League: Virtus, Fiorita and Tre Penne cruise, Academy celebrate against Tre Fiori

The duel at the top between Virtus and La Fiorita goes on: the Neroverdi and Gialloblu win their respective early fixtures on Matchday 24 and remain joint leaders of the BKN301 Championship. Different types of victories but equally effective for Bizzotto and Manfredini’s sides, with both coaches rotating their squads slightly ahead of next Wednesday’s first legs in the BKN301 Titano Cup semi‑finals. Virtus, away to Faetano in Fiorentino, start at full throttle and score twice inside the opening six minutes. First, Barone is flawless from the spot – the penalty won by Benincasa after a foul by Casadei – sending Manzaroli the wrong way on 4 minutes. The second comes less than two minutes later: Montanari, from the inside‑right channel, looks for and finds Lombardi with a perfect through ball; the Neroverdi No. 9 hits it first time with his left and beats Manzaroli, who gets a touch but can’t keep it out. Faetano try to shake off the early blows and, on 11 minutes, they hit back: Dulcetti plays a good ball into the box for Brisigotti, who squares it across to the unmarked Gueye, and from two yards out he makes no mistake to halve the deficit. Just before the half‑hour mark Virtus have a chance to restore a two‑goal cushion with a fine solo run by Manuel Battistini, who does everything right except the finish – sending the ball over from a good position. It’s only a matter of minutes before the Acquaviva side’s third: Pecci keeps a ball alive on the left, skips past his direct opponent and crosses for Benincasa, who finishes calmly from close range. After the break Virtus manage their two‑goal lead and on 70 minutes could stretch it further when Sabato tries his luck from distance but sees his effort come back off the post. Shortly afterwards, though, Faetano pull one back again and reopen the contest: Giardi puts the ball into the area, the Neroverdi defence fail to clear and it drops to Capriotti who, in the scramble, manages to steer it into the net for 2-3. Virtus react and on 84 minutes hit the woodwork again: Lombardi unleashes a powerful long‑range strike but the ball smashes against the crossbar. The drama isn’t over, because in stoppage time Faetano execute a perfectly worked corner routine that sets up Kevin Lisi for the shot; the Gialloblu midfielder appears certain to score, but Passaniti produces a miraculous save to once again rescue his side at the death – just as he did against La Fiorita. A very different kind of victory for Manfredini’s Gialloblu, who see off Pennarossa with a clear‑cut 3-0. In Domagnano things immediately turn sour for the Biancorossi when goalkeeper Barbieri brings down Niang, who was clean through on goal: the referee shows a straight red card to Dolci’s No. 1. The goal that breaks the deadlock comes soon after and bears the signature of Jacopo Semprini, who settles a scramble in the box after sustained Gialloblu pressure. With the extra man, Manfredini’s team control proceedings until half‑time. The second arrives an hour into the game: Virgilio, in the inside‑right channel, finds team‑mate Greco, who takes a touch and unleashes a superb shot from distance, sending the ball into the far corner. A fine goal from the former Libertas man, making it 2-0 La Fiorita. And there’s more to come for the Montegiardino club, who on 81 minutes put the contest to bed as Niang wriggles between two Biancorossi defenders before smashing a powerful left‑footer past Troffei. La Fiorita win 3-0 and head into the cup semi‑final against Tre Penne (to be played on Wednesday 6 March in Montecchio) in the best possible way. San Marino Academy Under 22 also record back‑to‑back wins, springing a surprise against Tre Fiori. With Wednesday’s cup semi‑final versus Virtus in mind, De Falco rotates his side, and Cecchetti and his youngsters look to take advantage. In a first half short on goalmouth action, the only real threat comes on the half‑hour when Famiglietti fires on goal after a pass from D’Addario, but Giosuè Quaranta – starting in place of Nardi between the posts – parries the effort. The second half is a very different story, with chances coming thick and fast. Shortly after the hour mark, another chance for the Titani: a fine cross from Severi is just inches away from being met by D’Addario’s head. On 76 minutes, Tre Fiori carve out a huge opportunity when Micchi swivels and shoots towards goal, but Matteo Battistini pulls off a brilliant save, getting just enough on the ball to divert it onto the crossbar. The goal that breaks the deadlock comes on 79 minutes: it’s a truly special moment for Nicolas Giacopetti