Coppa Titano: Vandi sends Tre Penne wild in extra time, shoot-out smiles on Tre Fiori. League action resumes tomorrow

Ninety minutes were not enough in either of the two BKN301 Coppa Titano Round of 16 second legs played last night. Tre Penne and Tre Fiori, however, booked their places in the Quarter-finals, both after high drama against Cosmos and Faetano respectively. In the big match in Montecchio, Ceci and Berardi’s sides kicked off again from the 1-1 draw in the first leg. It was Righini who broke the deadlock from the spot – the penalty awarded after Vandi’s cross struck Maggioli’s arm – and he stayed cool to beat Aldo Simoncini for 1-0. Cosmos tried to reply and, right at the end of the first half, appealed for a penalty after contact between Pastorelli and Nigretti, but Albani waved play on. In the second half Tre Penne could have killed the tie on 75 minutes when Dormi spotted Vandi’s run and picked him out perfectly, but once through on Aldo Simoncini the winger allowed himself to be hypnotised by the San Marino keeper. That let Cosmos sniff a comeback – just as they had last weekend late on against La Fiorita. Di Maio collected the ball in the box and tried his luck on goal; Vandi cleared the defender’s tame effort but only managed to hit the back of the unlucky Lorenzo Gasperoni, which left the ball there for Loiodice, who made no mistake in the scramble. The minutes flew by and the match went into extra time. Early on, Badalassi struck the inside of the post with a huge chance. That proved the prelude to the decisive Tre Penne goal, scored by Vandi: the winger made yet another run in behind and this time was found by Cecchetti; once he got in front of Simoncini he stayed composed and sent his team into raptures. Cosmos were wounded and refused to give in. With virtually the last kick, Matteo Prandelli also found the net after Molinas’ shot was deflected, but Berardi’s centre-forward was offside, cutting short the celebrations of the Serravalle club’s supporters. Tre Penne therefore knock out Cosmos: Berardi’s side exit the competition just as they did last year in the Round of 16 against eventual winners Virtus. A good omen for the club from Città? In the next round Ceci and his men will meet Libertas. There was just as much drama in Acquaviva where Tre Fiori and Faetano needed penalties to separate them. Again, they restarted from a draw in the first leg (2-2) between two sides who – ironically – had also met a few days earlier in the league (a spectacular 3-3). De Falco’s team were the better side in the first half, but it remained goalless at the break. In the second half Tre Fiori began to up the tempo and early on both Cirrottola and Rizzo went close, but on each occasion it was Nicolas Pelliccioni – starting in goal instead of Mattia Manzaroli – who produced excellent saves. The Faetano keeper then came up huge again shortly afterwards: a sustained attacking move from the Fiorentino outfit ended with a penalty after Ndao fouled Cecconi. Cirrottola stepped up but Pelliccioni saved the spot-kick, keeping his clean sheet intact. The second half was packed with incident: on 71 minutes Cirrottola tried to make amends but his right-foot strike from inside the box came back off the post. Soon after, substitute Luca Terenzi had a huge chance, but completely free on the edge of the area he dragged his right-foot shot wide and squandered a golden opportunity for Faetano. Tre Fiori were desperate to win it inside 90 minutes and in the 83rd minute came agonisingly close when Bernardi effectively had a penalty in open play, but Enrico Casadei denied him with a crucial header on the line. Referee Andruccioli, though, brought an end to regulation and sent the tie into extra time. In the first period it was Faetano who went close to scoring twice, both times through Brisigotti: first with a free-kick well kept out by Nardi, then with a turn and shot from the edge that shaved the post. Tre Fiori held on, while Faetano kept believing. Pellegrino’s men created two more chances in the second half of extra time: first Capriotti shot from distance but Nardi got down smartly; then on 117 minutes Kevin Lisi had a huge opportunity, but his left-foot attempt from a good position flew over. So it went to a penalty shoot-out: De Falco’s side were flawless, scoring through Cecconi, Mazzotti and Bernardi, while Faetano missed with Capriotti and Acquarelli. Fedeli had match point and converted it, sending his side into the Quarter-finals, where they will face Folgore. Here is the full picture from the early BKN301 2023-24 Coppa Titano Round of 16 ties: Note: teams in bold have qualified for the Quarter-finals. To view the full bracket, click here.

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With Coppa Titano put to one side, attention turns immediately back to league action tomorrow with the seventh matchday of the BKN301 Campionato Sammarinese. It’s a packed Saturday with five fixtures, headlined by the big clash between Virtus and La Fiorita. In Montecchio (kick-off 15:00), two of the form sides at this early stage of the season will go head-to-head. Bizzotto’s team are slight favourites – he is also facing his former club – as they top the table with a perfect record and sit two points clear of the Montegiardino Gialloblu. Both sides come into the game unbeaten, with La Fiorita also winning in midweek in Coppa Titano against Cailungo and fresh from a late draw with Cosmos in the previous league round. Juvenes-Dogana will be looking for points and a reaction after Wednesday’s painful Coppa exit at the hands of Libertas. In the league, however, Amati’s team are on a good run thanks to back-to-back wins that have already taken them into double figures. Opponents San Marino Academy have not won in three games. The Titani will again have to do without the suspended Cecchetti. That one will be played in Acquaviva at 15:00. Also seeking smiles and renewed confidence on Saturday are San Giovanni against Fiorentino (Domagnano, 15:00) and Pennarossa versus Domagnano (Fiorentino, 15:00). Earlier this week – in Coppa Titano – Tognacci’s Rossoneri and Camillini’s Rossoblu faced off in a match won by Fiorentino, which sent them through to the Quarter-finals. In the league, though, it is a different story: neither side has won since the opening day and they are level on four points. Pennarossa are still searching for their first points and sit bottom of the table. Nobile’s team, after giving Tre Penne a scare in the last league round, went out to Folgore in midweek. Facing them will be a buoyant Domagnano after their first league victory last weekend and a crucial Coppa win that saw the Giallorossi knock out Murata. Saturday’s programme concludes with the 18:15 kick-off between Libertas and Folgore. Both teams won their respective midweek cup ties to reach the Quarter-finals. Sperindio’s team received a huge boost from their 5-0 victory over Juvenes-Dogana and will need to back up that progress in the league, where they have not won for almost a month. The Granata are stuck on four points and well off the pace at the top, while Folgore – alone in eighth on eight points – want to maintain their positive trend and push into double figures. Sunday’s menu is just as attractive. Another big showdown stands out: Tre Penne v Murata in Montecchio. The reigning San Marino champions are two points behind leaders Virtus and remain unbeaten. They also boast the best attack in the league, led by top scorer Imre Badalassi (eight goals in six games). Angelini’s Bianconeri, meanwhile, suffered their second defeat of the season in midweek but are still in the chasing pack (just one point behind Tre Penne and two off Virtus). Rounding off the day’s head-to-head clashes is Tre Fiori versus Cosmos. Coming into this one with contrasting moods after their respective cup ties – see above – De Falco’s side hold a three-point advantage over Nicola Berardi’s Gialloverdi (still unbeaten but back on 10 points). The Gialloblu have only lost on the opening day and have picked up points in every game since. Also in action on Sunday are Cailungo and Faetano (Fiorentino, 15:00). The Rossoverdi have been all or nothing so far – two wins and four defeats – while Faetano are climbing the table (four points from their last two) after a difficult start to the season. Here is the full fixture list for matchday seven of the BKN301 Campionato Sammarinese, which you can watch live and free on Titani.tv with full Italian commentary:

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