Championship: goal fest in the early matches of Matchday 25

A Murata side in scintillating form strike four times in the first half in Montecchio, effectively putting their win over Juvenes-Dogana on ice before the break. The opener arrives in under two minutes, thanks to a central run from Gjorretaj. The second comes from a fine piece of play by Cunha, who dances along the by-line before fizzing a cross into the middle where Passillo’s touch proves decisive. The Serravalle club halve the deficit shortly before the half-hour mark through Giacomo Borghini, but it’s only a flash in the pan. The Bianconeri hit back again before the interval with Ura, courtesy of a fine right-footed strike from distance, and Cunha – set up by the aforementioned team-mate. After the restart, the tempo drops significantly, and Juvenes-Dogana find their second of the night far too late to really think about a comeback. It’s the 82nd minute when Stella lays the ball off for Benedetti, who beats Elia Benedettini with a precise first-time strike on the volley from the edge of the box. In Fiorentino, Cosmos get the better of San Marino Academy, who pay dearly for a mistake on the opening goal. Borasco’s low clearance finds no team-mate and allows the opponents to work the ball down the left where – after a knockdown from Berardi – it falls to Prandelli, who makes it 0-1. Earlier, two decisive interventions from the light-blue goalkeeper on Di Maio and Prandelli, while in the 42nd minute Berardi fails to hit the target in a one-on-one with the keeper. The Academy carve out a couple of chances to equalise, but Maggioli – and the crossbar – come to Simoncini’s rescue. At the start of the second half, the Gialloverdi show no mercy and double their lead through Berardi – this time ice-cool with his left foot. In the final part of the game Cosmos run riot: Loiodice first hits the post and then the bar, while Prandelli has a spectacular scissor-kick goal ruled out for Di Maio’s offside. The third does arrive in the 81st minute, stemming from the pace of Ben Kacem, who exploits the space in front of him and beats Borasco with his left. Before the end there’s also glory for Zulli, with a powerful, pinpoint strike from twenty metres, and for Mularoni – quick to make the most of a clever back-heel assist from Sapori. Before the final whistle, Simoncini keeps a clean sheet for Cosmos with a stunning reflex save to keep out Gatti’s header. Fiorentino come out on top in their clash with Libertas. Yet it was the Borgo Maggiore side who broke the deadlock with a splendid turn and volley from Polizzi on 10 minutes, smashing home under the bar to settle a scramble in the box. Equally spectacular is the equaliser, a pinpoint free-kick from Costantini that brushes the top corner to Del Prete’s right. The Libertas goalkeeper is forced to pick the ball out of his net again at the end of the half, when a ricochet between team-mates sends Salemme clean through, and he makes no mistake in completing the rossoblù comeback. After the restart, Camillini’s side find what appears to be the insurance goal on 68 minutes: Abouzziane pounces on a ball deflected by Moretti and beats Del Prete with a lob after the keeper’s reckless rush out. The finale is a crescendo of emotions and brings three more goals: first Mattia Stefanelli finishes off a counter-attack led by Salemme, and that will ultimately prove decisive for Fiorentino’s win. In fact, in the fourth and seventh minutes of stoppage time come Morelli’s spot-kick and Guancia’s bitter late strike, sealing the 4-3 scoreline. The match between Faetano and San Giovanni is open to any outcome and perfectly balanced at half-time. Tognacci’s Rossoneri are quicker out of the blocks, forcing Manzaroli into action on a couple of occasions before opening the scoring through Robba. The defender times his run perfectly on Corinti’s corner, heading home for 1-0 on 26 minutes. A quarter of an hour later, though, it’s all square again: thanks to Palumbo and Terenzi, with the latter tucking the ball past De Angelis after an outside-of-the-boot assist from his team-mate. Midway through the second half, another corner puts San Giovanni back in front on the scoresheet. This time it’s Cocco who rises above the crowd, his header proving decisive for the Rossoneri’s victory, and they also have De Angelis to thank – crucial in a one-on-one with Capriotti. Here is the Matchday 25 schedule of the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301:

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