Coppa Titano: Virtus and La Fiorita denied by the woodwork as Scarponi sends Tre Penne flying

Just one goal in the first legs of the two Coppa Titano semi‑finals played this evening. Nothing to separate Virtus and La Fiorita in a goalless draw that nevertheless produced clear chances at both ends. The only goal of the night was scored by Marcello Scarponi, whose strike decided the Dogana showdown between his Tre Penne and Tre Fiori. We begin with the Montecchio clash between Virtus and La Fiorita, yet another duel between the standout sides of the league and a replay of last year’s cup final. The first chance arrived after just a few minutes and fell to Bizzotto’s Neroverdi – albeit in all‑orange tonight. From Buonocunto’s free‑kick Mazzotti meets it with his head, only to send the ball dangerously onto the top of the crossbar. La Fiorita responded shortly afterwards with a fine angled effort from Zaccaria that drifted just wide of De Angelis’ right‑hand post. Virtus pushed again and moments later (14’) it was Tortori who, turning on the ball after a Buonocunto pass, struck the outside of the post with his left foot. The tempo remained high and on 27 minutes La Fiorita carved out a gilt‑edged chance: from Gasperoni’s powerful, pinpoint cross to the back post, Ambrosini stretches to meet it in estirada but the Gialloblù marksman fails to make clean contact, and De Angelis and his defenders are able to clear the danger. After the bright start from both sides, the tempo dropped and with it the number of chances. The deadlock remained until the 70th minute, when the Gialloblù threatened again: Affonso created panic down the right and tried to burst between Piscaglia and Sabato. The latter cleared, but only as far as the edge of the box where Zaccaria was waiting to hit it first time, brilliantly – and powerfully – sending the ball just wide. In the latter stages of the second half La Fiorita appeared to have more in the tank and went in search of a decisive blow. On 79 minutes Vitaioli unleashed a right‑footed effort from distance; the National Team forward caught it superbly and sent the ball inches past the post. On 90 minutes Ceci’s side came again, with Gasperoni’s right‑footed strike well dealt with by De Angelis. The Gialloblù pressure only increased in stoppage time, capped by a move orchestrated by the Zaccaria‑Affonso duo, combining superbly before the former Murata man, through on De Angelis, opted for a delicate chip that crashed against the outside of the post. It finished 0‑0 in Montecchio, leaving everything to be decided in the second leg, scheduled for Wednesday 2 April. As mentioned, the only goal of the evening came in the Dogana encounter between Tre Penne and Tre Fiori. Celebrating were the City club, as Marcello Scarponi struck after the break with a crucial goal in terms of the race for the final. It was not, however, the ideal evening for Tre Penne, as on 9 minutes Luca Ceccaroli was forced off with a muscle problem, prompting Farotti – on the bench in place of the suspended Berardi – to throw Lorenzo Dormi into the fray. The game remained cagey, but on the half‑hour the first real opening arrived. A fine cross from Vandi on the left picked out the head of Tre Fiori defender Pesaresi, who diverted into his own net for what looked a shocking own goal. Avoni, however, halted play for a foul by Cuomo on Pesaresi, who had been caught hard just before the defender’s header that could have proved costly for Girolomoni’s side. Tre Penne were the more enterprising before the break, but the interval arrived with the score still goalless. After the restart the contest remained in stalemate, with efforts from Palazzi (56’) and Sensoli (63’) failing to trouble the respective goalkeepers. The balance between the two sides lasted until the 82nd minute, when Tre Penne finally broke through. From a Gaiani free‑kick swung in from three‑quarters, Ricciardo glanced it on with his head into the six‑yard box, where the quickest to react was Scarponi, stabbing home what proved to be the winner for the Biancazzurri. The lead held until the final whistle, meaning Tre Penne will have two results out of three in their favour in the return leg to reach the final. Nothing is lost yet for Tre Fiori, though, as a single goal would put them right back in it. This second leg is also scheduled for Wednesday 2 April. Here is the fixture schedule for the Coppa Titano semi‑finals, which are being broadcast in full via free live streaming on the Titani.tv platform.

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