Written by Matteo Ciaramella
Juventus got served. Chaos and tumult are now up in the air. Will they crumble, or push through? What will the rest of their season look like? Where will they end up? These are some of the most asked questions within the Italian football community at the moment. Situations like this are volatile, unpredictable. Every episode is different, and has its individual subtleties. The one thing that we, the fans, can do, is look back on the past and see how other teams in similar circumstances fared.
This is the story about Reggina’s 2006-2007 season.
Picture August of 2006 in Italy. The national team has just won its fourth World Cup, and glee fills the air. It is almost tangible. Unfortunately, that feeling is nothing but a cover-up, a concealment of distress and despair across the Italian peninsula. Starting on May 2nd with the first investigations, the Calciopoli scandal shocked the nation, even in a time as jubilant as that following a World Cup victory. Executives, referees, assistants had to handle all kinds of sentences, while 6 teams suffered point deductions, fines, and in some cases, relegation. Among these 6 teams stood Reggina, a true yo-yo club, bouncing up and down the Italian football pyramid with no real home and consistency. The sole thought of playing in Serie A was a victory in and of itself for them, so the 15 point deduction received on August 7th could only mean one thing, even for the most optimistic fan: relegation.
Writing off Reggina was easy, and the belief that they would be playing in Serie B by next season was universal.
Only a miracle could have saved them.
The season started in bittersweet fashion: a 4-3 loss to Palermo. Serie B seemed so close already, and fans were preparing for the drop. The hat-trick by beloved striker Rolando Bianchi foreshadowed a historic individual season, but even that could not console Reggina and its city, Reggio di Calabria. A week later came a win, and then another loss, as the team seemed to fully embrace the inconsistent philosophy of yo-yo clubs. Optimism was running at an all-time low.
But just as all seemed lost, a 3-game stretch would change everything.
1-1 vs. Torino, home tie.
1-1 vs. Atalanta, away tie.
1-0 vs. Roma, home win.
Doesn’t sound exciting? Try to put yourself in the shoes of a Reggina fan. A win against Roma, a 3-game unbeaten streak that included tough Torino and Atalanta teams was pure fantasy – an almost fictitious result. The concept of ‘hope’ was welcomed back to the city walls: it was time to believe.
What followed can be described as ‘the limbo period’. Despite some humiliating losses – 3-0 against Fiorentina and 2-0 in the derby against Messina – Reggina played valiantly, extracting what little they could from other small clubs like Livorno, Udinese, Ascoli, and Empoli, as well as a memorable goal-less draw against Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico. The fans’ mood fluctuated on a weekly basis. No game had a given result, and the future of the team was uncertain as ever. Reggina became the wildcard of the league, and many started questioning what used to be a consensus on their relegation battle.
The team made it to December on a 3 game unbeaten streak, earning 5 points by December 9th. Three days later, still stranded in the desert that was the relegation zone, Reggina were lucky enough to come across an oasis, a sign of life and hope. An appeal made by club officials several months back had just ripened into a beautiful gift: 4 points returned, confirming an 11 point deduction instead of 15.
I was not in Reggio di Calabria to experience this moment, but it is said that one could feel the entire city giving a giant sigh of relief as the piece of news traveled around town. This was the turning point of the season. Armed with 4 more ever-so important points, Reggina went into 2007 confident and ready to fight until the last fraction of a second.
The momentum that Reggina acquired in the closing days of the previous year was easily carried into the next. A draw against an impressive Palermo side and an easy 2-0 away win against Cagliari instilled nothing but joy and hope for the fans ahead of the crucial derby against Messina. A tense game, characterized not only by the routine contention of the Messina Strait that this game entailed, but also potentially defining for the one goal that both teams shared: staying up.
It was no match. Messina was destined to bow down to the force that had become Reggina, who were snatching points at the rate of a UEFA Cup-bound squad. 3 goals to 1, with Nicola Amoruso and Rolando Bianchi printing their names on the scoresheet for Reggina and continuing an explosive season as one of the most dangerous attacking duos in all of Europe. Bianchi confirmed his form with a brace a week later, in another stunning win against Torino.
The season proceeded with lots of draws, including Inter and Fiorentina, and losses and wins sprinkled here and there. Reggina had stabilized and become a dangerous side that few could take down. Bianchi and Amoruso continued their goal scoring spree, and head coach Walter Mazzarri was in full control of the team. Still, this was not enough for Reggina to be able to stick their necks out of the relegation zone, and the last game of the season was a crucial ‘go big or go home’ moment.
Reggina, in desperate need of a win, had to face the champions of Europe: AC Milan.
Times like this can be daunting, but if there is one thing that Reggina fans had learned that season, was that their team could take on anyone. Hope Springs Eternal.
May 27th, 2007 was a historic day before the game even started. Nearly 21,000 spectators filled Reggina’s Stadio Oreste Granillo – a home attendance record for that season. The fans, like their team, believed. And rightfully so.
From the very first minutes, Reggina players took complete control of the game. Whether they were encouraged by their city’s spirit, their fans jumping and chanting non-stop, or their own journey, we don’t know. The fact was that the frightening AC Milan beast was being tamed, and Reggina unleashed everything they had.
A dazzling volley by Amoruso put Reggina up in the 8th minute, bringing his goal tally to 17 for that season. This would mark the end of a legendary individual season, but also the end of an unforgettable striker partnership that he formed with Rolando Bianchi (who had 18 goals himself). They were the only two teammates in the European Golden Boot race during that season.
Our heroes kept attacking and attacking, giving the beast no room and pressuring it into submission. AC Milan had tried to counteract, but Reggina’s character was impenetrable. Nevertheless, a 1-0 lead did not reassure the fans – at all. A goal could come any second, we all know what football is like.
67th minute.
Thank God for the 67th minute.
Encouraged by their charismatic and energetic coach Mazzarri, the Reggina players attacked once more. A one-two passing game between Tedesco and Modesto on the left flank sent 3 AC Milan defenders packing, with Modesto finding himself at the end of the box, in perfect position for a low cross.
His opponents were able to catch up to him, and he was completely surrounded, with no viable passing option. The clock was ticking, and he would soon lose the ball if he did not do something. Seconds felt like minutes. At last, Reggina midfielder Amerini came out of nowhere, and called for a pass. With a last-resort tip touch of the ball, Modesto barely managed to get it out to his teammate.
The rest is pure bliss.
The goal that sealed it. The goal that won it. The goal that saved them. The goal that every Reggina supporter remembers down to every minute detail.
When the referee blew the final whistle, the city was liberated – no more fear, and no more apprehension. Reggina were safe, and had made history.
Italy’s greatest sports miracle in the 21st century.
References
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pW2iWxNv8Q
https://www.gazzetta.it/Calcio/12-04-2010/domani-aula-napoli-603622985220.shtml
https://sportslens.com/news/latest-european-golden-boot-standings/