League: Clinical Murata, comeback win for San Giovanni

A clinical Murata needs just one goal five minutes from time to get the better of Folgore. In the Sunday evening match closing out Matchday 24 of the BKN301 Championship, played in Montecchio, it is Falciano’s Giallorossoneri who start the brighter. The first chance for the Falciano side comes on 12 minutes: Sartori crosses for Cateni, who connects but Benedettini parries; then Samuel Pancotti – who received the BKN301 MVP award before kick-off as the best player in February – also has a go but crashes his effort off the woodwork with a stunning strike against the bar. Murata are not just spectators and reply shortly after: a powerful right-footed attempt from the edge of the area by Raul Ura, but Venturini stretches superbly to deny him. Before the break there is another chance for Folgore: Sartori’s free-kick finds Bernardi, whose header is goal-bound but Benedettini shows incredible reflexes to turn it away. The Giallorossoneri keep pressing in the continuation of the move but without any luck. Lasagni’s team end the half on the front foot and create two more clear-cut chances: first Benedettini shuts the door on Bernardi’s close-range effort, then Pancotti – after a brilliant solo run – tries with his left from distance, but the ball shaves the post with Benedettini beaten. After the restart Folgore continue to pile on the pressure – with an ever-inspired Pancotti – but cannot find the breakthrough. Murata sit deep and strike at the right moment: on 84 minutes Cicarelli swings in a corner, Venturini misjudges the outing and Gjorretaj heads home for 1-0. After going behind, Folgore throw themselves forward in search of an equaliser and think they have it seconds later when Fall heads past Benedettini, but the offside flag cuts short their celebrations. Before the ninetieth minute Folgore have another opportunity, with a clever lob by Bernardi who tries to catch out Benedettini, but the San Marino goalkeeper springs up to deny him again and preserve the scoreline. It is therefore Murata who celebrate, and with this second straight win they close the gap on fifth-placed Tre Fiori, now just two points ahead. San Giovanni come from behind to win – after squandering several chances – against Libertas. After a cagey opening phase on the artificial turf in Fiorentino, the first chance for the Rossoneri arrives on 24 minutes: Aprea feeds Corinti in tight space, he controls and unleashes a powerful strike but Del Prete clears with a great reflex save and denies the opener. Tognacci’s side keep pushing and on the half-hour mark have another huge chance to go in front, but D'Angeli, incredibly, fails to hit the target when shooting from the penalty spot area. The pattern remains the same after the break: San Giovanni dictate the play and look to break the deadlock. They come very close after just a few minutes when Corinti’s shot-cross clips the top of the crossbar. Tognacci’s men increase the pressure and on 53 minutes hit the woodwork again: excellent work from Bruma, who brings the ball under control, cuts inside onto his right and strikes well, but Del Prete gets just enough on it to divert it onto the post. San Giovanni cannot make their many chances count and Libertas, somewhat against the run of play, take advantage and open the scoring: Buzi plays in Francesco Pari in the box; he shifts the ball onto his right and curls a precise effort into the top corner. After numerous attempts, however, San Giovanni finally manage to score and restore parity: Azael Garcia Rufer wins back the ball and exchanges passes with Aprea, who returns it with an elegant back-heel; the Rossoneri midfielder then shifts it onto his left foot and beats Del Prete for 1-1. The goal fires up the Rossoneri, who now fully believe in victory: two minutes from time Diego Fabbri robs Diego Moretti of the ball and, from the edge of the area, fires a precise shot inside the near post, wrong-footing Del Prete. Comeback complete for the Rossoneri, who celebrate a win that had been eluding them for three rounds. Defeat for Libertas, overtaken yesterday by San Marino Academy and with their path towards the play-offs looking increasingly steep. Below is the final schedule for Matchday 24 of the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301:

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