Your Moment of Joy

Como are an Italian soccer club with a long history, but not much of a winning pedigree. I Lariani have spent 14 of their 117 professional seasons in Serie A, usually toiling in the second or third divisions of Italian soccer. As the club's website itself hints in claiming Il Gioco Più Bello Del Mondo Nella Location Più Bella Del Mondo ("The Beautiful Game in the Most Beautiful Location"), it's probably not that difficult to accept mediocrity when you're living in Lake Como.

As recently as 2019, Como were playing in Serie D, the lowest rung of Italian professional soccer. Over the past few years, the club made a steady climb towards the top. And yesterday, after a 1-1 draw with Cosenza and Venezia's 2-1 loss to Spezia, Como clinched its first promotion to Serie A since 2003.

Striker Alessandro Gabrielloni joined Como in 2018, after a bankruptcy and recapitalization landed the club in Serie D. He's scored 63 goals in 202 matches in his seven years in blue. And at a time when professional athletes get accused of not caring, he showed how wrong that can be in the agonizing seconds before the final whistle yesterday.

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Semm Cumasch!