who – just seconds after coming off the bench in place of Famiglietti – collects the ball on the left and beats Quaranta with a right‑footed finish. It’s the San Marino forward’s fifth goal in his last five games. The strike gives Cecchetti’s Titani even more energy and on 85 minutes they even find a second: a long ball is played towards Giacopetti, who lets it run through for Matteo Valli Casadei; he persists and manages to burst through the Gialloblu backline and, once in front of Quaranta, rounds him before slotting in for 2-0. Tre Fiori, however, refuse to give in and hit back within seconds: substitute Islamaj keeps his side alive with a delightful chip that outfoxes Battistini. Yet the Academy seem to have more in the tank today and, in added time, they find the clincher: superb work down the left by Severi, who beats Tomassoni and drives the ball across, where it’s turned into his own net by Boldrini. Cecchetti’s side run out 3-1 winners, earning three priceless points in the play‑off race, leapfrogging Faetano and closing the gap on 11th place. It’s a second consecutive defeat for Tre Fiori, who on Wednesday will face Virtus in Acquaviva in the cup semi‑final. Domagnano’s fine run continues as they also defeat Cailungo after the interval, making it six games unbeaten. In a first half with little to report, it is after the restart that the Giallorossi make the difference. The deadlock is broken on 71 minutes when Ferraro lays the ball off for Buda, who strikes accurately from the edge of the area, finding the bottom corner. The second comes ten minutes later from a perfect corner by Parma that picks out Ferraro’s head for 2-0. The third soon follows: a cross from the right by Babboni finds Donati’s head, but he misses the target; the ball, however, falls to Parma, who drills in diagonally for 3-0. Tre Penne stay in the slipstream of the leading pair thanks to a comprehensive win over Fiorentino in the 18:15 kick‑off in Acquaviva. The reigning champions go in front on the half‑hour thanks to a piece of brilliance from their man in top form: league top scorer Imre Badalassi nets his 25th goal of the campaign with a sublime first‑time lob after a pinpoint assist from Righini. The Biancazzurri double their lead at the end of the half: a Dormi free‑kick is met by the head of Lombardi, who catches Simone Benedettini out. Protti’s side – with the coach on the bench today in place of the suspended Stefano Ceci – are not done yet and add a third after the interval: Diop brings down Badalassi on the edge of the area and the referee points to the spot, with Righini converting. The Tre Penne playmaker then delivers his second assist of the evening, threading a perfect pass for Badalassi, who rounds Benedettini and completes his brace. Goal No. 26 in 24 games: astonishing numbers from the Biancazzurri marksman. Two goals in each half are enough for Tre Penne to see off Fiorentino and record their eighth straight league victory. The gap to the summit, however, remains unchanged at four points. The Serravalle derby once again smiles on Cosmos, despite a spirited Juvenes‑Dogana who stay in the game right to the end. The goal that breaks the deadlock in the other 18:15 fixture is scored by Filippo Berardi: Pastorelli sends the San Marino forward clear with a ball in behind; he makes the most of his pace and, once in front of Gentilini, coolly slots in for 1-0. The match remains lively and finely balanced after the break too, with Amati’s side pushing for an equaliser. Berardi and his team‑mates hold firm and then strike again on 70 minutes: the second goal stems from a great move down the left by Pastorelli, who then plays a vertical pass for Prandelli; the striker reaches the by‑line and cuts it back for Filippo Berardi, who meets it first time with his left foot, steering the ball inside the far post. With five minutes left, however, Juvenes‑Dogana are back in it: Colonna tries his luck from distance, Simoncini dives but can’t hold it and the quickest to react to the rebound is Gianmaria Borghini, who makes it 2-1. Cosmos look to kill the contest off but can’t find a third, leaving Amati’s team to mount a last‑gasp assault. Deep into stoppage time there is a coming together in the box between Simoncini and Gianmaria Borghini, but the referee deems it legal. Juvenes‑Dogana protest vehemently, convinced they should have had a penalty, but in the end it is Cosmos who celebrate. Below is the updated schedule for Matchday 24 of the San Marino BKN301 Championship, with all matches to be shown live via streaming – with full commentary – on the Titani.tv platform:

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