League: San Giovanni and Folgore back to winning ways

A BKN301 Coppa Titano appetiser for Fiorentino and La Fiorita, who are set to face each other on Wednesday 6 December for a place in the semi‑finals of the oldest football trophy in the Republic of San Marino. If almost a month ago the Montegiardino club produced a sensational stoppage‑time comeback to overturn Niang’s 87th‑minute opener, today’s game followed a very different script. Manfredini’s side took control from the outset, breaking the deadlock on 20 minutes with Amati’s headed goal, the midfielder timing his run perfectly to meet Olcese’s surge and pinpoint cross from a tight angle. The Rimini-born midfielder had scored the winner at 90’+6’ in the only previous meeting this season and clearly enjoys facing Fiorentino in their red and blue, as today he even went on to score a brace. Before that, though, there was room for the wonderful move that led to Vitaioli’s second: Gasperoni started the combination, the ball ran through Guidi’s dummy, who then got it back via Olcese’s first‑time lay‑off and supplied a perfectly weighted pass for the captain of the San Marino National Team to finish with his left foot from close range. After the break La Fiorita effectively killed the game with Amati’s third on 48 minutes, while Fiorentino – who had gone close to taking the lead at 0-0 through Niang – beat Zavoli from the spot with their standout player a little after the hour mark. Vital wins for Folgore and San Giovanni on the other pitches lifted Lasagni’s and Tognacci’s teams up to seventh and eighth place respectively. To underline just how tight the table is, it is enough to note that San Marino Academy – currently second from bottom – are only four points adrift of the Falciano club. The Giallorossoneri did well to tilt the Serravalle derby in their favour against a heavily depleted Juvenes-Dogana side. The contest was settled by Pancotti’s diving header, superbly picked out by Sartori just under twenty minutes from time. It is a fourth consecutive defeat for Manuel Amati’s team, albeit with plenty of mitigating factors; a similar outcome was avoided by Folgore precisely thanks to today’s narrow victory. San Giovanni also return to winning ways after three matchdays, overcoming Domagnano in the driving rain at Montecchio. A key episode swung the match towards Borgo Maggiore: Colonna produced a stunning save from Azael Garcia Rufer’s free‑kick from the edge of the area, but from the ensuing scramble the ball fell again to the same midfielder, who did not forgive a second time. In the second half Domagnano went down to ten men following Parma’s dismissal for a second yellow card, and conceded the Rossoneri’s second goal a quarter of an hour from time. It was a splendid strike from Contadini, on the pitch for less than ten minutes, who latched onto a delightful assist from Nicola Sartini and finished first time into the corner, beyond even the reach of an excellent Colonna. Here is the full picture from the eleventh matchday of the BKN301 Campionato Sammarinese:

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