Of EMILIANO AMATO
He did it Amalfi Coast who today achieved promotion to Serie D. By beating the Bisceglie by two goals to one, the coach’s boys Gino Proto they accomplished the historic feat. A Eurogoal from Pepe in the 13th minute of the second extra half directly from a free kick from the edge of the box with the ball hitting the top corner made the “San Martino” explode. The match, open and tomboy, had ended, at the end of the 90 minutes, in a draw, thanks to the guest’s goal in the 22nd minute of the first half with Lucero who headed a cross coming from the three quarters well, beating Manzi.
In the second half, Costa d’Amalfi started to attack, eliminating their opponents. The goal is in the air and the equalizer comes with Caputo who, in the 66th minute, takes advantage of an incursion from Proto and puts it in with a strike from close range. San Martino explodes and celebrates. The same tightrope walker from Barra, a few minutes later, had the lead, but only the crossbar denied him the joy of a brace. Bisceglie does not collapse, albeit without strength. We go to extra time.
The changes turned out to be favorable for Mister Proto (who was expelled for protests). The liveliness of Celia, who took over in midfield, created more than one problem for the opposing defenders who knocked him down at the edge of the area. Free kick that Pepe masterfully takes with a perfect parable. The other 7 minutes in addition to the three minutes of injury time are just waiting: at the final whistle the celebration explodes, with the players collapsing on the pitch due to tiredness mixed with emotion, at the end of a very long season.
The same pitch that decreed the promotion to Serie D, the same that from today greets the Amalfi Coast who from next season will have to play their home matches in a suitable facility (think Tramonti, subject to adaptation interventions). Despair instead on the other side of the pitch for the Nerazzurrostellata team who were counting on returning to a championship more suited to their history and possibilities. Regret in the faces of the Apulian supporters, around fifty of them, mostly non-ultra families, who had cherished the dream. A dream that has the colors of white and blue, branded Amalfi Coast.
At the end the fans, who never stopped supporting the team for 120 minutes or more with incessant chants, unfurled the “thank you guys” banner singing chants to the president Nicola Savino who achieves success on the first try. Present in the stands to watch the match were: mayors of Maiori, Cetara and Amalfi.
