the ‘Pistoiese case’, but they had nothing to do with it. I congratulate their players and their coach, but we were penalized by an absurd situation. For Pistoiese it was enough to remove the points from the second round to give regularity to the championship. We played the first leg regularly. Instead, the sporting merit and work of my boys was penalized. I remember the first leg match at Benelli against Pistoiese very well: an incredible team came here. We had two suspended players and Rrapaj absent, but we won a great match.”
RAVENNA-IMOLESE 2-0
RAVENNA (5-3-2): Cordaro; Agnelli, Spezzano, Esposito, Gobbo, Marino (16′ st Calandrini); Alluci (40′ st Boccardi), Campagna (32′ st Sare), Rrapaj; Tirelli, Varriale (27′ st Sabbatani). Available: Rossi, Liso, Mandorlini, Zattini, Diallo. All. Gadda.
IMOLESE (5-3-2): Laukzemis; Diawara (18′ st Konate), Manzoni (37′ st Gospodinov), Dall’Osso, Garavini, Daffe (32′ Kashari); Gulinatti, Capozzi (24′ st Mattiolo), Vlahovic; Manes (18′ st Rama), Raffini. Available: Adorni, Brandi, Eaiuto, Antognoni. All. D’Amore.
Referee: Palmieri from Brindisi.
Goals: 33′ pt Alluci, 46′ st Sabbatani.
Notes – 1486 paying spectators, 808 season ticket holders, takings of 13,160 euros. Booked: Agnelli, Diawara, Cordaro, Varriale, Rama, Tirelli. Rec.: 2′ and 5′. Corners 5-4.
