The countdown has begun at Delta Group Porto Viro: the Final Four of the Del Monte Coppa Italia A2 will be staged at the Palasport in Cuneo over the weekend, the most important and eagerly awaited event of the season. Daniele Morato’s nerofuchsia will take the field for the semi-final (one-off match) against Consoli Sferc Brescia on Saturday 11 May at 7.30 pm. Shortly before, at 5pm, the other semi-final between Yuasa Battery Grottazzolina and Consar Ravenna. The two winners will then compete for the Italian trophy in the final on Sunday 12 May, with kick-off at 5.30 pm.
Contrary but also intertwined destinies, Porto Viro and Brescia, upon closer inspection, are the outsiders of this Final Four. The Polesans eliminated Cuneo in the quarterfinals, the second strongest team in the regular season and an almost “obvious” presence in the two-day cup organized at home. No less surprising was the passage of Brescia which, after having tamed Reggio Emilia in three matches in the round of 16, managed to eliminate Siena (third in the championship and playoff finalist) with a double success: 3-2 in the first leg, 1-3 on the way back. A sweet revenge for Roberto Zambonardi’s boys, who had to raise the white flag in the first round of the playoffs in the presence of Emma Villas.
Like Delta Group, Consoli has already played in two semi-finals and a final of the Italian Cup in its history, the latter lost against Bergamo in 2019/2020. Curiously, the following year it was the turn of Porto Viro, which was then playing in A3, to bow to Bergamo itself in the last act of the event.
Both direct matches of the last regular season were won by Brescia: 2-3 in the first leg, 3-1 in the return. Even the historic record holder in Serie A smiles at the Lombards, victorious over Delta Group in five of the six matches played.
There are two former players, Erati wore the black and fuchsia jersey last season, while Bellei played with the Toucans in 2017/2018. The face-to-face match between the strikers of the two teams was tantalizing: Brescia’s opposite team Klapwijk has scored 642 points so far in all seasonal competitions, Porto Viro’s golden boy Barotto is chasing at 505.
A (more than interested) look also at the contenders on the other side of the scoreboard. Grottazzolina, dominator of the regular season and fresh from promotion to the SuperLega, is undoubtedly the big favorite for the final victory. In the quarterfinals the battleship from the Marche, led by Massimiliano Ortenzi on the bench and the top scorer of the cadetteria Breuning Nielsen on the taraflex, got rid of Cantù with a double 3-1.
