League: Dream-day Fiorentino, Virtus swept aside as leaders beaten from behind by ten men

It could easily have turned into a nightmare, but Fiorentino’s afternoon instead took on the sweet tones of a dream. Up against league leaders Virtus, Camillini’s men ran out 3-1 winners, forcing their highly rated opponents to surrender top spot to La Fiorita – who struck a last-gasp winner against Murata. Mixed feelings for chasers Cosmos and Tre Penne, who both close the gap on the Neroverdi. The reigning champions were made to sweat in the first half before ultimately justifying their 3-0 victory over San Giovanni after the break. Berardi’s side went close to double figures and are now five points behind La Fiorita – whom they face next week. Starting from the end, La Fiorita reclaim top spot thanks to Virgilio’s last-gasp strike. The Gialloblù are the better side against Murata, who nonetheless almost go ahead early on through Ura. La Fiorita’s first real thrust is however decisive: Virgilio feeds Guidi, who leaves Benedettini no chance with a precise angled drive in the 7th minute. Gaiani prevents a second just a couple of minutes later, while his team-mates threaten in a scramble ten minutes from the interval. The Bianconeri stay in the game, but struggle to find a gap to seriously test Zavoli. That changes on the hour mark, when Andruccioli awards a penalty for a shirt pull by Mazzotti on Giaretta. From the spot Cicarelli makes no mistake and restores parity. From then on it’s one-way traffic in favour of La Fiorita. Murata respond with a well-organised defensive display: Benedettini comes up big to deny Grassi, Virgilio, Jacopo Semprini and Olcese. Just when the point seemed in the bag, Manfredini’s men rewrite the ending: from yet another Gasperoni cross comes a pinball between Olcese and Virgilio, with the latter settling it from close range. A hugely important win for the Montegiardino club, who return to the top of the table thanks to the simultaneous slip-up by Virtus. Against the odds, the Neroverdi suffer a painful defeat at the hands of Fiorentino. It’s anything but an encouraging start for the Rossoblù, who are nearly punished by a deflected right-foot effort from Pecci and then go down to ten men midway through the first half. Straight red for Davide Simoncini after a tussle with Pecci. On paper the game is now there for Virtus, who today are wasteful in the final third and far from flawless in their own defensive third. Gori is caught out by Abouzziane in the 41st minute, sparking a scrappy move eventually finished off by Salemme for the Rossoblù opener. Before the break Virtus appeal for a penalty, but the referee waves play on. After the restart Pecci tries his luck straight away and then Benincasa finds the equaliser. It comes from a driving move which, according to Fiorentino, is tainted by a foul by Tortori on Stefanelli that allows Vallocchia to shoot from the edge. Benedettini produces a brilliant save but can do nothing about Benincasa’s tap-in on 55 minutes. Once again, though, Virtus pay the price for defensive mistakes they had not been making for some time: from a goalkeeper’s clearance, Genestreti miscontrols and Salemme pulls a rabbit out of the hat from 40 metres, stunning Passaniti – who is positioned on the edge of his own box. A brace and a truly sensational goal for the 20-year-old, one of the standout performers on the day. Just like Chiaruzzi, who in the 77th minute wins a physical duel with Genestreti, bursts into the area and, incredibly, makes it 3-1 for Fiorentino despite their numerical disadvantage. In the remaining twenty minutes, including a lengthy stoppage time, Virtus throw men forward somewhat hastily and also see a goal ruled out for a marginal offside against Angeli. A bitter Sunday for the Acquaviva side, now second in the table and with Cosmos breathing down their necks. Tre Penne also gain ground on the Neroverdi with victory over San Giovanni. The final score (3-1) does not, however, reflect a slow start from Tognacci’s side, who effectively squander two open goals. On both occasions it falls to Contadini, who in the 12th minute – after a miracle save by Migani – fails to turn the ball in from just a few centimetres out. The midfielder ends up forcing it over the line with a handball that earns him a booking. Earlier, Badalassi had fired over from an excellent