SPORTING BOLOGNA, FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS

How to pass within 15 days from one of the most envied towns of Italy, speaking about sport, to one of the most disappointed. Turning for enlightenment to the those having nursed the dream to get trophies in guts and now left empty handed. Bologna the Dotta exports already since some seasons the best continental basket. This year there's also the football to claim for its part of nobility. After dark years even passed in the mazes of the third division, the Bolognese football has succeeded in getting back to excellence levels. And not only; champions as Roberto Baggio and Signori, troubled by contradictory seasons in the football metropolis, have found again heavenly inspiration and goals, making the company presided by Gazzoni deserving the title of "the happy isle " where it was possible to regenerate. And Bologna has been happy and mainly proud of this agonistic renascence till the last weekend, when the last fires of possible prestigious targets died out. A progressive defeat, started with a reassessment, European level, and than ended with the fall at home, involving, even in different environments, as far as three sporting clubs. The prelude of this end lacking satisfactions starts-off as it often happens, after it is played triumphing fanfares. The two Bolognese basket teams since years siding each other at the supremacy places in Italy, reach this time the Euroleague Final Four, the most prestigious basket event, continental level. For the Kinder it is not a novelty, since the Virtus is the quintet champion on charge. The novelty is represented by the Fortitudo, the other side of the Bolognese basket nobility that after having arranged a competitive team attempts the conquering of the European hegemony. Just the Bolognese derby, an abroad match putting into stage its sixth season act, opens the kermess of Munich, proposing the fratricidal challenge but at least giving the certainty to have a Italian representative at the Final Four event. Countertrend, since the previous five running defeats, the Kinder wins and goes to the finals against the Lithuanians of Zalgiris Kaunas. The day after the football Bologna in the UEFA Cup semi-final first turn stops on the 0- 0 tie at Marseilles the French of the Olympique and "sees" the possible final, all Italian, against the Parma in Moscow. Maybe this is the highest joint moment of the "Dotta" sport level for this part of 1999; with a continental finalist risking its own supremacy and with the eleven of Mazzone trying to introduce itself again in the great European football. From the following evening it starts a negative series that will go on till the last weekend. First the Kinder to be dethroned by a very inspired Zalgiris. The defeat goes on, with greater bitterness and moving to the football world: the Bologna in the second turn of the Uefa Cup against the transalpine hit a goal bringing it straight to the end match in Russia. At a handful minutes from the end it comes the chill for a penalty accorded to the Olimpique and done by Blanc. It's the 1-1 to punish the eleven of Mazzone and to break the dreams of the Gazzoni company started off just in the very far July 1998 since the qualification at Intertoto tournament. It does not remain but to catch hold of the historical basket grandeur. Both Kinder and Fortitudo, correspondingly champion and vice-champion on charge, have the possibility to re-assert in the Play-off that Bologna is still the basket-city. In the semi-finals the cross challenge between the two Bolognese brings to the conjectural route of a final encore, Bolognese at all, two fresh teams of the azure basket, Varese and Treviso. And once again the stress of a long agonistic season and the last psychological upsets cost to the Emilia town the last great disappointment of the season. First the Kinder against a sprightly Varese and overall a Fortitudo that in the series together with the Benetton at its best form, was forward for 2 to 1 in the 5 challenges, fails the final event. So it ends two nightmare weeks, or to say it better, when the happy end is completely forgotten, giving heavy tears to a town that deserves anyhow, for the heat it lives sport, great successes in future.

 

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