League: Cosmos hit top gear, dreamy Murata

Drama and surprises in the opening Friday fixtures of the 2023-24 Campionato Sammarinese BKN301. In the early matches, the defending champions slipped up: Tre Penne were held to a 1-1 draw by Juvenes-Dogana. Everything happened after the break, with Pieri putting Ceci’s side ahead, only for Colonna to hit back and level matters. Cosmos, on the other hand, came flying out of the blocks. The Gialloverdi needed just nine minutes to break the deadlock against Domagnano: the first goal of the season was scored by last year’s hitman, Matteo Prandelli. Zulli made it 2-0 on 43 minutes, but just before half-time Parma halved the deficit for the Wolves to put the game back in the balance. The side coached by debutant Paolo Rossi stayed in contention until the closing stages, when Cosmos struck the decisive quickfire double through Errico and Mularoni – both scoring on their season debut, with Mularoni coming off the bench in the 70th minute. Fiorentino also sit temporarily top of the table, having edged a late arm wrestle with Pennarossa in Acquaviva. The balance tipped in favour of Michele Camillini’s Rossoblù thanks to a moment of brilliance from Niang, who cut in on his left, leaving two opponents in his wake. His thunderbolt from 25 metres gave Lazzarini no chance, the keeper forced to pick the ball out of the back of the net. This afternoon’s schedule brought wins for Folgore, Murata and Virtus – each in very different fashion. While the table only captures the substance of three points, it does not reflect the technical dominance showcased by Giuseppe Angelini’s Murata. A squad packed with players of Brazilian origin has drawn interest from foreign media and fired the imagination of the fans, and the pitch has already provided strong evidence of the new Bianconeri’s quality – as well as those who shone last season, starting with Raul Ura. The former Virtus and Tre Penne forward struck twice, opening the scoring after just over ninety seconds. After the restart, Cunha stole the show: coming off the bench, he conjured up two moments of magic with an exquisitely struck left foot. There was also room for Affonso’s clinical finish on the counter-attack and for Ura’s second, netted at the death with a tap-in. Right at the end of added time came the late sting in the tail from Virtus, who got the better of Tre Fiori in the first big match of the year thanks to the ever-reliable Ivan Buonocunto. In the 90th minute plus five, a patient passing move opened up space down the left flank for the Neroverdi to break through: a series of ricochets in the box saw the ball fall to the right foot of last season’s top assist provider, who made no mistake in beating Nardi – with the keeper unable to intervene. At the “Federico Crescentini” in Fiorentino, the campaigns of Cailungo and Folgore got under way. It was a tactical, at times scrappy contest, tilted in favour of the Falciano club by a gem from Samuel Pancotti. The San Marino forward, who had spent many years at La Fiorita, scored on his debut. After the interval the match remained finely poised, at least until Simeoni punished a lapse in the Cailungo defence, rising completely unmarked to head home the typically pinpoint cross from Sartori. Tomorrow’s programme will be completed by the late fixtures in Montecchio and Domagnano. At Fonte dell’Ovo it will be the turn of the newly formed San Marino Academy U22, set to lock horns with Marco Tognacci’s San Giovanni. The other match will pit two clubs accustomed to pursuing ambitious seasonal targets against each other: La Fiorita and Libertas will test their respective levels of competitiveness from 15:00, kicking off at the same time as the match in Montecchio. Here is the full schedule for the first matchday of the 2023-24 Campionato Sammarinese BKN301, available free of charge on TITANI.TV – live streaming from every ground, with Italian commentary.

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