Other names Emilia Derby Teams Bologna
Parma | Locale Italy Meetings total 41 | |
 | ||
First meeting Parma 3–3 Bologna
Serie C1
(18 November 1983) Latest meeting Bologna 1–1 Parma
Serie A
(13 April 2014) | ||
The Derby dell'Emilia ([ˈderbi del eˈmiːlja]), or the Emilia Derby, is the name given in football to any match between Bologna F.C. 1909 and Parma F.C. Emilia is a region that approximately corresponds to the western and north-eastern portions of today’s Emilia-Romagna. The region takes its name from the Via Aemilia, a Roman road in 187 BCE. It is contested twice a year when the two clubs participate in the same league competition, as they last did in the 2013–14 edition of Serie A, and more often if the clubs meet in other competitions. Other matches between Emilian teams may also be referred to under the name Derby dell'Emilia.
Contents
The rivalry comes about as Parma and Bologna are the two largest cities in Emilia-Romagna and the two clubs are the two most successful football clubs in the region, although Reggiana and Modena, respectively, are seen as the clubs' two closest rivals. Bologna lead the count in official titles won, with 9 major trophies (plus an Intertoto Cup and three Mitropa Cups), while Parma have won 8 trophies.
History
For much of the clubs' early history, games were not contested, so the first fixture was not until 6 November 1983, despite Bologna being formed in 1909 and Parma just four years later in 1913. While Bologna competed for titles, becoming national champions 7 times and winning the Coppa Italia twice by 1974, Parma only dreamt of national success. The first meeting was an eventful 3–3 draw at the Stadio Ennio Tardini in what remains the fixture's highest scoring game and the lowest level at which it has been fought. March's return also saw no victor; it was a goalless draw. The rivalry was intensified because both sides were competing for the 1983–84 Serie C1 title. Indeed, the duo each finished joint top with 48 points and achieved promotion to Serie B.
Serie B was the scene for six more derbies before the decade was out and 1985 saw the clubs' only battle in the Coppa Italia: a 0–0 draw that eventually consigned both sides to failure to qualify from the group stage. Bologna's win (their first derby victory at the eighth attempt) and a draw and thus 3 points earned against Parma were crucial in their 1988 Serie B title win. In 1990, the derby was contested in Serie A for the first time, after Parma joined Bologna in Italian football's top tier. It was now Parma who had the upper hand, with Bologna relegated in the spring of 1991. The teams would not meet again until Bologna's return to Serie A in 1996, but then proceeded to play each other on an annual basis for nine consecutive years.
The final season of that run, 2004–05, was the rivalry at its zenith. Both sides had performed poorly, finishing 17th and 18th in the 20-strong league. The bottom three sides were to be relegated and to split the two Emilian sides, the traditional spareggio was required, involving a two-legged play-off to decide which of the two would remain in Serie A. Bologna won the first leg in the Stadio Ennio Tardini 1–0 on 14 June 2005, but succumbed to 2–1 aggregate defeat following Parma's two-goal victory in Bologna, securing the Crociati a place in Italy's top division.
In 2008, Bologna achieved promotion back to Serie A, but Parma dropped down to Serie B, so the teams did not meet again until the following year. In 2009–10, both teams managed 2–1 wins at home, preceding a three-match run of goalless draws, a result that occurred for the tenth time in the 36 meetings up to that point.
Statistics
As of 13 April 2014, there have been 41 competitive meetings between the teams. Parma have won 12 of these, Bologna 11 and the remaining 18 have finished as draws. The biggest victories have been by two goals. Bologna have achieved this margin of victory twice, both times winning in 3–1 at home in Serie A. Parma have won by a two-goal margin on four occasions, twice at home and twice away, including the spareggio victory in 2005.
Honours
Bologna and Parma are the only teams in Emilia-Romagna to have won major titles. Bologna won the first of their 7 league titles in 1924–25 and their last major silverware in 1974, before Parma had won anything. Parma's first title came in 1991–92's Italian Cup.
Table correct as of 13 February 2012All-time results
Parma win Draw Bologna win