Serie A
Gewiss Stadium
I wanted to get out this winter and have a few days off somewhere, and Italy had a good line of fixtures if staying in Bergamo. Initially I planned to catch Grasshoppers away in Lugano, but I could not fit it due to the flights. But Atalanta had a late Saturday home game and I was always curious to see this wonderful club.
I always enjoy walking to the ground whenever possible. The route from my hotel seemed long but I had enough time. I popped inside the official store in the city centre and there you will be reminded that despite all the recent success of Atalanta, it still remains a provincial club forever in the shade of the big two from Milan. The store is really small and does not have much on offer, though they had a whole Atalanta subbutteo set. There were lots of police closer to the Stadium and apparently there was a ban on selling alcohol in the nearby stores to the dismal of some tourists who wanted nothing to do with football.
I was around hour and a half till kickoff and I could devote a bit of time to the surroundings. Gewiss stadium is pretty cool. Bergamo is known as a builders' city and a city of "people who get things done" (unlike the rest of Italy). And Atalanta stadium is a great example of how to get stadium renovation in a proper way. The ground was built during the Mussolini reign with all the prominent features of the architecture style that was en vogue then. And that is the story with almost any big Italian stadium that are owned by the municipalities and are still standing with obvious signs of decay. But Atalanta are one of the very few clubs who bought out their grounds and decided to start itinerant renovation. One concrete bowl curva was redeveloped into a modern stand and currently the ground is a funny mishmash of the old and the new. It has a shiny modern entrance with cafes and restaurant while still retaining the old grandstand and the other half-bowl stand.
Right across the grandstand is a small kiosk brimming with activity. It is a tiny fan bar full with Atalanta memorabilia. I got myself a beer and just stood watching the locals. I did not take any pictures not to bother anyone, but it's a really cool place that you have to check out on a matchday. There were free programs there along with some newspapers. I also bought a small Atalanta pennant for my collection.
No issues with entering the ground as I was quite early so did not have to stand in those notorious Italian lines. I bought my tickets online and selected my seat beforehand. Turns out it was next to an away sector and adjacent to the grandstand. I had lots of time to watch the surroundings and the fans around me and I was super happy with the stand that I've chosen.
The ground got full, if not completely sold out, but close to it. I chatted with a Kidderminster Harriers fan and he told me a bit about his club. As with my previous game in Italy, there were a few away fans just in inside a regular home stand and a couple of them were sitting just next to me. One of them had a cool beanie with a subbutteo Sampdoria figurine and the other had a beret with their colours. He even took a picture with a small pipe just like the sailor on Sampdoria logo. The away sector had way more people than I anticipated, as Sampdoria were deep in relegation zone and playing just awful. Still, mad props to their fans who were excellent. Lots of flags, banners and non-stop chanting. Probably the best away fans I have ever seen at any game I have attended. Atalanta tifosi were also excellent, it's such a great sight to see the famous Curva Nord full, loud and engaged throughout the game.
When I planned the trip, Ruslan Malinovsky was still playing in Bergamo. I was looking forward to see him but knew that he was due to be sold. He is in Marseille now and you could clearly see why Atalanta did not see him anymore as they totally changed their style and playing formation. Apart from the brilliant Ademola Lookman, they now have Rasmus Hojlund in attack. It was really interesting to follow him. He is a tall powerful striker who seems to be just a big man upfront, but he is so much better than that. He does not seem fast but he routinely outpaced the defenders, always finishing his possession either with a shot or with a pass to a teammate. He also showed quite a bit of skills and dribbled past his opponents on several occasions.
Sampdoria started well, had a couple of excellent chances and it even looked like they were willing to show a real fight. Unfortunately, it did not last long and it soon became clear why they are due for relegation. Atalanta was simply better in all aspects. Another Dane Maehle opened the score with a header at the end of first half. And then Lookman had a brilliant run and and put the ball in the far corner of the net. The game was essentially over. I wanted to see Fabio Quagliarella and he saw some action for Samp at the end of the game, but was really invisible.
I was just shivering from cold when I left the stadium. I went inside some small cafe just to get warm and to my surprise they had tea (not that common in Italy). To an even bigger surprise, the bartender offered me a lemon with a tea. I happily accepted and it was one of the tastiest cups of tea in my life.
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