Brescia 3, Atalanta 3 (September 2001)

PEP GUARDIOLA REMEMBERS the first match he watched as a Brescia player back in September 2001. It ended 3-3, with Roberto Baggio scoring a hat trick and his new team coming back from a two-goal halftime deficit to tie their bitter rivals Atalanta. But he was less surprised by the outcome and more by the sight of his new manager running halfway down the field to goad the away fans.

"This is my manager?" Guardiola said in an Amazon documentary. "Is he crazy?"

Carlo Mazzone withstood a whole game of abuse and vowed to retaliate if Brescia fought back to tie the game. When Baggio fulfilled the prophecy, Mazzone, then 64, set off on an unstoppable run, fending off assistants and linesmen just to prove his point to his naysayers from Bergamo.

"I turned into lightning," Mazzone later said. "I ran like lightning without thinking what might happen when I got there. I wanted to settle this once and for all. Man to man, in a rustic fashion, in an old-fashioned duel."

The lineups

What the pregame formations looked like.

Mazzone's Brescia line up in a 3-5-2 formation with the Filippini brothers anchoring midfield and Baggio in a free-roaming role alongside Igli Tare. Now AC Milan's current sporting director, Tare enters the game as Serie A's early scoring leader with four goals thus far. Atalanta roll with the effervescent Gianni Comandini alongside Luca Saudati in a 4-4-2 formation.

The match

Reviewing the most important plays, including my personal thoughts about the teams and players in action.

1' The match at the Stadio Mario Rigamonti begins under heavy haze. But it's jam-packed with fans, not only because of the derby that awaits but because of the general enthusiasm around the club. Guardiola joined Brescia earlier in the week after 17 years at Barcelona. The thought of Guardiola playing alongside Baggio stirs up a lot of emotions for the Biancazzurri.

5' The opening stages are fast and furious. Each side goes forward at the earliest opportunity. The players are limiting themselves to a couple of touches. There's zero rhythm to the action but a lot of action nonetheless. Naturally, Baggio is the only one who can slow down the play and do something meaningful with the ball. Time slows down for the Divine Ponytail.

12' The play is still fractured and the ball continues to bounce like a grenade, but Brescia are trying to assert themselves and finally put together a cohesive move. Tare lays off for Antonio Filippini, who advances the play a few yards before stopping on a dime and feeding his blonde-haired teammate. It's a another quick lay-off, and Filippini's first-time shot from about 20 yards soars above the crossbar. Seconds later, Brescia are back on the counterattack. Tare flicks a header to Baggio, who plays it back into his teammate's path and watches as Atalanta 'keeper Massimo Taibi gobbles up his admittedly tame shot.

16' Atalanta finally get a look at the net. Brescia sweeper Alessandro Calori misjudges the flight of the ball and allows Comandini to streak in behind him and lash a shot at goal. Actually, it's more of a looping effort than an shot as it goes up and over the extended reach of Luca Castellazzi.

22' A lovely combination nearly gives Atalanta the first goal of the match. Boos rain down on Cristiano Doni, the Atalanta midfielder who left Brescia to join the Bergamaschi in 1998, and he wins a throw-in. It goes to Daniele Berretta, who drops his shoulder to circumvent his man and goes on a commanding run into the penalty area. He chips the ball to Doni, gets it back immediately, and rattles the post with a right-footed shot that takes a slight bounce off the ground before hitting the upright.

25' Goal Brescia! They open the scoring just as Atalanta threaten to take over the game. And it's a beautiful goal. Fabio Petruzzi slingshots a excellent ball from right midfield, and Baggio times his run perfectly. He sneaks in behind a defender and pops up right as Atalanta realize the ball is too far gone. Baggio is one one one with Taibi and only about five yards away when he strikes it first time into the back of the net. It's Baggio's third goal in five games. The sun comes out seconds later and the haze is replaced by the smoke of flares lit in the stands. How appropriate.

28' What a response! Atalanta get a free kick along the far touchline, and it's launched into the 18-yard box. Brescia have seven defenders in the area but none of them seem ready for what's coming. Doni wins the header, and Luigi Sala sweeps the volley into the left corner. It's a bang-bang play, and it's caught Brescia completely off guard.

30' MAMMA MIA! CHE GOL! Doni absolutely rifles a shot into the upper right corner, and Atalanta suddenly lead 2-1. Head coach Giovanni Vavassori is too cool to celebrate. All he does his take a relaxed puff of his cigarette as the bench around him erupts. Doni runs over to celebrate with the away fans in the far corner of the stadium as the rest of the crowd peppers him with insults. But the goal is just stunning. The ball bounces to Doni on the edge of the area, and he punishes it just as a defender closes in on him. The result is a 20-yard bomb that Castellazzi dives for but can do nothing to stop.

