Crazy Libertas comeback, four-goal hauls for Tre Penne and Domagnano!

Plenty of goals – an absolute avalanche – in the late fixtures of Matchday 14 of the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301, which opened the 2023 domestic football season. Five goals were scored in each of the three games played today, two of which turned into one-sided affairs, while the other was an enthralling arm wrestle – decided at the death, and in the least desirable of ways for one of the sides. Starting there, with Murata-Libertas, it’s worth noting the good display from the Bianconeri – recently handed to Giuseppe Angelini – for at least 80 minutes. Then the unimaginable. Twice in front, Valentini and his team-mates were unable to stem the haemorrhage of negative results, as Murata slumped to a ninth consecutive league defeat. After a couple of fruitless forays from the Granata in the early stages, Raul Ura broke the deadlock, with Pesaresi’s involvement and Comuniello’s unselfishness proving decisive. Libertas’ equaliser, however, was less than 50" away: enough time to release Bucci, who laid on the assist for Olcese’s goal which – like Ura’s – arrived on 20 minutes. Murata put their noses in front again six minutes later, when Gaiani reacted quicker than everyone else to a Zavoli save, after the goalkeeper had been tested from range by Valentini following a turnover high up the pitch. In the second half Libertas poured men forward, but then had to deal with the straight red card shown to Alex Gasperoni on 69 minutes. A goal and a man down, with just over twenty minutes left, Sperindio’s men produced a sporting miracle: on 84 minutes Guglielmi delivered a superb cross from the by-line onto the head of Bucci, who held his position and powered home from close range for 2-2. It wasn’t over yet, because Terenzi pulled off a miraculous stop to deny the ever-dangerous Bucci – released in behind – but was then beaten by a magnificent free-kick from Barone. The midfielder struck from the angle of the penalty area, curling the ball into the far corner to leave Murata stunned and propel Libertas up to sixth place in the table. They leapfrog Faetano, who start 2023 with a heavy defeat. It’s Domagnano celebrating at Montecchio – immediately threatening through Parma, Fedeli and Angelini. The opener arrived midway through the half from a corner, thanks to Angelini popping up completely unmarked at the far post. Domagnano were dominant and went close to doubling their lead through Zonzini, calling Colonna into action only on Kalemi’s well-struck free-kick on 37 minutes. In Faetano’s best spell, a dreadful mistake by Pini sent Domagnano clear on goal: Parma played in Fedeli for a one-on-one with Porcellini. An elegant piece of skill from the Domagnano striker, who calmly slotted in with his left foot. Girolomoni tried to shake his side up at half-time, but it was Fedeli again who struck on 55 minutes, finishing off a one-two with Parma. Things went from bad to worse for Faetano, who on the hour mark also had to cope with Soumah’s red card – the substitute having come on after the break. Luck deserted the Gialloblù as well, with Ferrario’s diving header crashing off the crossbar. It simply wasn’t the day for Della Valle and his team-mates, who also conceded a fourth: on 77 minutes Angelini completed his brace with an acrobatic finish. From there to the final whistle, a fine save by Colonna on Mema and a delicate chip from the edge by Bonini. Above all, though, Ferrario’s goal which – from a Mema assist – arrived seconds before the final whistle that put an end to a contest dominated by Domagnano. The Wolves draw level with Pennarossa and Juvenes-Dogana in tenth place, climbing above Fiorentino. At the Federico Crescentini, Pennarossa and Tre Penne met for the third time this season, with the match ending with the same scoreline as the second leg of the BKN301 Coppa Titano Round of 16. Chances came thick and fast from the opening minutes, with the Chiesanuova club threatening through the Conti brothers and Tre Penne replying via Gai and Dormi. The former dragged his effort wide, while the latter struck the woodwork from a corner situation. On 16 minutes came a glaring missed chance, with Dormi’s extra pass for Gai catching the forward by surprise and denying him a simple tap-in. After Barretta went inches away from giving his side the lead with a header, and Benedettini produced a crucial save to deny Pieri, it was Gai himself – and from a Dormi assist – who finally broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time. At the start of the second half, Ceccaroli doubled the advantage – just 35" after the restart. Pennarossa threatened on 55 minutes, when Alessandro Conti forced Migani into a save from distance and Cecchetti squandered a tap-in from a tight angle but by no means impossible. Tre Penne effectively wrapped it up three minutes later, as a one-two between Pieri and Dormi opened up the six-yard box for Ceccaroli, who could not miss as he tucked away his second of the afternoon. The Biancorossi were now mentally switched off and on 61 minutes the fourth arrived, courtesy of Righini, who converted a penalty awarded for an obvious foul by Daniele Conti on Gai. Ceci’s men then eased off, and with just under twenty minutes remaining a neat exchange between the Conti brothers allowed Alessandro to beat Migani with a powerful left-footed diagonal that served only to pad the stats. Dormi was unable to further embellish those statistics for Tre Penne, denied on 79 minutes by Benedettini’s brave and perfectly timed intervention. A clear-cut victory for the City club, who close the gap on La Fiorita and Tre Fiori while maintaining their distance from Cosmos and Virtus ahead of them. Here is the full picture from Matchday 14 of the Campionato Sammarinese BKN301:

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