Toro-Pisa, you come back to mind
Simeone was already on the pitch when Torino and Pisa faced each other for the last time in Serie A, but it's strange to think that it was a young Cholo (Diego Pablo was twenty years old) who wore the Nerazzurri shirt that afternoon of April 21, 1991 at the Delle Alpi. Now it's up to Cholito to revive the family glories, even if his son Giovanni plays in a different position as well as wearing different colors, and rekindle the memories of a match that has always had a special meaning for the Granata .
Partly because of the positive record against the Tuscans, especially when playing in Turin with 8 wins out of 11 and only one defeat (in 1983), but above all because of those firsts that have enriched this tie over time. And where Emiliano Mondonico was always at the forefront: both as a player and as Torino coach.
the interview
Baroni launches Toro: "We're building a strong foundation to look to the future." Gianluca Oddenino
Just rewind the tape of history and go back to the first Toro-Pisa in Serie A, dated 29 September 1968. It was the opening match of the championship and it was also the absolute debut of the Pisans "among the big ones": it was played at the Comunale, where this afternoon the two teams will meet again in the renovated stadium, and the match was decided by the young Mondonico in the 71st minute .
"A great goal," La Stampa wrote the next day, "Mondonico controlled the ball, avoided Gasparroni and Gonfiantini with feints and counter-feints, even fooled goalkeeper Annibale and scored with a perfect shot."
Leo Junior
Leo Junior: "Toro shouldn't settle for less, and they'll have a chance in the derby. Simeone makes the difference." Francesco Manassero
A remarkable and, above all, unusual feat, as it was the first goal scored by "Mondo" in the top flight. His second and final came against Fiorentina in March 1970, but fate had other plans for him, and so, fast forward to June 4, 1991. That is, when Mondonico's Torino won the Mitropa Cup, beating Pisa 2-1 in the final after extra time, with Leo Junior as a luxury reinforcement .
It was the tail end of a peculiar season, as the Granata had just qualified for the 1991/92 UEFA Cup (culminating in the final, where they lost two draws to Ajax) and the Nerazzurri had just been relegated to Serie B. The two teams had dominated the previous Serie B championship after being relegated together in 1989/90. From that season, however, everything changed, and only now has Pisa returned to Serie A after failures, disappointments, and rebirths.
In football, 34 years is an eternity, but the thread of memory has never been broken. Since 2016, Pisa has had a Turin president, manager Giuseppe Corrado, who had a distant past in the Juventus youth teams, and above all a cutting-edge project for infrastructure, scouting, and roots, thanks to investments from the Pamplona Fund of American businessman Alexander Knaster.
Gone are the days of the fiery Romeo Anconetani, strongly linked to Torino through his historic friendship with the late general manager Beppe Bonetto (he was also the intermediary who brought Claudio Sala to the Granata), and his superstitions involving salt thrown on the pitch. Now Torino-Pisa is back to brighten up Serie A. And for the Granata, it will also be the springboard to cultivate their dream of Europe after a perfect October.
lastampa
