League: Cosmos preserve top spot by coming back from two goals down against La Fiorita

In Montecchio the headline fixture of Matchday 8 in the Campionato Sammarinese saw La Fiorita come flying out of the blocks and break the deadlock as early as the 6th minute. Credit to Olcese, who pounced in a scramble in Celato’s six-yard box – decisive on Semprini, powerless on the tap-in by the experienced striker. The Cosmos goalkeeper then did brilliantly to deny Andrade and Gasperoni, but there was nothing he could do about the central run of Mazzotti, who on the half-hour mark attacked Cicarelli’s corner to double the lead with a close-range header. Just when everything seemed to be going perfectly for La Fiorita, D’Addario surged down the flank and his scuffed diagonal by Badalassi turned into a perfect assist for Ben Kacem, who only had to turn it in. After a long-range attempt from Olcese, came the incident that changed the match: Cicarelli, already booked, halted a Cosmos counter with a needless late challenge on the edge of the Cosmos area. An inevitable second yellow, and La Fiorita down to ten men for the entire second half, which the Gialloverdi played in constant attacking waves. The chance that opened the way to the equaliser arrived on 80 minutes, when Grandoni’s shot-cross fell kindly for Badalassi: the striker, right on the offside line, punished Vivan from point-blank range to make it 2-2. The La Fiorita keeper then proved decisive again in the 84th minute, flying to the top corner to deny the usual Badalassi a stunning turnaround, after he had met another precise delivery from Grandoni. Cosmos protect their position at the summit, though their lead is cut by Virtus – the closest pursuer now just two points behind. Tre Fiori, meanwhile, move up to sixth after beating Murata and leapfrogging them in the table. Everything happened in the first half, during which Girolomoni’s side scored the only goals of the day at Fiorentino’s “Federico Crescentini”. After a couple of situations from set pieces, Tre Fiori took the lead in the 32nd minute from the penalty spot. The contact between Schneider and Manfroni was penalised, allowing Prandelli to score from eleven metres. The second arrived on 42 minutes, after a couple of rather timid attempts from Murata. Federico Benedettini won a ricochet with Petillo and lifted a delightful chip over Cervellini. After the break Nardi preserved his clean sheet, throwing his body in the way of Teixeira’s effort, while Prandelli squandered the chance to land the knockout blow when through on Cervellini. From then until full time, the only incident of note was Domingues’ sending-off for a late challenge on Ciccione. Staying with red cards, Faetano-Libertas could set a precedent. The Granata from Borgo Maggiore, having broken the deadlock early on through Osayande – picked out by Pari and lethal with his header – were dragged into a bad-tempered encounter which, after Faetano’s comeback, produced three dismissals in quick succession. And to think Libertas had gone close to doubling their lead through Pari and Monterosso, while also riding their luck on Terenzi’s effort in the 23rd minute. Del Prete – October’s MVP – made amends for his own mistake with a brilliant reflex save. His opposite number Forconesi kept out a thunderbolt from Osayande to close the first half. After the restart, Faetano drew level with their first foray: Brisigotti, introduced from the bench, picked out Capriotti, who won an initial ricochet with Buzi before beating Del Prete with a deft lob. Five minutes later, Faetano completed the turnaround: this time Capriotti provided a golden assist for Dulcetti, ice-cool and clinical from the heart of the box. Libertas’ luck was out when, on 62 minutes, Osayande crashed a header against the upright from Morelli’s cross. The game was now open to any outcome: Capriotti missed the chance to make it 3-1, while Tomassini tried his luck from mid-range without success. Helping Faetano manage their advantage was the spate of red cards on the Libertas side. The first was the most damaging, depriving Floriano Sperindio – awarded pre-match as October’s best coach – of his goalkeeper. Del Prete allegedly went too far with his protests after a Faetano free-kick that was slow to be taken. To add insult to injury, Libertas did not have a substitute goalkeeper on the team sheet. Buzi went between the posts and immediately had to deal with Capriotti – later also thwarted by Sgarra. Things went from bad to worse for Libertas, who were reduced to nine men by Battistini’s dismissal – a challenge from behind on Dolcetti which earned him a second yellow card. Even so, Osayande forced another save from Forconesi before Capriotti and Riccio spurned two huge chances to kill off the game. That responsibility fell to Parisi, who punished a Libertas side down to eight men after Monterosso’s straight red. In the 90+3rd minute Lisi sent Parisi through on goal and, one-on-one with Buzi, he finished the job, sealing a second league win of the season for the Gialloblù. It was all straightforward for San Giovanni, who swept aside Pennarossa in the only 18:00 kick-off, also played in Montecchio. Tognacci’s team draw level with Fiorentino in fifth place, opening the scoring as early as the 12th minute through Senja – steering a near-post header into the top corner from Boldrini’s wide free-kick. The second goal arrived six minutes later and bore the signature of Nicola Sartini: a quick one-two with Aprea, who returned the ball to him on the edge of the six-yard box for a close-range finish. In the 21st minute Azael Garcia Rufer effectively wrapped up the points, nicking the ball on the edge of the area before rifling it into the top corner for 3-0. The balance of power remained unchanged after the break and Mattia Aprea earned man-of-the-match honours with a brace. His first came from a tap-in after a miraculous save by Renzetti on Augusto Garcia Rufer, while the final goal in the 5-0 rout came from the penalty spot. The spot-kick was won by Nicola Sartini, brought down in the area by Martini, and converted by the San Giovanni playmaker, who took his tally in the competition to five goals and five assists in seven appearances. Below is the full schedule for Matchday 8 of the Campionato Sammarinese. As always, everything will be available live via streaming with full commentary on the Titani.tv platform:

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