The film's sets were designed by the art director Piero Filippone as well as former Italy national team coach Vittorio Pozzo.

A struggling team at the bottom of the Serie A standings travel to play A.C. Milan knowing that a defeat will see them relegated.

Staying in a hotel ahead of Sunday's game, the various players experience the city in different ways and the club's regular goalkeeper is injured, requiring his place to be taken by the inexperienced, young Marini.

Meanwhile Gino Bardi, the club's star striker, is approached via his girlfriend to deliberately throw the game in exchange for a large sum of money.

In the interval the team's doctor informs him that tests done the day before show him to be seriously ill and advises him not to return to the pitch, but Bardi insists on going out for the second half.