Futsal Championship: favourites pulling away in the table

The outcomes of the sixth round of the futsal championship, pending tonight’s maturity test for Virtus and Juvenes-Dogana, perfectly capture the recent and current form of San Marino’s clubs. Curiously enough, the top four places in the table are occupied by the leading clubs in the five-year ranking, and even more remarkably in the exact same seeding order used for the current edition of the Titano Futsal Cup. We are talking league matters here, and Folgore are out in front with a perfect record after last night’s 6-0 win over Murata. For the reigning champions there was a brace from Bernardi and goals by Chezzi, Giardi and Pellegrini from a 10-metre free-kick – plus an own goal by Alessandro Casadei. Watching with interest were Fiorentino who, despite a bye week, hold on to second place and remain within potential striking distance of Spada’s men. Just behind the Rossoblù, Tre Fiori and Domagnano are also in the mix. The club from Fiorentino yesterday beat Pennarossa 5-2 at the end of a lively contest that was evenly balanced for three quarters of the game. On 45 minutes it was 2-2 thanks to goals from Brighi and Rosa for Pennarossa and Cecchini and Boschi for Tre Fiori. It was the San Marino pivot who made the decisive break, completing his hat-trick before Mariotti’s clinching strike. Level on points, but beaten in the head-to-head on Matchday 2, are the Domagnano Wolves. Last night a single goal from William Cavalli was enough to turn the tables. The winger struck on 47 minutes to give Mussoni’s side a precious victory, which Libertas contested right to the last minute – before having to record James’ sending-off in the 59th minute. La Fiorita keep pace, stringing together a second consecutive win by sweeping aside Faetano 6-0. Despite a first half that ended with only a narrow lead for Ghiotti’s men thanks to a strike by Giuccioli, La Fiorita broke the game open after the break with a brace from Mattioli, goals by Toccaceli and Gualandi, and a second of the night for Jacopo Giuccioli himself. The clash between Tre Penne and Cailungo also has repercussions at the bottom of the group. Of the two sides still without points, it was the club from Città that finally got off the mark after four straight defeats. The comeback was sealed by goals from Dinatale and Francesconi, overturning the early lead given to Michele Bollini’s men by Rossini’s finish. Tre Penne thus draw level with Pennarossa and move above Cosmos, who picked up their second draw in six outings in the match with San Giovanni – who rise to four points in the table. In the game in Acquaviva, Pierini and Mauri got on the scoresheet, the latter making full use of the two minutes of power-play that followed Manuel Macina’s dismissal for a second yellow card. This evening brings an intriguing showdown between Virtus and Juvenes-Dogana, currently the sixth- and seventh-placed teams in the league. Zonzini’s men have played one game fewer than the pack ahead of them (Fiorentino excepted) and are aiming to overtake La Fiorita and Virtus. The Neroverdi, for their part, would join Tre Fiori and Domagnano in third place with a win. Both sides will be eager to bounce back after painful defeats suffered on the fifth matchday of the competition. Kick-off in Dogana is at 21:15. These are the results of the Matchday 6 early fixtures in the 2022-23 Campionato Sammarinese di futsal: Click here for the updated league table.

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