In the grand scheme of things, that Bologna won a football match against SPAL on Friday night mean nothing.
That Sinisa Mihajlovic was there to witness it, though, meant everything.
To the players, to the fans and everyone connected with the club.
Bologna’s coach had made a surprise appearance on the bench for Bologna's Serie A opener the weekend before, in Verona – having spent the previous 40 nights in Bologna's Sant'Orsola hospital undergoing chemotherapy for leukaemia.
There was no certainty that he would be available for their first home game of the new campaign, though.
Mihajlovic had promised his players when he was first admitted to hospital that he would be present for the trip to Verona. "We didn't really think he would be," Riccardo Orsolini admitted.
He did everything he could to make that happen, including wearing a protective mask at and while travelling to the stadium, in order to protect his weakened immune system.
"I did tell him there was less risk when on the touchline in a wide-open space, so he was able to take the mask off, as the risk there is inferior," the Serb's doctor, Professor Michele Cavo, told Ansa.
“I have to say, Sinisa proved himself to be an exemplary patient. He did everything I told him to, he never shrugged off any advice or suggestions."
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Mihajlovic returned to Sant'Orsola immediately after the 1-1 draw at the Bentegodi but completed his first cycle of chemotherapy three days later and was released to rest ahead of the second cycle.
On Thursday, he oversaw his first training session since July 11.
Mihajlovic had always remained present, communicating with his players via video calls.
Now, though, he was back among them. “He’s lost a bit of weight,” Orsolini explained, “but the grit, determination and passion are the same as always."
The message was clear: Mihajlovic was ready to lead his side out at the Renato Dall'Ara.
Only he didn't. When Bologna's players made their way on to the field to face local rivals SPAL, the coach was nowhere to be seen.
The tension grew. When Mihajlovic belatedly emerged from the tunnel, seemingly hoping to sneak in to the dugout without anyone noticing, the Dall'Ara erupted – almost literally, with a bomb going off in the heart in the Curva Bulgarelli.
Mihajlovic had stated, "I don't need to see people crying for me. I don't want pity."
There was no pity, though. Only unity.
"Let's fight every battle for Sinisa and for the jersey. Let's go, boys!" read a tifo unfurled before the game.
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That plea didn't fall on deaf ears. Bologna fought right until the end of the game.
Despite seeing Roberto Soriano hit the bar from five yards out and Federico Santander have a goal ruled out for offside, the hosts just kept going.
They were rewarded for their perseverance in the third minute of injury time when Soriano finally found a way past an inspired Etrit Berisha with as brave of a header as you are ever likely to see.
The subsequent celebrations were so chaotic that many fans didn't notice Mihajlovic make for dressing room before the final whistle blew.
He didn't want this to be about him. His players had claimed a deserved victory that temporarily puts them on top of the league.
Of course, at this stage of the season, that means nothing.
But that Mihajlovic was there to see them go top meant everything.