Champions, City-Inter – the disappointment of the 45 thousand at the Meazza: so much bitterness, so much applause

At 22.28 the Meazza turns off the switch. Silence. Rodri’s goal severed the enthusiasm of the more than 45,000 Inter fans. A few seconds, but they seem endless. Just a few seconds to absorb the disappointment and recharge because there are still many, many minutes left to go. The giant screen that sends images from Istanbul attracts everyone’s attention and anxiety rises.

Pride

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The two super occasions, the decisions of Marciniak, some choices of the players and of Inzaghi not shared. It’s a huge open-air bar and the boos or cheers and cheers are flowing. There are another 45,000 supporters who push to the triple whistle. Until you can’t go any further. When the Polish referee blows his whistle and sends the Champions League to Manchester, tears and applause escape. The pride of having made Guardiola vibrate almost immediately takes over the disappointment. Francesco, 9 years old, wearing Lautaro’s T-shirt, looks at his father Simone: “Will we try again next year?”. The caress on his hair is enough as an answer. Anna and her fiancé Filippo, who have arrived from the Veneto region, hug each other. While City is preparing to raise the Cup on the big screen, those who remain in the stadium still have breath for a few whistles. The applause was vigorous instead for the Nerazzurri who collected their second place medal. “Football is made up of opportunities…” Giovanni mutters, one row down and many years of Interismo accumulated.

The hours before

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The day in the city had been heavily colored in black and blue. Difficult not to meet at least one fan in every street. The procession full of faith then moved towards the Meazza. On foot, by car, by public transport but also by motorbike, bicycle and scooter. And with the wait, the decibels of the choirs have also grown. For Inter and Inzaghi, against Milan (“Giroud turned around”) and Juventus (“Juventino piece of m…”). A way to minimize the fear of the City perhaps. The fans followed a decidedly autonomous dress code. Nerazzurri shirts from every season (from this one to the UEFA one won in Paris via the white ones) showing names and numbers from Inter’s past (Materazzi, Adriano, Eriksen, Recoba, just to name a few). The river that travels towards the Meazza looked like a treadmill since slipped into the current we found ourselves there, looking up under the plant whose future has yet to be written. The present instead said that it was the entire Nerazzurri house for one night. The gates were opened well before 7 pm, the over 45,000 present – from all over Italy and beyond – in front of the 400 square meter maxi-screen happy to take their seats calmly.

Like at concerts

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The San Siro lawn was covered with removable tiles to protect the turf. As in the concerts of the big stars, here too the race was to grab seats on the grass. Two hours early was enough to warm up the atmosphere, in the company of the DJ set and Inter TV. Then the evening, the match, lived in the home stadium with the heart in Turkey. It certainly doesn’t end here, after all football and cheering are like the waves crashing against the rocks trying and trying again. So, Francesco, dad’s answer is yes: we’ll try again next season.