Championship: relegation battle heats up as Cosmos and Tre Penne stay perfect at the top

There was no shortage of goals in the early fixtures of the 17th matchday of the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301, which served up sixteen goals across today’s four games. Big wins for Serravalle sides Cosmos and Juvenes-Dogana, who – at different heights in the table – both bank crucial points. As expected, Berardi’s men – with De Rosa standing in on the bench today – collect all three, though they have an early scare. Maggioli proves decisive in both boxes: on 4 minutes he clears Angelini’s effort off the line after a corner – and from the continuation of the move Strologo fails to convert a tap-in with the goal gaping. After unsuccessful attempts from Errico and Prandelli, Bruma forces a fine stop from Simoncini in the 21st minute from the edge of the box. As foreshadowed, it is Maggioli who breaks the deadlock, quickest to react to a loose ball after a corner and beating De Angelis with a decisive deflection off Giuliano. The goal knocks the stuffing out of San Giovanni and frees up Cosmos mentally, who double their lead once again from a corner: Prandelli steals in to head home at the near post, taking his tally to 11 league goals. Early in the second half the Gialloverdi wrap it up on 51 minutes with Zulli’s clinical right-footed volley, while shortly afterwards Guidi does the defending for San Giovanni, inadvertently denying Prandelli his brace. No great damage for Cosmos, who make it four in the 86th minute through two substitutes: Savelli skips past Serafini with a slice of luck and serves Righini a golden ball which – despite the mishit right-foot finish – secures the 4-0 final score from close range. At the Ezio Conti in Dogana, in the 18:00 kick-off, Tre Penne also deliver. Ceci’s side virtually seal the win in just over a quarter of an hour, enough time for Badalassi and Gai to breach Benedettini’s goal as they take turns in supplying one another. The striker – three times top scorer in the league with three different clubs in his career – opens the scoring, arriving onto Gai’s pull-back and firing past the Cailungo goalkeeper from the heart of the box. The move leading to the second is pure eye candy: Righini threads a vertical ball for Gai, whose back-heel finds Badalassi; he instantly returns it to the captain, who unleashes a right-foot strike from 25 metres that nestles in the top corner. Cailungo respond down the Apezteguia-Canini channel towards the end of the half, but the young forward loses his footing in front of Migani after gliding elegantly between Tisselli and Lombardi. At the start of the second half, Gai is unable to find his second with his left foot, while Giangrandi’s overhead attempt against the post is chalked off for an earlier foul. Cailungo then appeal for a penalty after a coming-together between Bara and Tisselli in the box, but Borriello lets play continue. The Rossoverdi show a completely different attitude and go close through Canini from the edge of the area on 58 minutes. Water is poured on the flames by the ever-reliable Nicola Gai, who just after the hour mark meets a Ceccaroli assist and steers his finish across goal from inside the area. The Biancazzurri’s third kills the contest early and from then on only a series of unsuccessful efforts from Badalassi, Righini and Giovagnoli – the latter both from a set piece and a solo run – are worth noting. The final shot on target again comes from Gai, who is denied a hat-trick by a superb flying save from Benedettini. On the Domagnano–Acquaviva axis, meanwhile, two matches of huge importance in the race for the play-off places were played today. Starting with the head-to-head between Juvenes-Dogana and Domagnano, which ended in a 3-1 victory for Amati’s men – with Girotti deputising on the bench due to suspension. After a couple of half-chances each for Fedeli and Salvemini, the Biancorossazzurri take the lead through Davide Merli’s ninth league goal of the season – fortunate in finding a decisive deflection off Morena that completely wrong-foots Colonna. Domagnano are repeatedly denied by a towering performance from Gentilini, while at the other end Juvenes-Dogana appeal for a potential penalty in the 25th minute. Ilie waves play on, as he does in the 38th minute in the opposite box, when Ceccaroli protests for a handball by Santi. Shortly afterwards Cangini has a glaring opportunity, bursting through from a corner situation and shaving the far post with his effort. After the interval, a quarter of an hour without chances precedes a frenetic finale. In the 62nd minute a collision between Angelini and D’Angeli in the box