Championship: Tortori sends Virtus flying, La Fiorita hit back and stay in touch

Nothing changes at the top even after the early kick-offs of Matchday 27 in the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301. Virtus and La Fiorita both win their respective matches and keep up a thrilling head-to-head battle, with the Neroverdi still two points clear of the Gialloblu. In Saturday’s big clash between Bizzotto’s side and Cosmos, the winning goal for the Acquaviva club bears Tortori’s signature early on. The game bursts into life straight away and in the 13th minute Virtus strike: a perfectly executed corner routine, Vallocchia delivers, Tortori breaks free from the cluster of players in the box, pulls away to meet the ball and the Neroverde forward hits it first time with a superb right-footed strike that beats Aldo Simoncini. Tortori – the standout performer for his side – is brimming with confidence and on 21 minutes he tries his luck from a free-kick on the edge of the box: a curling right-footer that crashes against the woodwork where bar and post meet. Cosmos also show up on the half-hour when Zulli, fed by Sapori on the edge of the area, attempts a dangerous low diagonal which whistles just past the post to Passaniti’s left. It’s a fine match, full of incident. On 41 minutes Virtus go agonisingly close to doubling their lead: a powerful long-range right-foot from Daniele Piscaglia – a centre-back by "trade" – smashes against the crossbar, the Neroverdi’s second effort off the woodwork in a matter of minutes. After the break the game remains finely poised but real chances are few and far between. On 85 minutes, however, one does arrive and it falls to the Gialloverdi, who come within a whisker of an equaliser: a pinpoint free-kick by Pastorelli bound for the corner, but Passaniti stretches brilliantly and makes a crucial save to preserve the scoreline. Cosmos push right to the end, but Virtus hold firm and take home a crucial victory in the Scudetto race. Behind the Neroverdi, however, La Fiorita stay on their tail thanks to a clear-cut 3-0 win over San Marino Academy Under 22. Manfredini’s side need just four minutes to break the deadlock: Amati’s corner finds the head of Olcese, who beats Battistini. The Academy try to react and on the quarter-hour also appeal for a possible handball in the Gialloblu box, but referee Piccoli lets play continue. At the start of the second half things become much easier for La Fiorita as they find their second: Guidi capitalises on a mistake in the Academy’s build-up play and wins back the ball, the midfielder then plays in Olcese, who is brought down in the area by Ciacci. Piccoli points to the spot and Guidi steps up and makes no mistake. Just after the hour mark it is again Guidi causing problems for the Titani backline when he controls and unleashes a fierce drive towards goal, but Battistini denies him a third. The Montegiardino club do not let up and, in the closing stages, first hit the post through Niang before the former Fiorentino forward himself makes it 3-0 in stoppage time, running onto a through ball from Matteo Vitaioli and then beating Battistini as he comes out. With Cosmos losing, Tre Penne defeat Folgore and strengthen their grip on third place. In Montecchio the deadlock is broken shortly after the first quarter of an hour: Righini spreads the play wide to Dormi, who swings it in from the left, but the ball is deflected by Brolli just enough to wrong-foot Venturini and put the Città side in front. Having gone behind, Folgore create plenty but fail to find the decisive touch to get back into it. Tre Penne sit in and then strike again ten minutes from time: Righini crosses into the middle, Brolli gets a touch, but Dormi swivels and, with his left foot, scores a fine goal, placing it into the corner. After doubling their lead, Tre Penne have two further chances to kill the game off: first Zeka squanders a one-on-one on the counter, then Scarponi has a go but Venturini responds well. Folgore, however, refuse to give up and finally find the net on 90 minutes: Fall unleashes a powerful right-footed strike from distance into the corner to pull one back for Lasagni’s men. The brilliant goal, though, is not enough for the Giallorossoneri, who are forced to swallow defeat. Elsewhere, a single goal is enough to settle the contest between Tre Fiori and Murata. It is the Bianconeri who take home all three points, vital in allowing them to draw level with the Gialloblu on 50 points in the table. The match in Domagnano is evenly balanced until the end of the first half, when Murata’s flash of brilliance – as it proves – makes the difference: Cecconi, from the edge of the box, spots Echel’s run and picks him out, and Echel fires with his left foot at the near post, beating Nardi. Tre Fiori push after the restart and, on the hour mark, Cirrottola has a chance from inside the six-yard box but cannot force the ball over the line. Murata fail to put the game to bed, so De Falco’s side mount a final assault on 90 minutes: on a high ball hoisted into the area, Elia Benedettini cannot claim it and it drops to Pasquale Rizzo, who shoots from the penalty spot area but somehow sends the ball against the post. Murata can breathe a huge sigh of relief and then celebrate a win that lifts them into fourth place: Bianconeri and Gialloblu are both on 50 points, but Angelini’s men are ahead courtesy of a better head-to-head record. After three straight defeats, Juvenes-Dogana are smiling again as they beat Libertas in the 18:15 kick-off. Amati’s side take the lead shortly after the quarter-hour mark: a great run down the left from Baldazzi, who drills the ball across for Gianmaria Borghini; the winger shifts it onto his left and, with a precise diagonal finish, finds the far corner. Libertas, though, react and soon restore parity: Polizzi exchanges passes with Ottaviani, then once he reaches the by-line he beats Giacomo Borghini with a fine feint, moves it onto his left and finally slots past Gentilini with an excellent finish. Juvenes-Dogana are having none of it and on 43 minutes they regain the lead: Valentini shoots from the edge of the box after Ottaviani’s clearance, but goalkeeper Luca Magnani fails to hold the ball, which slips through his hands and, dramatically, over the line. Early in the second half Amati’s team extend their advantage to two: a perfect cross from Traglia picks out the run of Merli, who with a classy touch beats Magnani. The exclamation mark for the Serravalle side comes in stoppage time from Pasquinelli, who wins the ball high up the pitch and unleashes a thunderous long-range drive that gives Magnani no chance. Juvenes-Dogana run out 4-1 winners and, pending San Giovanni’s match tomorrow, climb into seventh place, which guarantees direct access to the play-offs. The Granata, on the other hand – like San Marino Academy Under 22 – are automatically out of the race for the post-season. Here is the partial schedule for Matchday 27 of the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301, which will be broadcast live in full with Italian commentary on TITANI.TV:

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