VENICE – «Love each other again». The winners on a terrible evening are the grey-red fans. Generous until the final whistle when they applaud the team and start the most beautiful chorus, even without Serie A.
The first grey-reds to appear at Penzo arrived around 6.45pm. The first grey-red flags in the guest sector, a thousand precise places, flutter in the Venetian breeze. A sector right behind the sea with boats rocking, first in the sun and then under an overcast sky.
At 7.06pm Cremonese enters the pitch to view the speckled pitch and get the first dose of boos of the evening and among the notes of Der Kommissar by Falco coming from the speakers.
To stay on the pitch in civilian clothes longer than anyone else Ciofani who walked the entire perimeter of the pitch, feeling the grass and breathing deeply the electric air of the final, perhaps the last of his career.
The minutes pass, the chants begin, the choreography of the home fans begins and the Bersaglieri band playing the anthem, while the stadium releases the tension following the attack of a seagull on the drone flying in the middle of the field.
The match is a condensation of emotions. Cremo is deceiving themselves by starting well, but Gytkjaer’s goal explodes Penzo. The Grigiorossi fans don’t give up an inch, but Cremo doesn’t offer real emotions.
In the second half the tension rises, Pickel becomes the fighter who lights up the stadium. However, time passes and Cremonese is unable to break through. After 6′ of added time the terrible sentence arrives. Bright eyes on the pitch, desperation in the corners, but the grey-red fans don’t miss the final applause.
EVEN IN THE CITY THE FINAL BITTERNESS STARTS
The Cremonese evening is one for wolves. Fifteen degrees and rain. But Cremo is playing, there is the playoff final in Venice and so the temptation to watch the match with friends overcomes the laziness of staying at home on the sofa suffering alone for the grey-red colours. There are those who show up at the venues that have decided to broadcast the match, with scarves around their necks. A hamburger, a pizza and a beer and his eyes raised towards the TV, someone in Piazza Stradivari. Little chatter and strangled screams at every dangerous action. When Venezia scores, the buzz suddenly drops. The most optimistic preach patience.
«Now come in Tail, he’ll take care of it” someone says. Time passes relentlessly and hopes begin to fade. Come in too Ciofani, but it’s almost over. Until it’s really over. The celebrations in the lagoon are all orange-green, in the clubs in Cremona, you go home without even drinking coffee.
