Imoco, the record stopped at number 76 Folie: “We did an incredible thing”

Before and after the World Cup there are two other external commitments for the Champions League, with about twenty days away from the Village

Mirco Cavallin / TREVISO

It will take time to beat the record of 76 consecutive victories in all competitions set by Prosecco Doc Imoco Conegliano. The previous one lasted seven years and already now, looking back, one understands how great this feat of the panthers is. It’s a bit like leafing through the photo album of your wedding or childhood memories to relive beautiful moments. The sequence begins on 15 December 2019 at home against Chieri, when all the players who had just triumphed at the World Cup in China return from rest. The defeat in Perugia three days earlier (also the one in the tiebreak, like the other night against Florence), with a widely reworked roster, had interrupted another record streak of 17 wins. The very solid first place in the regular season, the domination in the affordable Champions League group, the triumph in the Italian Cup on the field of Busto gave us a foretaste of a spring full of satisfactions. The outbreak of the pandemic, the postponements of the races, the closed doors and then the definitive stop did not, however, take away from the panthers the desire to try again with the new season. The Supercoppa won in Vicenza playing a little in the square and a little in the sports hall was the prelude to a perfect season, with the record (yes, unbeatable) of points in the championship, another Italian Cup, a championship won with a lot of effort in the two finals against Novara. And then the Champions League, finally, won by overcoming the difficult Scandicci in the quarterfinals, a submissive Novara in the semifinals and the tough Vakifbank in the final. Then there are the last two months, after a disappointing Olympics and a sparkling European, with some injuries to manage (Fahr, Sylla, Folie, De Gennaro). Another 12 victories arrive, almost all of them very hard fought, up to the fatal tiebreak against Florence.

«Sooner or later it had to happen – says Raphaela Folie – but we did something wonderful and incredible. The defeat on Wednesday breaks the record, but it does not change our path of this group that has been playing together for a long time. We are however proud of what we have done, given that no other team in history has managed to achieve the same results ». The problems of the infirmary and the preparation aimed at the World Cup did not allow the panthers to express themselves at their best. «We are certainly not playing like last year due to these situations. We have not yet found the balance and we have changed the sextet practically every game. We need to play together continuously and we will put our best in these few days and a couple of matches that are missing from the away match ». Before and after the World Cup there are two other external commitments for the Champions League, with about twenty days away from the Imoco Village. «We are mentally used to travel. It is more a problem of physical stress, for planes, frequent changes of bed and hotel. Having this week with two home games helped us to recharge ». –