Before saying goodbye in August, one last gift from Gilardino to the Genoa people: the points record for a freshman Grifone, snatched from Gian Piero Gasperini’s squadron. The Biella coach cared and never let go, pushing his team even in the final match, when 46 would have already been satisfying.
It’s true that Bologna showed up at Marassi without their party dress, with a few too many heavy absences and with the very recent hangover from the Champions League achievement, but this Genoa team, always on point, equally deserves fervent praise. Even Gila, after all, gave up some pillars, due to injury or technical choice, but the players who took to the field did not betray. The spotlight was initially focused on the baby Cittadini, who confirmed himself as an attentive defender and not averse to moving forward to seek glory, and on Malinovskyi, deployed somewhat surprisingly in the control room. Not a canonical interpretation of the role nor an exciting one in terms of performance, but the change of duties did not prevent the Ukrainian from exploding his proverbial left foot: a dry ball like a slingshot against the far post and from there to the bottom of the bag. Thinking of the former Atalanta player as Badelj’s heir (this time left on the bench due to a very common turnover) is perhaps a stretch, but focusing on him as the main hitter, provided that his muscles respond perfectly, is a duty that Gila will already fulfill in the first training sessions in July.
Vitinha was liked more than the goalscorer Ruslan, who reappeared after a long period with a great desire to rock the world. Very lively and proactive, he gave the audience a couple of amazing stops (with wicked balls to control) and even tried often, in the first half, to throw them in. The event was only postponed by half an hour, and the plot that led to Genoa’s second goal will be remembered for a long time: the ball was recovered by the omnipresent Frendrup and passed to Gudmundsson, author of a prodigious acceleration with incorporated dribbling before an illuminating pass towards the Portuguese , very capable of overcoming the outgoing Petronian goalkeeper with a dream “scavetto”. The Genoa people have already elevated the Portuguese as Albert’s successor and the club will certainly try to keep him in Liguria by obtaining a significant discount on the price tag at Marseille or a second year on loan. Vitinha was liked a lot: and to say that he is not a pure center forward (this time he had to replace Retegui, who was left watching on the bench) but a sumptuous second striker.
Two very deserved words from Morten Frendrup, who produced yet another pyramidal performance, having a hand in both winning actions and recovering loads of balls in every area of the pitch. His year was fantastic, enough to convince us that rarely, if ever, at least in the post-war period, Genoa has been able to boast a midfielder of this caliber.
Bologna came close to scoring on three occasions (in the first, Fabbian stamped the upright), but they could also have faced the third disappointment, which Gudmundsson saved them first by sending it sensationally wide from two meters and then hitting a free kick the outside of the net: in short, the icing on a season as an absolute star was missing.
After the final whistle, Albert was expected to have an applauded farewell ceremony, as befits the departing favourites, but the thanksgiving celebration – to the Icelander and all his wonderful teammates – was immediately extinguished by the news of the disastrous fall of a rossoblù fan in the center of the North: flight of seven meters and immediate hospitalization in the hospital under code red. In a stadium that was gradually emptying, a surreal atmosphere, with the Gila boys in the long, vain wait to receive the last ideal embrace from their priceless supporters.
In the press room, Mr. Gilardino underlined the club’s willingness to sell some top players. Albert’s departure has already been virtually metabolised and the hope of an entire population is that Martinez and Frendrup do not meet the same fate. It would be wonderful to continue having fun, without having to witness a Precio-style demobilization.
PIERLUIGI GAMBINO
