Futsal: derby belongs to Folgore, Fiorentino and Pennarossa settle it at the death

Folgore and Fiorentino continue to march in lockstep. The two league leaders preserve their perfect points tally even after the clashes on Matchday 8, although Juvenes-Dogana and Domagnano prove to be anything but soft opponents for Spada’s and Michelotti’s sides. The reigning champions, for instance, only settle the Serravalle derby after the interval. The first half ends goalless; then it is Pellegrini who “uncorks” the contest, only for Simone Chezzi to soon restore parity. Pellegrini again restores Folgore’s lead midway through the second half; an advantage further bolstered by Bernardi, although the no. 10 in yellow and red does not land the knockout blow. Santi Ugolini pulls one back for Juvenes-Dogana in the closing minutes. Zonzini’s men, however, cannot complete the comeback. On the contrary, before the final whistle Folgore add gloss to the scoreline thanks to an unfortunate deflection from Mazza, who – much to his regret – signs off the 4-2 final score. As for Fiorentino, the winning goal only arrives right at the death. Before that, balance reigns in the contest between the Rossoblù and Domagnano. A match decided entirely from set pieces: on 6 minutes Busignani breaks the deadlock with a free-kick, then on 21 minutes Manuel Bollini levels from the penalty spot, a spot-kick he had won himself. The 1-1 holds out until the 58th minute: at that stage of the game Domagnano, having exhausted their bonus, commit a sixth foul. Busignani steps up from the second penalty mark and is as clinical as he was for the 1-0. A hard-fought victory, but one that allows Fiorentino to keep pace with Folgore, while Domagnano’s run comes to a halt after four straight wins (plus a draw) and they are forced to surrender third place to Virtus, who in the meantime prove ruthless against Faetano. Fiorentino’s second outing of the week, by contrast, is one-way traffic: it ends 5-0, with Tomassoni inadvertently opening the scoring (own goal on 3 minutes) and Michelotti doubling the lead before half-time. Paolo Casadei widens the gap from the spot, then Pascucci and again Michelotti wrap up a third consecutive positive result for the Acquaviva side, who on Monday face a direct showdown with Domagnano. A very comfortable win as well for La Fiorita, who climb the table thanks to an 8-1 thrashing of Cailungo, featuring former player Levani. Another ex, Gamba, scores the only goal for the Rossoverdi. But by then the contest already has a clear yellow-and-blue direction: it is 3-0, courtesy of a Bernardi brace and a strike from Belloni. After Cailungo’s goal, Ghiotti’s men go straight back to their game plan, stretching the lead to 6-1 before the break: Toccaceli, Giuccioli and Bernardi again all find the net. The script does not change after the restart: La Fiorita complete the rout thanks to Toccaceli, who like his team-mate Bernardi ends the night with a hat-trick. With this win the Montegiardino side leapfrog Juvenes-Dogana and draw level with Tre Fiori, who had a bye. Cailungo, meanwhile, remain stuck on zero points and will play their next match without Venerucci, sent off for a second yellow card. Libertas beat Murata and draw level with them in the table, condemning their opponents to a third straight defeat. An inspired Taddei drags the Granata along: three of Borgo Maggiore’s four goals bear his name. On the quarter-hour mark Murata go ahead through Capicchioni, but Taddei replies almost immediately. Francesco Rossi completes the turnaround in the opening stages of the second half, only for Casadei to level matters again shortly afterwards. In the final 10 minutes Taddei once more shoulders the responsibility for Libertas, delivering the two decisive blows that give Penserini’s side a second league win and, for now, some breathing space from the choppy waters at the foot of the single-group table. Down there, by contrast, San Giovanni continue to struggle, undone at the death by Pennarossa. There is no shortage of goals here either: the first belongs to the Chiesanuova side, who take the lead just before the quarter-hour through Brighi. Rinaldi makes it 2-0 immediately after missing a second penalty (Brighi had done the same on 20 minutes) and that is how it stands when the teams switch ends. After the interval, however, San Giovanni’s reaction takes shape: between the 46th and 57th minutes Giacobbi and Volpinari bring them back on level terms. But it is not over. Pennarossa still have enough left to conjure up a late winner that delivers their second success of the campaign. The decisive goal is scored by Brighi on 60 minutes. This evening it is Cosmos v Tre Penne: vital points are at stake in the battle to pull clear of the bottom three places. Here is the picture from Matchday 8 of the league, pending the late fixture: Click here for the updated standings.

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