Futsal Cup, second legs of the Round of 16: Faetano believe, the others need a miracle

Last call for the Final Eight of the Futsal Cup. On 9 October – the first legs of the Round of 16 – seven teams effectively staked an early claim for a place in the spring mini-tournament, some more emphatically than others. Take La Fiorita, for example, who chose the route of double figures to extinguish any hopes San Giovanni might have had. Tomorrow night’s clash between Pietrangeli’s side and Palermino’s therefore does not appear particularly open to science-fiction twists, all the more so given that the latter are less rested than their opponents, having played on Monday in Matchday 4 of the league. Gialloblù and Rossoneri will open the evening programme in Domagnano, which will be completed by the tie between Cailungo and Cosmos. Both sides come into it buoyed by their very recent league results, but they are separated by five goals after the first act of this cup Round of 16. Cosmos therefore have the task of managing a sizeable lead, and the same goes for Virtus, who themselves scored five times in the first 60 minutes of their double header with Folgore, even if they did concede once. At present there are also four goals separating Domagnano and Tre Fiori, the two teams who will open the outdoor evening in Acquaviva. The Wolves are not enjoying a good spell in the league: their last win of the season came precisely in the first leg of the Futsal Cup (6-2), so they will be looking in tomorrow night’s match not only for confirmation of all the good work produced up to 9 October, but also for a chance to relaunch their season. On the other side, Tre Fiori will throw everything at overturning a heavy deficit, as well as trying to give themselves some signs of a broader recovery. So far, Galli’s men have done nothing but lose.

The same goes for Faetano, who certainly do not see their comeback mission as impossible. In fact Libertas can count on just a one-goal advantage, courtesy of Michelotti’s strike midway through the second half in the first leg. The finale, however, was marked by the dismissals of Conti and coach Selva, who will be forced to sit out tomorrow for Faetano. Later in the evening in Dogana, Pennarossa and Fiorentino will face each other again after their very recent league meeting, which ended in a 3-0 win for the Chiesanuova side. And in the first leg of this cup tie they had also put three goals between themselves and Screti’s Rossoblù, who must now start again from 7-4 down. And speaking of teams meeting again within a matter of days, this is also the case for Tre Penne and Juvenes-Dogana, who face off tomorrow in the only indoor match of the evening, kicking off at 22:00 at the Acquaviva Sports Hall. Juvenes-Dogana have so far confirmed their status as the bogey team for Penserini’s side, who have won every game this season except the two against the Biancorossoazzurri. The most recent of those saw the two teams draw 2-2 (with Juvenes coming back in added time), while their Titano Futsal Cup meeting ended in a clear win for Cellarosi’s men, who will take a four-goal cushion into the second leg. It is worth remembering that, if the aggregate score is level after 60 minutes of normal time, tomorrow’s ties will go to extra time and, if needed, penalties.

Below is the schedule for the ties valid as the second legs of the Round of 16: