Alexandria: gray is beautiful. After Rivera another story. – La Gazzetta dello Sport

​​January 18, 2016 – Milan

Even Gianni Rivera had come to that: the golden boy, before it became such, wrote the opening words of his fable to 15 years, 9 months and 15 days, making his debut in A ( the youngest post-war) with the gray shirt and anything but sad dell’Alessandria. Today his “grandchildren” are sweeping a city to 94 thousand inhabitants that all would come in the biggest stadiums in the world and today celebrate a historic milestone equally or perhaps more: their team Pro League (or Series C, using the old terminology) is in the semifinals of the Italian Cup and Tuesday, March 1 will play at San Siro against Milan. In a week, unfortunately, the Moccagatta will not have the party that deserved: the first leg will be played on January 26 at the Olimpico in Turin because approved equipment for 5,827 spectators can ensure a suggestive, but not measurements safety. Besides just arrived in La Spezia in 2000 and Genoa were 2,500: February 26 the figure is expected to be four zeros.

previous – The company had already managed to Bari in 1984, he was in Serie C and won the Italian Cup semi-finals where he was stopped from Verona. Gregucci, the current coach dell’Alessandria, would sign for repeat that season of Puglia, beaten dall’Hellas yes, but then promoted to B. It is since 1975 that the grays do not reach that high. Yet their story begins before many other great clubs, in 1912, and the board collects the first trophy in 1927: the CONI Cup, forerunner of the Italian Cup. And, having even touched a championship and participated in the first World Cup in a single round (1929), a true Italian Cup in 1936, the gray could well win, but in the final Turin, which was not great but it was obviously already very strong, he is winning 5-1. The look almanac is a must: in their semifinal quell’Alessandria eliminated AC Milan. Sure, there were two categories of difference …

The celebration of ‘ Alexandria, in red jersey after winning the Spezia. LaPresse

enterprise – Fifty years without a Serie A since, that is, Rivera went to play in Milan (1960); forty years between C1 and C2, First and Second Division, even a descent into hell of Series D. But now the project is broken down and Alexandria confirmation does not come so much from the extraordinary way in the Italian Cup, where the grays, overcome obstacles Alto Vicentino Pro Vercelli and Juve Stabia, had fun making fool to embarrassing to Palermo (beaten 3-2) , Genoa and now Spezia, two clubs of A and one B. Confirmation gives the ranking of group A of the Pro League, where Alexandria is in second place behind the Citadel Friday lost 3-0 against Feralpi Salò, but maybe the heroes of the cup had already head the company.

men with gold – A La Spezia the first page if you Riccardo Bocalon taken yet, the author of the decisive two goals that had already bent the Genoa ; a cameo earned him Filippo Boniperti, grandson of art plagued by groin came to 90 ‘. The merit, perhaps, is especially Angelo Gregucci, one that worked well with Mancini at Manchester City and that has inherited the legacy of Beppe Scienza in late September. “It was a wonderful evening – said after the victory – I dedicate it to Piermario Morosini (who coached in Vicenza, ed.) At San Siro we will go with the shoes of iron.” Luca Di Masi, president younger than Gregucci, arrived from Turin (and fan grenade) just under three years ago. “To win,” he always said. Last season he took the title illusory winter, in the spring turned into a useless fifth. Now the winter gave him another dream.

Ivan Palumbo

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