Venezia: Night streams — Terrace Edition

Words: Gonzalo Alfaro

Images: Gonzalo Alfaro

Two cities combined under an Arancio-Verde mantle to create one of modern football's most fashionable outfits, but also a deeply cultivated and nested union that has earned its place in Italia's Serie A.

The last couple of years have been crazy for Venezia as a club, a city and an institution, with brand development due to exposure, amazing kits, hypnotizing photo campaigns and recurring celebrity presence in its stands.

Flashy elements that may give the false impression that Venezia is just a fleeing fashion club, but far from it.

Venezia-Mestre was born in 1987 out of the union of I Leoni Alati (The Winged Lions) from Mestre and Lagunari (Lagoonal Ones) from Venezia and from then on has brought some internal controversy in the beginning but now enjoying a great spell and owning its place in Italy's top flight.

Only this weekend the Biennale, protests and the usual tourists filled the water-surrounded city of Venezia and on the island, a championship battle was happening in the broader context of what might be a goodbye to the Penzo stadium, finishing a 113 year spell of Venezia taking a vaporetto to the stadium.

©Gonzalo Alfaro. Venezia FC promotion celebrations.

For the final match of the season Venezia-Mestre Ultras started the match with a 20 minute protest against the away-end fans ban that's been a recurring theme in Italian stands the last couple of years.

Following the first moments of the match, a close tussle took place between two of the four best teams in the Serie B season.

Lots of small stories were happening in what surely wasn't just some random last matchday fixture. Inzaghi being thanked by the Curva for taking the team from Serie C to Serie C and clapping back at fans in a wholesome moment, Pohjanpalo being booed for what is still considered a traitor-move and FIVE goalposts being hit while Venezia was 1-0 up in the second half of the match.

It was in one of the last moments of play when Venezia finally got the chance to score the second and final goal of the match, unleashing a pitch invasion worthy of a long season and a title win that means that the Venezia-Mestre Magical Union is becoming a regular player in the top league.

And the night will rise in Venice.

Gonzalo is on Instagram: @gonalpha

Venezia away

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River: In the bad

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