Championship: Guidotti sinks Cosmos, Libertas one step away from the play-offs

Top versus bottom in the City derby, where Tre Penne were chasing a victory that would take them level in second place and keep them in the slipstream of Tre Fiori – the new outright leaders with five games to go. Bonini’s side virtually wrapped it up by half-time, going into the break 3-0 up thanks to Fabbri, Berardi and Badalassi. The deadlock was broken by the midfielder’s run to the near post, while the second was a gem from the Sammarinese winger – cutting inside onto his left to curl the ball into the far corner. The third, finished from close range by Badalassi, was a textbook example of clinical finishing and took him to 14 league goals. After the restart, Tre Penne were content to manage the game, still creating two chances through Badalassi – wasteful with his left foot midway through the half – before finding the net again with Casadio on 69 minutes. His shot crashed against the underside of the crossbar and bounced over the line, at least in the opinion of the match officials. Before the end, Pieri hit the post with a diagonal effort and Badalassi – in the ensuing scramble in the six-yard box – was unable to turn the ball in. Earlier on, Murata had threatened through De Biagi and Tomassoni. A vital win for Tre Penne, who draw level with Virtus in second place and stay three points behind leaders Tre Fiori.

It was also a key day in the race for the postseason: Pennarossa’s defeat yesterday allowed Libertas and San Giovanni to target a near-certainty. The fixture list was not straightforward, with Folgore and Cosmos their respective opponents. The Granata were in front at half-time, after having ridden their luck on efforts from Islamaj and Ambrosini – both denied by Cappello and Manzaroli. At the other end, Rigoni hit the base of the post, then Tomassini fired the rebound over with the goal at his mercy. Disappointment turned into joy ten minutes later: on 37 minutes the Sammarinese forward squared the ball for Guidotti, who scored for the fourth time in seven appearances. Before the interval Ambrosini and Gjoni squandered two huge chances to restore parity. In the second half Buda’s side dropped deeper to protect their precious lead, relying on a superb display from Manzaroli to keep a clean sheet. And when even the Sammarinese goalkeeper was beaten, it was captain Morelli who cleared off the line from the last ball of the match – a Bufi header that was destined for the top corner. An immensely valuable victory for Libertas, who move ten points clear of Pennarossa – effectively clinching their play-off spot.

The last place in the Preliminary Round now seems to be a battle between San Giovanni, Pennarossa and – with fewer chances today – Faetano. In Acquaviva it was a hard-fought contest: the Garcia Rufer brothers, facing their former club, scored the goals that gave Folgore their temporary lead. Augusto made no mistake from Sartori’s corner on 18 minutes, and a quarter of an hour later Azael struck with a precise diagonal effort from the edge of the box. In between came the temporary 1-1 from Zanni, fortunate to see his shot deflect and wrong-foot Panfili. Before half-time, Folgore were reduced to ten men after a second yellow card for Azael Garcia Rufer; just moments earlier, Raschi had failed to make it 3-1 when arriving at the back post. Despite the numerical advantage, San Giovanni struggled to be dangerous after the break, except in sporadic situations: however, one of those led to Zanni’s second and final equaliser. Picked out in the box by Tiraferri, he showed great composure, sitting Panfili down twice before slotting into the net. Earlier, Folgore had protested vehemently for a challenge between Calp and Castorina in the San Giovanni area. From there to the end, a Toure effort called Casadei into action – the keeper, like his team-mates, playing his part in securing a point that could prove decisive.

San Marino Academy travelled to Fiorentino to face Domagnano and their top scorer Bonetti – who laid down the law, opening and closing the scoring to decide a match in which, for long spells, the youngsters in light blue and white were the better side. The opener was pure chaos, coming from an Amati shot that was inadvertently deflected in by Bonetti. Markaj then missed a gilt‑edged headed chance to level, while Protti did no better on 20 minutes. The pair combined again midway through the half, but Markaj could not apply the finish. The deserved equaliser arrived on 71 minutes, when Righi showcased his dead-ball prowess, whipping a free-kick into the top corner from distance. Domagnano then pushed again in search of the win, which looked to be in the bag from the Mengucci-Babboni link-up: the Sammarinese striker’s header, however, was kept out by his compatriot Conti, the Academy goalkeeper. Amati would still prove decisive, though, supplying Bonetti with the ball for the final winner on exactly 90 minutes: timing his run to perfection on the offside line, the league’s leading marksman moved on to 22 goals in 25 league games. Domagnano are now very close to securing direct qualification for the quarter-finals, given their seven‑point cushion over Cosmos – currently the highest-placed side still involved in the Preliminary Round.

The round was completed by Cailungo-Fiorentino: the Rossoverdi are now mathematically out of play-off contention, while Costantini’s men were looking to defend a position that guarantees direct access to the quarter-finals. Fiorentino flew out of the blocks, taking the lead through the Marco Evaristi-Abouzziane combination: the latter drilling a right-footed shot into the corner. Shortly afterwards Bua’s 1-1 was ruled out for offside on De Luca’s assist. Once over that scare, Fiorentino doubled their lead with a moment of brilliance from Mariano: shrugging off Quaranta in a physical duel, he adjusted superbly to hook Abouzziane’s cross into the far corner. Goalkeeper Gallinetta then kept Cailungo in it with two fine saves to deny Abouzziane and Belward at the end of the half. After the interval the tempo dropped, though there was still a huge chance for Ben Kacem – inches away from making it 3-0 with a lob over the advancing Gallinetta, who redeemed himself by smothering Iuzzolino’s risky back-pass that had released the Moroccan forward. The stage was thus set for a thrilling finale by Bua’s finish from close range, after Benedettini failed to deal decisively with De Luca’s effort. On 85 minutes Fiorentino incredibly struck the woodwork twice: first Galeone with his right foot, then Mariano with his left, both efforts crashing against Gallinetta’s post and crossbar with the keeper beaten on each occasion. Before the whistle, Costantini reinvented himself as a centre-forward and – dancing past two men in tight space – wrapped things up by making it 3-1. The only blemish on Fiorentino’s afternoon was Ben Kacem’s profligacy in front of goal, as he wasted two more clear-cut chances at the death.

Below is the full schedule for Matchday 25 of the 2025-26 Campionato Sammarinese: