Peering over the top of the Mapei Stadium on Saturday evening, you half expected to see a leaning tower jutting out of the skyline. This may have been a match taking place in Emilia-Romagna, but there was a distinctly Tuscan feel to it.

Yes, Sassuolo were the home team and yes they took all three points in this top of the table clash, but in the heart of Reggio Emilia, this was a celebration of all things Pisa.

It was known before this Serie B blockbuster that the visitors were set to bring a large backing with them for the biggest match of the season. Only all estimates proved wholly undercooked.

Pisa had already taken every seat available in the Tribuna Nord – a stand that holds 4,000 supporters – when an agreement was struck to allow more Nerazzurri tifosi to buy tickets in the Tribuna Est. The end result was a 7,000-strong sea of black and blue taking over the ground.

The hoards that made the two-hour journey north created an atmosphere rarely felt at the Mapei Stadium. Despite their stature as the form team in the second tier, and the brand of football they play, Sassuolo don’t get the biggest of crowds. Then again, ground-sharing in a city 24 kilometres away from home will have that effect.

Three hours before kick-off, the sight of black and blue began to appear outside the ground, visiting supporters doing their best to navigate the confusing lay out. The stadium is not only home to two football teams – it also boasts a shopping centre, a cinema and a gym.

Mixing in with the Saturday afternoon shopping crowd, most looked for the reassurance of more in similar colours. It wouldn’t take any of them long to find.

Many of them began streaming in from the car park behind the old Reggio Stadio railway station – designated for away supporters. They began to flock in through their designated entrances – the majority into the north stand, the latecomers through Gate 8, beside the cinema’s box office.

By the time Pisa’s team bus arrived 90 minutes before kick off, hundreds had already gathered in the gangways to catch a glimpse of their heroes arriving. The reception was a sign of things to come.

As the sides emerged from the tunnel, they were met by an incredible sight. The entire Tribuna Nord had been transformed black and blue, with each supporter holding a scarf above their head The banner underneath them all read: “The black and blue of my scarf, wherever I take it.”

For the next 90 minutes, the noise didn’t stop. When the scarves came down, flags came out, along with chant after chant. If the performance off the pitch had been matched by those on it, it would have been a battering.

As it was, only Pisa’s players will know how they failed to score in a second half which they dominated. Alexander Lind may have had too much time to think about his celebration when he was sprung clear, only to see his effort saved. Henrik Meister’s 90th minute miss brought even louder cries of disbelief from the away faithful as he smashed the bar from just yards out.

Despite the disappointing result, that army of fans stuck about to serenade their players long after the full-time whistle. While Sassuolo celebrated with their small band of fans at one end, Pisa’s were taking stock of what might have been at the other.

“We feel sorry for our people, the same one who sang ‘Vi vogliamo così’,” said head coach Filippo Inzaghi after the game – referencing one of the the most popular chants. “Today we brought 7,000 fans and hearing them sing that way was the most beautiful thing for me. It means they appreciated our commitment.

“We are bitter about the result, we hoped to equalise. The support was extraordinary. Seeing them away from is better, totally different. 

“We have to continue like this. We have to repay the affection, the love of the people. The bitterness is double, for not having given us and the fans a different result, even for all the kilometres they have traveled.”

Their next match presents a real opportunity to repay supporters. A result against Spezia would bring the prize of promotion into sharp focus – and with it the opportunity to conquer more grounds, always with their black and blue scarves in hand.