Fans of Italian Serie A football club Genoa watched the first 43 minutes of their clash with Empoli in silence to honour the victims of the Morandi Bridge collapse.

In a mark of respect, they remained silent for one minute for each of the 43 victims of the bridge collapse on 14 August.

It began with a minute's silence before kick-off followed by applause for relatives of the victims who were invited onto the pitch.

As requested by Genoa fans, the silence continued after kick-off as only the shouts of the players echoed around the stadium.

Image: The bridge collapsed on 14 August, killing 43 people

In a statement before the game, fans asked for "a deafening silence of 43 minutes, one for each child, worker, student, father or mother who are no longer with us today".


At the end, they chanted "Genova, Genova", the Italian name of the city.

Genoa won 2-1 with both their goals set up by captain Domenico Criscito.

Criscito had entered the pitch before kick-off with Cesare Cerulli, the 11-year-old son of bridge collapse victim Andrea Cerulli.

"The first thought always goes to the tragedy," Genoa coach Davide Ballardini said.

"Then you train but every day you take a road or something else that reminds you of it.

"Our legs and heads were heavy."

Image: Warnings about the safety of the bridge had been ignored

Criscito and the other Genoa players wore T-shirts that read "Genoa nel cuore", Genoa in the heart, with a design featuring a heart in the middle of the bridge span.

There was also a minute of silence observed and the Genoa teammates wore black ribbons on their shirts while the space usually reserved for sponsors was left blank.

A huge banner hanging from the stadium's upper deck read: "In silence for you, hurt 43 times in the heart. Get back on your feet proudly and become splendid again!"