Renate vs Dolomiti Bellunesi Match Recap - Oct 18, 2025

Renate Seize Lifeline with Timely Win over Dolomiti Bellunesi to Ignite Serie C Survival Fight

Renate have grown unaccustomed to the taste of victory, but on a blustery afternoon at Mino Favini, two crisp finishes and a dash of luck proved enough to rewrite a narrative that had threatened to spiral into bleakness. With Dolomiti Bellunesi arriving as slight favorites, buoyed by a recent win, it was Renate who found a way through the turbulence—securing a 2-0 triumph that breathes life into their faltering campaign and drags their rivals into the dogfight below.

The first decisive moment materialized almost before Dolomiti Bellunesi could settle, when Renate broke the deadlock in the 12th minute. From the outset, Renate pressed with an urgency seldom seen in recent weeks, and the early goal delivered a much-needed shot of belief to the squad. The identity of the scorer may have been left to the recordkeepers, but the strike’s impact was unmistakable: suddenly, the weight of five winless matches seemed to lift from Renate’s shoulders, replaced by a hunger notably absent amid their autumn struggles.

The match’s axis, however, pivoted on an altogether different event midway through the first half. Dolomiti Bellunesi’s Salvatore Burrai, tasked with providing composure and distribution at the heart of midfield, saw red in the 36th minute for a rash and ill-timed challenge. The decision left the visitors not only numerically disadvantaged but emotionally rattled—Burrai’s departure was both a self-inflicted wound and a turning point. While Bellunesi protested, their frustration was met with relentless blue-and-black pressure.

Defending a slender lead and conscious of squandered points in recent outings, Renate emerged after halftime with a steely edge. Just six minutes after the interval, the hosts struck again: a swift sequence in the final third sliced open Dolomiti’s depleted defense and culminated in an emphatic finish to double the lead. The scorer’s name was lost in the paperwork, but the result on the pitch was all that mattered. Renate—so often guilty of letting games slip away—suddenly looked organized, disciplined, and, above all, confident.

For Dolomiti Bellunesi, whose recent form had fluctuated between promise and disappointment, the red card proved a hurdle too high. They arrived at Mino Favini in relative comfort, perched in 13th place, one rung and a point above Renate—a margin now erased by the afternoon’s events. Bellunesi’s season has been defined by inconsistency: resounding defeats at Pro Vercelli and Vicenza have followed hard on the heels of spirited victories over Lumezzane and Pergolettese. Today’s defeat, however, will be especially galling: not only did they surrender the initiative early, but through Burrai’s moment of indiscipline, they ceded any realistic hope of recovery.

Renate’s supporters, long starved of positive omens, will savor a win that interrupts a challenging sequence of five matches yielding just two draws and three defeats. In recent weeks, profligacy and defensive lapses have made every point hard-won—scoreless against Cittadella, outclassed at Triestina, and narrowly pipped by Ospitaletto and Union Brescia. Today’s clean sheet, in contrast, offers tangible evidence of improvement, with the side now climbing to nine points from eight matches. Seventeenth place in Girone A remains far from secure, but the league’s lower reaches have rarely been this congested—every result now reverberates across the standings.

Dolomiti Bellunesi can take little solace from their position, just one point clear of Renate yet having played a game more. Their aspirations for a quiet mid-table existence look increasingly precarious, the security of a recent home win over Lumezzane now overshadowed by the specter of two defeats in three matches. For manager and players alike, today’s lesson is clear: discipline and composure will define their autumn.

Recent meetings between these sides have been tight, often simmering with tension but rarely producing such clear separation. This time, Renate have seized the moment, both punishing Bellunesi’s mistakes and capitalizing on their own flashes of quality. There was little in the way of artistry—this was a contest about control, resolve, and survival instinct.

As Serie C grinds deeper into its grueling autumn schedule, both clubs understand what is at stake. For Renate, the task is to prove that this afternoon’s resolve can become routine, not just an oasis amid drought. A surge up the table is required if they are to reclaim the security that once seemed a given. For Dolomiti Bellunesi, the warning is stark: slip-ups and lapses in concentration will not go unpunished. The margins in Girone A are razor-thin, and leagues are seldom won in October—but seasons can certainly be lost.

Both squads now look ahead knowing that every fixture carries consequence. The narrative has shifted, ever so slightly, in Renate’s favor. Whether it is the start of a revival—or merely a respite—will be revealed by the unforgiving road ahead.