San Giovanni land a major blow: Cosmos floored, Virtus out in front

After a third of the regular season, Virtus find themselves alone at the top of the table. Coming into matchday ten of the Campionato Sammarinese as joint leaders with Cosmos, Bizzotto’s side swept Cailungo aside and took full advantage of the Gialloverdi’s slip-up. In Acquaviva the Neroverdi sink their teeth into the contest – effectively settled by half-time, when the scoreboard already reads 5-0 in their favour. Tortori opens the scoring, followed by Sabato stabbing home in a goalmouth scramble and an emphatic finish from Angeli. Before the half-hour mark there is room on the scoresheet also for Vallocchia, while Michele Rinaldi curls in with his right foot on 39 minutes. Bizzotto takes the chance to manage the minutes of Tortori, Buonocunto and Rinaldi himself with an eye on the midweek Coppa Titano tie, and he gets excellent returns from the substitutes as well. Among them Pecci shines, scoring one and providing one assist (for De Lucia) in the second half, playing a key part in the final 7-0. Equally eye-catching in both manner and substance is San Giovanni’s victory over Cosmos. Tognacci’s team move to within six points of the summit, confirming themselves as a solid, in-form outfit. The opener arrives before the quarter-hour mark, with Augusto Garcia Rufer whipping the ball towards the near post where Zanni gets in front of everyone with a classy finish. In the second half Danilo Rinaldi levels the scores, but the final word belongs to Cocco, who applies the decisive touch to Stefano Sartini’s knockdown. Also worthy of the spotlight is Julian Starna: the San Giovanni goalkeeper is among the best on the pitch and puts his hands firmly on the three points, denying Ben Kacem as well on 75 minutes. Cosmos lose ground on the leaders and are overtaken by La Fiorita, while being caught by Folgore. The Falciano club hit back from the opening goal scored by Luca Ceccaroli, which had seemed set to put Tre Penne back on a winning track. Despite being unbeaten, Berardi’s men have won only two games and this afternoon’s clash in Domagnano is no exception. Folgore find the net through a splendid Sartori free-kick, which clears the wall set up by Migani – caught out on the play. The gap between the Biancazzurri and the top of the table grows, now standing at nine points. Folgore, by contrast, are much closer to Virtus: Lasagni’s side have collected 20 points so far, the same as Cosmos, with the leaders on 23. The closest challengers, however, are La Fiorita, the only other unbeaten side in this first segment of the season and just one point behind the Neroverdi. In Fiorentino, Ceci’s men strike once in each half. Zaccaria sets them on their way, and in the second half Emiliano Olcese follows suit. With Cosmos striker Imre Badalassi sidelined, the Argentine forward of La Fiorita has been able to draw level at the top of the scoring charts on eight goals. In the only game scheduled for 18:00, Faetano snatch victory at the death. The man to put his stamp on this important win for Ricchiuti’s team is Festa Gallo, who finds the net on 89 minutes from a Capriotti assist. On the play there is clear responsibility from Maza Rodriguez, who opens the door of the Biancorossazzurri penalty area to the opposition move. For the rest, it is a balanced encounter in which Gentilini produces the first crucial save on a Brisigotti free-kick. Juvenes-Dogana cling to the talent of Merli, often a threat for his side. Forconesi still manages to secure a clean sheet that lifts Faetano into eleventh place on their own, leaving Achille Fabbri’s team ten points adrift of the current play-off line. Here is the full schedule for matchday ten of the Campionato Sammarinese, all available live via streaming with Italian commentary on the Titani.tv platform.

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