Resurgent Dolomiti Bellunesi Dial Up the Intensity, Dispatch Lumezzane 2-0 to Escape Bottom Rung in Grueling Serie C Clash

In the crisp October air at Stadio Comunale Omero Tognon, Dolomiti Bellunesi delivered a performance that felt every bit as urgent as their place in the table demanded—dispatching Lumezzane 2-0 and, in the process, swapping the Serie C relegation zone for a sliver of hope.

For a club mired in self-doubt and recent misfortune, the opening exchanges were tense, the football functional rather than beautiful. Both teams arrived with the pressure of poor form shadowing each pass: Dolomiti Bellunesi, 17th with a single win to their name, and Lumezzane, one rung lower, desperate to prove their two victories were no flukes.

It was Daniele Mignanelli who sparked the afternoon to life. With 23 minutes gone, the midfielder ghosted into space at the top of the box, where he received a clever layoff from Clemenza Luca. The finish was precise—low, skimming beyond the gloves of Lumezzane’s keeper and into the far corner. Mignanelli, who’d last found the net in the late stages of Dolomiti’s last win in Pergolettese, celebrated with a ferocity that spoke to the stakes. The home crowd, subdued for much of this season, found their voice again.

The opener settled Dolomiti’s nerves and tipped the momentum irreversibly their way. Lumezzane, perhaps feeling the aftershocks of recent late-game collapses, struggled to fashion meaningful chances in reply. Their attacking talisman Manuele Malotti, who had been a consistent threat over recent weeks, found little joy against a Bellunesi backline eager to atone for the four goals shipped at Pro Vercelli just eight days prior.

As the minutes ticked away, the contest assumed a familiar shape for fans of both sides: Dolomiti Bellunesi’s confidence grew, while Lumezzane’s urgency devolved into frustration. The second half began with Lumezzane pressing high, chasing the equalizer that might reverse their fortunes. But it would be Dolomiti who struck again, midway through the half.

The 60th minute saw a surging run down the right flank, a fizzing low cross, and a scrambled finish—credited to a player not yet named on the official scoresheet, but whose intervention was decisive. The stadium erupted again, this time with an undercurrent of disbelief: for just the second time all season, Dolomiti Bellunesi were ahead by more than a single goal.

Much credit must go to the home side’s midfield, who harried and disrupted Lumezzane’s attempts to play through the lines. Clemenza, in particular, was omnipresent—recycling possession and setting the tempo. On the rare occasions Lumezzane threatened, they were met by a disciplined defensive line determined not to let history repeat after embarrassing defensive breakdowns earlier in the campaign.

If Lumezzane had arrived with ambitions of leapfrogging their hosts, those hopes faded with each misplaced pass and lost duel. A spirited late push saw a volley from Rolando Mattia sail just wide, but it was one of few genuine scares for Dolomiti’s keeper.

For the visitors, this marked their sixth defeat in eight matches—the joint-worst in the division this autumn. The early promise shown in wins over Cittadella and Ospitaletto now feels distant. Lumezzane’s inability to secure even a draw is troubling; the side has leaned heavily on moments of individual brilliance from Malotti and Rolando, but cohesion remains stubbornly out of reach.

Dolomiti Bellunesi, by contrast, are suddenly looking up. With seven points from eight matches (now two clear of Lumezzane), manager and fans alike will cling to the hope that this marks a genuine turning point, not a fleeting reprieve. The pattern of their previous five fixtures—heavy defeats, narrow losses, nervy draws—was always going to require a response. Today, it finally arrived.

Little has separated these two sides in recent campaigns—head-to-head clashes have often teetered on the edge, settled by the odd goal. Yet never in this young season has either club managed to impose such authority on a contest as Dolomiti did here.

No major disciplinary incidents marred the contest; both teams played with an edge but stayed on the right side of the referee’s patience. The result lifts Dolomiti Bellunesi out of the drop zone and, perhaps more crucially, injects a shot of belief into a squad that sorely needed it. Lumezzane, meanwhile, are left to confront the reality of life in 18th, with the path to safety stretching dauntingly ahead.

As the final whistle blew, Dolomiti’s supporters lingered, reluctant to let go of a rare afternoon of triumph. For a club fighting for its Serie C survival, today was more than just three points—it was proof that, even in football’s lower reaches, despair and hope can trade places in the space of ninety minutes.

With a brutal stretch of fixtures looming for both sides, the urgency and lessons from this October afternoon will echo long after the stadium empties. The season’s road remains treacherous, but for Dolomiti Bellunesi, at least for tonight, the journey looks a little less daunting.