results in a penalty to Domagnano: Fedeli steps up but has to bow to Gentilini’s extraordinary reflex save. In the 70th minute Merli fails to kill off the game on the counter, even after rounding the goalkeeper, thanks to a monumental last-ditch clearance from Baffoni. Hands on heads for the Biancorossazzurri, who break out in a cold sweat when Angelini’s left-foot strike is deflected just wide in the 76th minute. The fears of dropping points are dispelled by Salvemini, who makes it 2-0 a few seconds later. Crucial, but not decisive: shortly afterwards, Domagnano are back in it through Fedeli. The forward beats Gentilini with a precise right-foot finish and gives the Giallorossi over ten minutes of renewed hope; they almost complete an unlikely comeback when Babboni’s right-foot shot from the edge of the box sails just over. Instead, it is Giacomo Borghini who finds the net with a thunderous 25-metre strike into the bottom corner to Colonna’s right, sealing the win and handing Juvenes-Dogana a hugely important victory. The Biancorossazzurri return to winning ways after four consecutive defeats and leapfrog their rivals in the table, sending Domagnano back down to second-from-bottom – a position which would mean missing out on the play-offs. The same fate would currently befall Murata, who nonetheless finally ended a long winless run by beating Pennarossa at the end of a remarkable contest. A superb performance from Mattia Stefanelli is not enough for the Biancorossi to keep clear of the quicksand in the race for twelfth place. Murata almost take the lead after just 20 seconds through Ura, capitalising on a sloppy build-up error from Michelotti. At the other end, Stefanelli and Zago fail to trouble former team-mate Gueye, who is decisive on Cecchetti around the half-hour. He then produces a stunning save to keep out Stefanelli’s right-foot effort from the edge of the box on 38 minutes, but can do nothing from the ensuing corner. Murata switch off and allow Cecchetti to surge into the area and square for Stefanelli, who shakes off his marker and opens the scoring. The San Marino forward twice goes close to a brace before the break, but Gueye is outstanding. Their duel resumes at the start of the second half from the penalty spot: Stefanelli earns a penalty after a foul by Costantini and makes no mistake from eleven metres, moving into double figures for the season. Murata throw caution to the wind and pour forward, threatening through Gega and halving the deficit around the hour mark. Mezzadri is at fault as he loses the ball playing out from the back, allowing Comuniello to slip in Ferraro, who delivers a precise ball into the middle for Toccaceli, who only has to guide it into the net. The episode completely shifts the momentum and Pennarossa visibly feel the impact: Semprini almost equalises in the 71st minute from a Comuniello assist, while at the other end Cecchetti curses his luck as the crossbar comes to Murata’s rescue. It is a clear sign of the breathless finale to come, with Pennarossa unable to put the game to bed and then dramatically overturned. Zago wastes a chance and Ferraro is denied by a superb reflex stop from Benedettini in the 83rd minute, but one minute later the Pennarossa goalkeeper is powerless as Murata’s relentless attack makes it 2-2 through Gega. Just 30 seconds later Zago squanders another golden opportunity to restore Pennarossa’s lead when one-on-one with Gueye, while at the other end Dulcetti shoots straight at the goalkeeper from a promising position. The teams are stretched to the limit, with Murata hunting all three points without worrying about the risk of defeat and a tiring Pennarossa leaving huge spaces. The bold approach from Angelini pays off and – along with his staff – he spills onto the pitch in wild celebration when, on 90 minutes, Raul Ura produces a moment of magic pulling a rabbit out of the hat, curling a right-foot shot that kisses the far top corner and completes Murata’s comeback from 0-2 down to 3-2 up in the final half-hour, with two assists coming from the bench. Murata now sit four points adrift of third-from-bottom and can hope this victory will prove the turning point of their season. What is certain is that it ends a dire run of eleven defeats and a single draw. Over the coming weeks the Bianconeri face two direct relegation battles which they will have to approach with the knife between their teeth. Here is the partial picture of the 17th matchday of the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301, available free of charge on TITANI.TV – live streaming from every ground, with Italian commentary:

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