BKN301 Championship: Cailungo win thanks to Giangrandi’s early wonder goal

Despite the many chances created, the late kick-off of Matchday 4 in the BKN301 Campionato Sammarinese was ultimately decided by the only goal of the game, scored by Alessandro Giangrandi after just four minutes. A truly outstanding piece of play from the attacking midfielder, who last season already claimed the award for the goal of the year: receiving the ball on the halfway line, he nutmegs Sarti to break free and drives all the way into the box before opening up his body and curling a left-footed finish into the far corner past Battistini. For the third time in four games, Iencinella’s side struck first and – unlike the two previous occasions – this time they managed to see out the win. This was also because, for the first time in this league campaign, San Marino Academy failed to find the net. Cecchetti’s men replied with a misdirected header from Alessandro Renzi, and then had to rely on a superb save from Battistini to keep out Senja’s rocket. The San Marino goalkeeper was outstanding again on 23 minutes, winning his one-on-one with Urbinati after a brilliant through ball by Giangrandi. As the minutes ticked by, the Academy grew into the game, forcing Masini into action with a fine long-range strike by Pietro Renzi. Sarti’s free-kick, slightly deflected, shaved the outside of the post. However, on 43 minutes came the clearest chance for the Biancazzurri. Starting wide on the left, Famiglietti cut inside onto his right and unleashed a curling effort that clipped the crossbar with the keeper beaten. The second half began with Urbinati in the spotlight. The Cailungo forward tried his luck straight from kick-off, forcing Battistini to turn the ball behind for a corner. From that set piece, Urbinati rose highest, drawing an extraordinary fingertip save from the Academy keeper to divert the ball onto the bar. His next right-footed attempt from twenty yards was less dangerous and comfortably dealt with by Battistini. Cailungo took charge of the match after the break, fully justifying their eventual victory. Around the 75-minute mark, Bruno twice tested Battistini, who remained alert. San Marino Academy reappeared in the final ten minutes, threatening in the opposition area with an overhead kick by Luvisi – off target. At the other end, the Rossoverdi appealed for a possible handball in the box, before surviving a late scare on the very last ball of the game. A mis-hit cross from the left dropped onto the roof of the net – despite Masini having it under control. That proved to be the last action of the contest, deservedly won by Cailungo. While Academy and Cailungo brought Matchday 4 of the Campionato Sammarinese to a close, it is already time – for Virtus and Fiorentino – to kick off the next round, the one preceding the international break. The early fixture will be played in Acquaviva, where the Neroverdi will be chasing a fifth straight league win. Caution is advised, however, against Camillini’s side, who can call on players capable of changing games in an instant – just ask Cosmos for a reference. Should Bizzotto’s men reach the first break with a perfect record, they would be guaranteed, in the worst-case scenario, to share top spot with just one other team. Currently being tracked by La Fiorita and Murata, Buonocunto and his team-mates will in any case be watching closely the top-of-the-table clash scheduled for Sunday’s late kick-off. In Montecchio, at 18:15, the Montegiardino powerhouse and the brilliant outsider coached by Angelini will go head-to-head without holding back. Between the leaders’ fixtures, there will be six matches spread across early and late afternoon on Saturday and Sunday. Two are scheduled for tomorrow at 15:00: Tre Penne v San Giovanni and Tre Fiori v Folgore. At the “Federico Crescentini” stadium, San Giovanni will try to make up for what they failed to collect on Wednesday against Murata. Tognacci’s side squandered numerous scoring opportunities and ended up conceding late on from a corner. The Tre Penne test will be a serious examination of the Rossoneri’s resilience; underdogs on paper, yet they have only lost narrowly to Tre Fiori and Murata, with a valuable draw against Cosmos in between. At the same time in Montecchio, it will be Tre Fiori v Folgore. Week by week, the quality of play from Andrea De Falco’s Gialloblù is improving – the rookie coach coming off a playing career that took him as high as Serie A before finishing his journey as a player at Tre Fiori. Among the established strengths for Nardi and his team is their threat from set pieces and in the air in general. A key aspect Folgore will absolutely have to pay close attention to if they want to build on what has been, all in all, a positive start to the season. The campaign of Pennarossa has so far fallen well short of expectations, and they are determined not to reach the break still pointless in the league. To avoid that, the Biancorossi from Chiesanuova will need to avoid defeat in their clash with Juvenes-Dogana. Not an easy task, considering the convincing start made by Manuel Amati’s side, beaten only at the death by La Fiorita and looking in excellent shape in this opening stretch of the season. Like Pennarossa, Faetano are also searching for their first points. They will try to find them in Montecchio, tomorrow at 18:15, against a Domagnano side who did manage to get off the mark in midweek. The draw with Folgore provides fuel for the heavily revamped squad entrusted to Paolo Rossi, whose team chemistry is improving game by game. San Marino Academy and Cailungo will not be back on the pitch before Sunday – understandable, given they faced each other until 23:00 on Thursday night. For Iencinella’s Rossoverdi, buoyed by their win over San Marino Academy, it will be time to face a Cosmos side who can no longer afford to postpone their return to winning ways. Although still unbeaten, Prandelli and his team-mates come into the match on the back of three consecutive draws which, coupled with their only victory so far – in the opening fixture against Domagnano – leave them six points off the top. Berardi’s side will need to show they have shaken off the disappointment of conceding a 3-3 equaliser to Fiorentino in the 90’+3’, as well as cope with the absences of the suspended Cucchi and Loiodice, plus the injured Filippo Berardi. Alessandro D’Addario will be available again after serving his one-match ban for a second yellow card against San Giovanni. Here is the full schedule for Matchday 5 of the 2023-24 BKN301 Campionato Sammarinese, live streaming on TITANI.TV:

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