Some who maintain that it all started with a soccer game. In Italy there was no 8-M or another massive event in which to download the controversies, so many pointed to Atalanta-Valencia in the Champions League. The meeting was held on February 19, a few days before the first cases of Covid-19 began to be diagnosed in Lombardy. The virus had already begun to circulate throughout the region, especially in hospitals, so the movement of followers could only serve to disperse the spread, not that it was the cause of the massive infections.

Some 40,000 Atalanta fans moved from Bergamo to San Siro in Milan, as the local stadium was under construction and would have only allowed entry to less than half the spectators. Atalanta won 4-1. It would be one of the few joys that the inhabitants of Bergamo could take away, because weeks later the province would become the epicenter of the coronavirus in Italy. This Friday football is again the beginning of everything, but in this case as a restorative element. Calcium returns and does it with a classic. There was a time when a Juventus-Milan was considered the Italian derby, the two most successful teams in the country.

The Rossoneri have had better moments, but today's match, the semifinal round of the Italian Cup, will have all the elements to go down in history. Between Lombardy and Piedmont, the regions to which both clubs belong, total more than 20,000 deaths. A minute of silence will be observed for them and for the rest of the victims of the coronavirus. Then it will be time for the ball to roll. There will be no audience, but for 90 minutes fans of both teams will have the opportunity to remember how hot these duels were. From Platini against Baresi , from the escape of one team to another by Roberto Baggio or Pirlo , from the 2003 Champions League final won by Milan on penalties. From all this to Cristiano threatening Donnarumma .

Preparation in Madeira

The Portuguese will be the main attraction of the clash. If Italian football has wanted to make the CR7 brand the symbol of its resurrection as a competitive championship, it could not be someone else who raised the curtain. Gone are the trainings at his Madeira home, the stories on Instagram and the videos of his private life with his family. Well, the latter may not disappear, but at least now he will also be seen doing his job dressed as a footballer. For the gathering it remains if Higuaín is a better partner for him, but Cristiano and Dybala , two of the great stars, will appear on the pitch . On the other hand, everything would have looked better if Ibrahimovic could play , but an injury prevents him. In the prehistory of soccer, Milan and Juventus drew 1 in the first leg, so Juventinos have in their hands to go to the final in their stadium. As if some empty stands could be defined as playing at home and that now counts.

The match (9:00 pm) will be broadcast open on RAI. It is not that all Italians have the right to enjoy one of their great passions, that too, but that public television holds the rights in the Italian Cup. On Saturday, at the same time, Naples and Inter will complete the semifinals, after 0-1 for the Neapolitans in the first leg. With the new format, there will be no extensions in the remainder of the Cup and in the event of a tie it will go directly to penalties. The new normal will develop so fast that next Wednesday, the final will be played. Who would have thought, from giving up the season as a loss to having a champion in less than a week. Cristiano lacks this title.

And next week, the League

The Federation has been in such a hurry because from next week the League will return. Torino-Parma will be the opening game to start a sprint that will have matches every day and should end the championship on August 2. It was also necessary to narrow down the end to make room for the completion of European competitions. Although in the case of the Italian League the chaos is even greater than in other countries, because before the break there were already games behind closed doors and others that were never played.

Half of the teams have 12 games to go and the other half, 13. It is not entirely clear what would happen if new positives were produced and the championship had to be suspended again, but the League and the Federation are inclined for playing playoffs both to decide the title and the declines. The only thing for sure is the promotion to Serie B. The only thing that matters now is that the show returns.

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