League: La Fiorita and Virtus win and try to pull away

Wins and a first attempt to break away for La Fiorita and Virtus in the early kick-offs of matchday 16 of the BKN301 Championship. The Gialloblu and the Neroverdi beat Libertas and Tre Fiori respectively, significantly increasing their lead over the chasing pack and opening up a potential two‑horse race for the title. La Fiorita remain out in front, top of the table and one point ahead of Virtus. In Fiorentino, Manfredini’s men start strongly and midway through the first half find the net through Ambrosini, but the referee spots the striker in an offside position and disallows it. The Gialloblu’s pressure mounts and a few minutes later Guidi strikes the woodwork. On the half‑hour mark, however, the Montegiardino club do go in front: a sustained move by the Gialloblu ends with Guidi’s shot beating Del Prete. Libertas protest furiously, claiming Guidi was offside when Ambrosini played the pass that led to the goal. The Gialloblu double their lead on the hour mark with a fine cross from Virgilio, who picks out Fatica in the box, and the centre‑back beats Del Prete with a header. The third goal that kills off the contest comes shortly after (70’): Guidi reaches the edge of the area and lays it off for Aziz Niang, who controls and fires accurately into the far corner. It is the first goal in a Gialloblu shirt for the former Fiorentino forward, taking him to six league goals this season. After the third, La Fiorita manage proceedings comfortably to the final whistle and seal their 14th win in 16 games. Virtus, meanwhile, edge the big match of the 15:00 slot against Tre Fiori by a single goal. After a balanced first half that ends goalless, the Neroverdi immediately create a chance at the start of the second period: Benincasa capitalises on Pecci’s excellent work and shoots from the edge of the box, but Nardi – despite being out of position – pulls off a superb save to deny the opener. On the hour, another big chance for Virtus, who keep pushing: Buonocunto delivers a pinpoint cross for Benincasa, but from a promising position he fails to hit the target. Bizzotto’s side are rewarded shortly afterwards with the goal that proves decisive. From a free‑kick near the left touchline, Buonocunto swings it in; the ball evades both team‑mates and opponents and "comfortably" ends up in the net. The Acquaviva side then go in search of a second to kill the game: Tortori launches the counter‑attack and releases Pecci, who cuts inside brilliantly once in the box and shoots on target, but Nardi produces a stunning save to prevent the 2-0. On 75 minutes things get even tougher for Tre Fiori as the referee shows a straight red card to Mazzotti for dissent. Despite being a man down, the Gialloblu push in the closing stages and come close to levelling: Cirrottola bursts down the flank to the byline and cuts it back for Bernardi, who however mis‑hits at the crucial moment. Buonocunto’s goal is enough for Virtus – who move on to 42 points – to stay on La Fiorita’s heels while pulling away from Tre Fiori (stuck on 33). Tre Penne fail to make the most of the Gialloblu’s slip, falling to Juvenes‑Dogana after a rollercoaster match. In Acquaviva it is Amati’s side who break the deadlock with a Colonna penalty early on (5’). The reigning champions react and manage to turn the game around before the interval. First Righini – also from the spot – converts for 1-1, then in added time Barretta meets Scarponi’s excellent cross and heads past Gentilini for 2-1. The intensity does not drop and chances increase even further after the restart. On 53 minutes Pasolini goes very close to equalising, but Lombardi clears off the line. The Dogana club do draw level on 68 minutes: Giacomo Borghini drives into the box and squares for his brother Gianmaria, whose shot comes back off the post; on the rebound, Benedetti reacts quickest to make it 2-2. Tre Penne refuse to settle and immediately throw bodies forward in search of another lead: just seconds later Badalassi attempts a spectacular overhead kick, but Gentilini shows lightning reflexes to keep it out. With barely a pause for breath, Juvenes‑Dogana then carve out another chance to go back in front as Giacomo Borghini’s right‑footed effort flashes just wide of the upright. Another move, another opening: this time for Tre Penne, with Righini striking the post from a free‑kick a few minutes later. The Città playmaker’s luck is out, as he hits the woodwork again on 81 minutes. Tre Penne keep piling on the pressure and soon afterwards they hit the post yet again – this time through Scarponi, after a brilliant pass from the inspired Righini. Despite rattling the frame of the goal three times in just a few minutes, it is Juvenes‑Dogana who celebrate in the 90th minute. Gianmaria Borghini races down the flank and escapes Lorenzo Gasperoni; once in the box he squares the ball and Benedetti makes no mistake, finding a crucial 3-2 winner for Amati’s men, sealing a fourth victory in a row. Tre Penne, despite all those efforts and near‑misses, are left to digest a third defeat in their last four outings. The only goalless match is the one between Murata and Faetano. At the end of the first half it is the Bianconeri who go close to scoring, as Santana persistently works an opening and unleashes a powerful strike, but Manzaroli produces a fine save to keep it out. Angelini’s side push again after the break, but the Gialloblu backline remains solid. The match reaches the 90th minute with a clear chance apiece. Brisigotti tries his luck with a well‑taken turn and shot in the box, but Elia Benedettini – making his debut for the Bianconeri – reacts excellently to save. In the 96th minute an even clearer chance falls to Murata as Peters, from point‑blank range, incredibly fails to hit the target with the final whistle looming. A point each keeps Murata in a comfortable sixth place and leaves Faetano still outside the play‑off spots. Cosmos claim yet another victory, beating Domagnano 3-1 in the 18:15 kick‑off. In Montecchio it is Paolo Rossi’s side who take the lead on the half‑hour. After persistent pressure down the left, the ball reaches Buda on the edge of the box; he strikes it well, but Aldo Simoncini makes a great save. The move is not over, though, as on the rebound Gozzi is quickest to react and drills it past the Gialloverde keeper for 1-0. Berardi’s men respond swiftly and restore parity on 34 minutes: Mularoni threads a pass in behind for Ben Kacem, who uses his pace and blasts a powerful left‑footer past Colonna. The former Fiorentino and Libertas forward is decisive again in the second half, putting the Gialloverdi ahead on 76 minutes: played through perfectly by Filippo Berardi, the striker bursts between the Giallorossi defenders and, once one‑on‑one with Colonna, rounds the keeper before slotting home for 2-1. Shortly afterwards the Domagnano goalkeeper is crucial in keeping his team alive with at least two outstanding saves in quick succession. But in stoppage time Colonna is again the main protagonist – this time for the wrong reasons – as he comes out late, clatters Ben Kacem and is shown a fully justified straight red card by the referee. In added time there is also room for Cosmos’ third goal: substitute Simone Santi sets up Zulli, who beats Batori with a crisp, precise diagonal finish. With this result – their tenth league win and eighth in a row – Berardi’s Gialloverdi leapfrog both Tre Penne and Tre Fiori in one fell swoop to move up to third place. Folgore also win, completing a trio of victories for the clubs from the castle of Serravalle. The Giallorossoneri – in the other 18:15 fixture – get the better of Cailungo and cruise to a fourth consecutive win with a 3-0 scoreline. Lasagni’s men take the lead at the end of the first half: Brolli puts them in front with a powerful right‑footed strike from the edge of the box that proves too hot for La Monaca to handle. The second goal comes early in the second period: an excellent pass from Cateni finds Pancotti, who bursts away at speed and, once in the box, beats La Monaca with a precise finish. The San Marino winger then completes his brace and seals his side’s third with a stunning goal: he collects the ball near the corner of the area, shifts it onto his left and curls a shot from the edge into the top corner, well beyond La Monaca’s reach. Here is the schedule for matchday 16 of the league season, the first round of the return fixtures – broadcast in full and free of charge, live on TITANI.TV:

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