position. That it is not Contadini’s day is clear again in the 16th minute, when Bruma’s acrobatic effort comes back off the post and, on the rebound, his team-mate heads wide. At the other end, Giovagnoli shows no such generosity: Righini escapes down the flank and finds Scarponi’s knock-back at the far post, allowing Giovagnoli to steer a right-foot shot into the far corner. Once the deadlock is broken, Tre Penne take full control. Before half-time Battistini and Badalassi fail to make the most of Pieri’s irresistible runs down the flank, while Garcia and d’Angeli try their luck from much tougher positions without success. The clock shows 44 minutes when Badalassi puts Tre Penne firmly on course: Pieri sends him through, he uses his body perfectly and lashes in under the bar past De Angelis. San Giovanni feel the effects of that blow and midway through the second half concede the 3-0 to Lombardi. Much of the credit for the defender’s goal goes to Badalassi, who cleverly flicks on a corner from the left with his heel, leaving his team-mate free at the back post. With the victory no longer in doubt, Ceci’s men concede a consolation goal for 3-1 a quarter of an hour from time. The counter-attack is led by d’Angeli, who finds Bruma in a wide position. On his cross, the former Juvenes-Dogana wide man himself attacks the box, but the lack of any touch deceives Migani, who can only watch the ball roll past him – one of the most bizarre goals of the season. For the record, Righini misses a late penalty that would have sealed a four-goal cushion. Cosmos run riot, having been four points off the top before La Fiorita’s late winner at Murata. With La Fiorita’s success the gap is now five, but that does not diminish the Gialloverdi’s remarkable climb up the table, further underlined by today’s rampant display. Against Cailungo it finishes with a resounding 9-0. d’Addario opens the scoring on 16 minutes from a back-heel assist by Berardi. Four minutes later Prandelli doubles the lead. Before the half-hour mark there is time for Santi to make it three, and the sides go in at 4-0 thanks to Berardi’s penalty – won by Prandelli. In the second half Cosmos find four goals from the bench: Sapori, Righini and a brace from Ben Kacem complete the 9-0 scoreline, with Riccardo Zulli also getting in on the act. An impressive performance that delivers a twelfth consecutive victory: Nicola Berardi could hardly have wished for his side to be in better shape ahead of next Sunday’s clash with La Fiorita, when they will look to close in decisively on the title race in the big match. Finally, the last of Saturday’s fixtures ends all square. San Marino Academy and Libertas were playing for crucial points in the race for the final play-off berth. Both currently sit outside the top eleven and finish with a point apiece – remaining behind the duo of Faetano and Domagnano, who meet tomorrow. At best, then, the gap to eleventh place will remain unchanged. Academy start the brighter and threaten from a set piece on 18 minutes. Borasco then reacts well to a Monteleone effort, allowing Giacopetti to break the deadlock on 25 minutes. Del Prete is at fault, gifting the ball to his opponent, who finishes easily. The Granata work their way back into the game, but Borasco keeps the door shut with a fine save from Ulloa’s shot, the last effort on target of the first half. Libertas deserve their equaliser, which duly arrives on 58 minutes. After a prolonged and chaotic move, Pari picks out the winning trajectory from twenty metres, leaving Borasco with no chance. The club barely have time to celebrate the 1-1 before having to cope with the sending-off of Ottaviani – after an off-the-ball clash with Nicolò Sancisi. Despite being a man down, Libertas are inches away from turning it around when Ulloa’s thunderous strike crashes against the bar. In a frantic final quarter of an hour the match is open to any outcome, but the score does not change – despite chances for Sarti, Nicolini and Muci. The very last opportunity falls to De Luca, twice denied by Del Prete – who fully atones in stoppage time for his earlier error in the first half. Below is the full schedule for Matchday 20 of the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301, with all fixtures broadcast live via full-commentary streaming on Titani.tv:

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