Futsal Euro U19: Bacciocchi puts the Titans in front, Montenegro edge through

Excellent performance from the Under-19 National Team in their second and final outing in the qualifying mini-group in Gibraltar. After defeat in the opening match against the hosts, Matteo Selva’s side responded well and came close to pulling off an upset against Montenegro. The Titans in fact took the lead midway through the first half thanks to Alan Bacciocchi. The Balkan side reacted and, just before the break, found the equaliser through Roćenović. San Marino stood up well to their opponents’ pressure but were forced to give way ten minutes from time, when Gopčević struck to give Montenegro a decisive 2-1 win. Montenegro finish the Preliminary Round top of the group with maximum points, ahead of Gibraltar and San Marino. Naturally, head coach Matteo Selva was pleased with the level of performance: "I was expecting Montenegro to come out all guns blazing, so I asked the boys to defend well and hit them on the counter. They probably underestimated us; we started really strongly and scored a great goal on the break. We caught them by surprise and the goal fired the boys up even more. Only a lapse in concentration allowed them to get back level. Then in the second half they stepped up the tempo and, despite a monstrous performance from Pazzini, they finally managed to get their winner after so many attempts. It’s a pity because these lads deserved to get a result today. They played a really outstanding match." Selva also has some regrets about the opening game against Gibraltar: "It was a missed opportunity because it was an open game and every chance we failed to take, they punished us with a goal. In my view the scoreline was harsh. It’s a shame we only played two matches; the boys were fired up and would have produced another great performance."

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Futsal Euro Under 19, Preliminary Round | Montenegro v San Marino 2-1   MONTENEGRO Krunic, Nikolić, Roćenović, Gopčević, Mijušković. Substitutes: Muratović, Todorović, Bajagić, Sužnjević, Četković, Pilastro, Barjaktaroviq Head coach: Sveto Ljesar SAN MARINO Pazzini, Littera, Marinelli, N. Mularoni, Barbano. Substitutes: Chiaruzzi, R. Mularoni, Romuald, A. Ercolani, Lotti, Bacciocchi Head coach: Matteo Selva   Referee 1: Paavo Komppa (FIN) Referee 2: Jagnar Jakobson (EST) Referee 3: Jiri Bergs (BEL) Timekeeper: Antonio Ballestreros (ESP) Booked: Romuald Scorers: 10'24" Bacciocchi, 18'10" Roćenović, 33'01" Gopčević

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