The decisive midweek recovery between Pistoia and Cento, played on Wednesday 22 March at 20:30, opens with the Pistoia captain Gianluca Della Rosa who, together with the former player and manager Giacomo Galanda, gives a bouquet of flowers to an assiduous Pistoia fan, in memory of his wife’s passing a year ago.
Shortly after this touching moment of attention to the fans, the fans in turn reciprocate with a gesture of gratitude towards the team, in particular to Lorenzo Saccaggi who celebrates his 200th appearance in the red and white shirt by being presented with a banner by the Mayhem.
The hard core of the Pistoia curve is also present this evening in which the support flows linearly and coherently with the latest performances. Reduced attendance compared to last Sunday, but it’s not new that midweek shifts have a negative effect.
The Centese fans led by the club are also affected by it Zimmer sector, who certainly went to Pistoia with a discrete number (about 40 in those present), but which would certainly have been higher in a Sunday shift. After the usual giveaways between the two fans, often repeated during and after the match, both try to push their teams to a decisive victory for the purposes of the standings.
Partly due to the fatigue of the last round, partly due to the importance of the stakes, the match is struggling to take off and in fact we are witnessing numerous errors on both sides. The interval ends with a score of 32 to 24. In exactly the opposite way compared to the last round with Fortitudo, the Tuscan team gives way to an aggressive Cento, who wins the match 68 to 58; A result which, barring surprises, projects the visiting team into second position and Pistoia into third, losing their unbeaten home record in the most important round of the regular season.
Following the sincere applause of the Pistoia bank and the celebrations of the host supporters with their own teams, the greetings and honors are reciprocated between the two fans.
The last round will see Pistoia go to Rimini, while Cento will play in Chieti.
Text by Edoardo Pacini
Photo by Andrea Del Serra
