Volleyball
On this day… Volley BERGAMO seize fourth Champions League title
Archive
Article Sat, Apr 4 2020
Luxembourg, April 4, 2020. Ten years ago, Volley BERGAMO claimed the last of four CEV Champions League titles in the space of six seasons only. Only VakifBank ISTANBUL have been able to match such a record in Europe’s elite competition, but eight years was the time span required to achieve that same feat. Today we wish to pay tribute to one of the most decorated women’s clubs in Volleyball history and to a city, Bergamo, which has been paying a tremendously high price to the coronavirus pandemic.
Francesca Piccinini and Eleonora Lo Bianco, together with Enrica Merlo, Valentina Arrighetti, Antonella Del Core, Lucia Bosetti and Christiane Fürst were able to emerge victorious from a truly dramatic gold medal match before a sell-out crowd at Palais des Victoires in Cannes.
It was the Easter weekend of 2010, and many Italian fans, especially from Bergamo, had travelled to the French Riviera, where Fenerbahce were hoping to celebrate their first Champions League triumph – and the first such success for Turkey. The Yellow Angels, with a roster featuring the likes of Ekaterina Gamova, Natasa Osmokrovic, Frauke Dirickx, Eda Erdem and Naz Aydemir were the heavy favourites.
The day before, Fenerbahce had shattered the dreams of home glory that hosts RC CANNES shared with thousands of French fans. Volley BERGAMO, on the other hand, had secured they would remain in contention for a fourth title after claiming the Italian derby with Asystel NOVARA.
With 4,000 fans watching from the stands, Volley BERGAMO secured a 2-0 lead in the match, but this is exactly where the drama started to unfold. Fenerbahce responded by taking the next two and seemed to have set their sights on the finish line when Piccinini and her teammates fought bravely and rose to the occasion to claim the tiebreak 15-9.
The triumph in Cannes represents the pinnacle of an unprecedented success story that started back in the 90s, when the team from Bergamo emerged on top as many as three times from the Champions Cup.
“I remember that match very well, as if it was today,” Piccinini says looking back at that triumph ten years later. “We managed to beat an opponent that, on paper, was much stronger than us. However, with our determination, heart and amazing red-and-blue fans, we were able to celebrate an amazing victory. These days, the people of Bergamo are living very difficult times, but I am sure that, by sticking together, they will be able to win this battle as well.”
Francesca Piccinini and Eleonora Lo Bianco, together with Enrica Merlo, Valentina Arrighetti, Antonella Del Core, Lucia Bosetti and Christiane Fürst were able to emerge victorious from a truly dramatic gold medal match before a sell-out crowd at Palais des Victoires in Cannes.
It was the Easter weekend of 2010, and many Italian fans, especially from Bergamo, had travelled to the French Riviera, where Fenerbahce were hoping to celebrate their first Champions League triumph – and the first such success for Turkey. The Yellow Angels, with a roster featuring the likes of Ekaterina Gamova, Natasa Osmokrovic, Frauke Dirickx, Eda Erdem and Naz Aydemir were the heavy favourites.
The day before, Fenerbahce had shattered the dreams of home glory that hosts RC CANNES shared with thousands of French fans. Volley BERGAMO, on the other hand, had secured they would remain in contention for a fourth title after claiming the Italian derby with Asystel NOVARA.
With 4,000 fans watching from the stands, Volley BERGAMO secured a 2-0 lead in the match, but this is exactly where the drama started to unfold. Fenerbahce responded by taking the next two and seemed to have set their sights on the finish line when Piccinini and her teammates fought bravely and rose to the occasion to claim the tiebreak 15-9.
The triumph in Cannes represents the pinnacle of an unprecedented success story that started back in the 90s, when the team from Bergamo emerged on top as many as three times from the Champions Cup.
“I remember that match very well, as if it was today,” Piccinini says looking back at that triumph ten years later. “We managed to beat an opponent that, on paper, was much stronger than us. However, with our determination, heart and amazing red-and-blue fans, we were able to celebrate an amazing victory. These days, the people of Bergamo are living very difficult times, but I am sure that, by sticking together, they will be able to win this battle as well.”