BKN301 Championship: Folgore hit form, Tre Penne knocked down

Omar Lepri’s Folgore side seem to have finally turned the corner. Perhaps too late to think about joining the title race, which from this year will be decided in favour of the team finishing first at the end of the post season. After their overtime heroics in the Coppa Titano (3-2 extra-time win over Murata), the Giallorossoneri faced Tre Penne, another team that had poured huge physical and mental energy into Wednesday night’s cup quarter-finals, knocking out Juvenes-Dogana to reach the last four. Falciano rediscovered their cutting edge up front and solidity at the back, breaking the deadlock on 8 minutes through Mami – picked out behind Lombardi by Di Marzio. Tre Penne threw everything forward, but in the first half the main scare for Folgore’s goal came from friendly fire: Francioni’s intervention forced Pollini into a sharp reaction save. It was a different story after the break, with the club from Città immediately creating far more concrete chances, but lacking the ruthlessness to turn pressure into goals. Folgore had no such problems, striking with their first foray after the restart: Sartori finds Di Marzio at the near post and the unmarked striker sets himself perfectly to sign off on the 2-0. Ceci’s men responded instantly and ferociously: the deficit was halved barely thirty seconds later, thanks to a brilliant dink from Dormi for Badalassi, who beat Pollini with a delightful lob. Chances rained down in the final half-hour, during which Folgore wasted a few counter-attacks and the Falciano goalkeeper took centre stage. If his stop on Gai’s rocket was timely, the reflex save from Battistini was monumental. Urbinati then completed the job, throwing himself in the way on the goal-line to deny Pieri an equaliser. Folgore rediscovered a clinical and robust identity, handing Tre Penne a second straight league defeat which, for the club from Città, means being overtaken by Virtus in fourth place and facing a potential nine-point gap to the top, should La Fiorita beat San Giovanni tomorrow. The perfect week for Virtus was rounded off by victory over Faetano, effectively sealed by an almost flawless first half. The star of the show, once again, was Ivan Buonocunto: back-heels, clipped passes, outside-of-the-boot assists and moments of instinctive brilliance or guile – the former Rimini man absolutely ran the game, even without getting on the scoresheet. On the scoresheet, after just three minutes, was Sorrentino from a Ciacci assist. A few seconds earlier Faetano had already been forced into a goal-line clearance to deny Sabato, released by a slick one-two-one-two with Buonocunto. The Gialloblù almost levelled on 11 minutes, when Ferrario flashed a low ball across the box that took Passiniti out of the equation: in the follow-up Pini and Battistini both got a touch on the ball right on the goal-line. With a desperate clearance came the Virtus captain’s intervention – with his arm came that of the Faetano winger, for which he was penalised. From a squandered chance to equalise to the second Virtus goal: Battistini combines with Angeli, slices through the defensive lines and serves Sopranzi a simple finish for 2-0. Shortly afterwards it was Passaniti’s turn to ensure Faetano didn’t get back into it: his reflex stop on Mema’s 19th-minute tap-in was spectacular, and the leap that a quarter of an hour later denied Ferrario a headed goal – one he was already celebrating – was simply sensational. Then, right at the end of the half, Buonocunto’s class and cunning did the rest: he caught everyone out by chipping a wide free-kick over the defence, sending Sabato through on goal. The winger beat Porcellini with a diagonal effort to complete the treble for a Virtus side that then conceded to Kalemi before the interval: a deflected right-foot shot that looped up and left Passaniti stranded. The scoreline would not change after the break, mainly due to wasteful finishing from both sets of forwards. It is a seventh league win for Virtus, who move up to fourth in the table, five points off top spot. It was a missed opportunity for Libertas who, after knocking out La Fiorita in the Coppa Titano, could not get past Pennarossa despite an outstanding display from Emiliano Olcese, who completely dominated the attacking half. Unfortunately for Sperindio’s men, they did not match that level in their own defensive third: on 18 minutes Moretti’s error, later sent off in the 90th+1 minute for a second yellow card, opened the door for Pennarossa’s opener, scored by Cecchetti. Within a quarter of an hour, Libertas turned it around with two moments of brilliance from their centre-forward: first the equaliser with a left-foot curler into the top corner, then Olcese doubled his tally, chesting the ball down before spinning and firing home from Barone’s pinpoint assist. In between, Pennarossa squandered at least two good chances to go back in front. Gori’s men cursed their luck on 44 minutes, when Alessandro Conti rattled the junction of post and bar with a thunderbolt from distance. His brother Daniele was more clinical today in front of goal: he scored the 2-2, finishing off a powerful run cutting in from the inside-left channel. Just before that, special mention went to Benedettini, who denied Olcese both a hat-trick and a potential 3-1 lead. The Granata striker remained a constant threat, trying his luck from long range or with an overhead kick, and also setting up what looked a simple tap-in for Bucci, only to see the effort deflected on the goal-line. The Coppa Titano executioner made amends in the 84th minute, providing a splendid assist for Bastos, who struck with the outside of his boot from the edge of the box to restore Borgo Maggiore’s lead. Unfortunately for Sperindio, his side then contrived to produce a sporting harakiri, flirting with disaster on 87 minutes as they overplayed at the back, then completely lost track of Zago’s far-post run. Picked out by a long, precise delivery from Alessandro Conti, Zago was able to set the ball up for Cecchetti, who completed his brace for 3-3 on 88 minutes. Libertas’ nightmare finale also included Moretti’s red card and a last-gasp free-kick on the edge of the box, which Arrigoni blasted over the bar in the 90th+3 minute. Tomorrow brings the final four fixtures of 2022 in the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301, as always available live on Titani.TV. Here is the picture after the Saturday games of Matchday 13: Click here for the updated standings

---