34' Tare's hold-up play is outstanding. He doesn't hold onto the ball for long and shimmies it back to Federico Giunti. Taibi thwarts the shot and sends it out for a corner kick. "What a game, guys," the commentator exclaims. Baggio gets the ball in the same area less than 30 seconds later and scoops it over the net.

38' Baggio gets absolutely cleaned out on the far right side of the penalty box and wins as clear of a free kick as you'll ever see. The follow-up isn't great. Baggio tries to bend it inside the near post, but it hits the outer netting before any curl can set in. Atalanta immediately break forward, and Saudati thinks he's been tripped in the Brescia's box. Referee Pierluigi Collina doesn't see it the same way. Replays show his shirt getting pulled before he enters the area. If not a penalty, there's an argument for a red card here as the defender is the last man.

39' You can't blink or else you'll miss something. Atalanta's Damiano Zenoni bursts down the wing and does a great job keeping the ball from rolling out of play. When he finds Comandini lurking in the area, the striker goes and takes a mighty swing. But Castellazzi is equal to the shot this time.

45' Atalanta are up 3-1! Comandini gets the goal his workmanlike performance deserves just before halftime. Massimo Paganin has been flying up and down the right flank, and this time he lifts an excellent ball into the mixer. Comandini leaps first, creating enough space between himself and his marker to head his team's third goal in off the ground. It's brilliant center-forward play. Atalanta have made the most of the few shots they've taken.

49' The second half starts with Brescia piling on the pressure as they attempt to halve the deficit. The crowd is still in fine spirits — the more than 10,000 Brescia supporters are chanting like they're in the lead — but Atalanta end up getting the first real chance of the period. Comandini chases a long ball and takes on his defender before hanging a cross for Berretta to head into the turf. The ball bounces up and over the net. Brescia are relieved. A minute later, Comandini glances a header wide after yet another quick play up the field. Atalanta don't need much of the ball to fashion a decent chance.

55' Once again, Atalanta move the ball up the pitch in just a few seconds. After a couple of passes down the left flank, Saudati spots Comandini as he beats the offside trap. The striker lets the ball bounce ahead of him but doesn't realize that the time has also allowed Castellazzi to rush out of his net and narrow down the angle. He gobbles up Comandini's weak effort and keeps Atalanta from running away with the game. But it feels like there's only one winner here.

58' The crowd is incensed when Collina shows Emanuele Filippini a yellow card for diving in the penalty area. Filippini pleads with the referee, but he's not winning the argument and Baggio comes in to prevent him from getting any further punishment for dissent. Replays show Zenoni making contact with the ball as he bumps into Filippini's side. Collina is correct here.

62' Atalanta are on the counterattack yet again and it's none other than Baggio tracking all the way back to deny Zenoni just as he prepares himself for a shot on goal. Baggio shows he has substance to his game, reaching beyond his reputation as a twinkle-toed playmaker.

70' The camera cuts back to Mazzone for the umpteenth time. He's snarling in his dugout. While it may not be clear to the viewer at home, the Atalanta ultras are making his life miserable, hurling various insults at the Brescia boss. And there's nothing he can do about it. At least for now. Brescia are dominating possession but unable to create anything beyond teasing crosses into the area.

75' Goal Brescia! We have a game. All it takes is a long ball up to Tare. He nods it to Baggio, and Brescia's No. 10 takes a second to hold off his man before turning to his right and scoring a few yards away from goal. Mazzone immediately motions to Atalanta's ultras. The fourth official tries to contain the manager, but it's no use. He has something important to say: "If we score a third, I'm coming down there."

83' Brescia are pouring forward and forcing Atalanta into a number of fouls. There doesn't seem to be another way to stop these waves of attack. Brescia are doing everything in their power to keep Atalanta from winning their third straight derby.

90+2' BAGGIO TIES IT WITH HIS HAT-TRICK GOAL! He loops his free kick from the left side of the penalty box, hoping he sets up one of his teammates for an easy header or tap-in, but instead watches as his effort bounces off the shoulder of substitute Alessandro Rinaldi and into the far left corner. As the Brescia players jump all over each other, Mazzone keeps his promise and runs over to the Atalanta fans as well as any 64-year-old could. He wags his fists and yells back at the supporters who are now throwing rubbish at him. Collina tells Mazzone he's expelled, and he happily accepts his fate. But before he departs, he waves to the Brescia fans who can't believe what they've witnessed.