Futsal, Championship: Pennarossa come from behind to win the late fixture

Comeback win for Pennarossa in last night’s late fixture, which closed out Matchday 23 of the San Marino futsal championship. In Acquaviva, Mattia Casadei’s men ran out 6-3 winners over a San Giovanni side who had, however, started the game in the best possible way. Davide Gualtieri’s Rossoneri in fact went two goals up in the first half through Alberto Volpinari and Massimiliano Casali. After the restart the Biancorossi pulled one back with Giampaolo Brighi, but once again Volpinari restored San Giovanni’s two-goal cushion. Pennarossa refused to lie down and threw themselves forward. First Manuel Poggiali found the net, then Alessandro Podeschi struck the equaliser. The momentum was now with the Biancorossi, who took the lead through Federico Rosa before pulling away at the end with goals from Lorenzo Conti and Rosa again to definitively wrap up the contest. With this result, Casadei’s side climb back up to eighth place – a comfortable position in terms of the play-offs. Despite the defeat, San Giovanni also remain firmly in the post-season race. With Matchday 23 in the books, attention turns straight back to the court on Monday for Matchday 24 of the championship. At the top the long-distance duel between Fiorentino and Folgore continues, ahead of their head-to-head clash in mid-April. Matteo Michelotti’s team will be in action on Tuesday evening in the late fixture at the Multieventi (21:30) against a Tre Penne side in crisis (four straight defeats for the Biancazzurri) and currently outside the play-off spots; the Falciano outfit coached by Max Spada will instead take to the court on Monday evening (Fiorentino, 21:45) against San Giovanni. One of the standout fixtures of Matchday 24 looks set to be the clash between Domagnano and Virtus, scheduled for Monday in Dogana (21:45). The Neroverdi from Acquaviva come into it off the back of a big midweek win over Faetano which allowed them to overtake the Giallorossi, beaten by Fiorentino, a result that snapped their run of four consecutive victories. Virtus currently sit fifth in the table, one point ahead of the Domagnano Wolves. For both sides this will be an important match in their bid to close in on La Fiorita, currently fourth – a position that gives direct access to the play-off quarter-finals (the Gialloblu from Montegiardino will observe their rest day this round). Another must-watch encounter between two in-form teams is the one between Tre Fiori and Cosmos (Acquaviva, 21:45). Alex Bugli’s side are riding a four-match winning streak that has lifted them up to third place, while Federico Muccioli’s men have strung together five wins on the spin, climbing the table week after week to an excellent ninth place. Juvenes-Dogana will also be looking to get back to winning ways on Monday when they face Libertas (Acquaviva, 21:15). Zonzini’s team have not picked up any points in four rounds – although they remain stable in seventh place – but they will come up against a Granata side who have instead recorded two important victories in a row. Penserini’s team are currently in the play-off zone (ninth place) but will have to watch their backs with Murata just two points behind. The Bianconeri face Pennarossa on Monday evening in Fiorentino (20:15), with Pennarossa coming off the above-mentioned win over San Giovanni. Murata, by contrast, have managed only one victory in their last five. Matchday 24 will also feature a head-to-head between the bottom two in the group: Faetano and Cailungo are both desperate for points to lift the mood in a difficult season (kick-off in Dogana at 20:15). Here is the full programme for Matchday 24 of the Campionato Sammarinese di Futsal:

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