Futsal: Faetano get the better of San Giovanni and set their sights on Cailungo

In terms of the table, it was the clash in Domagnano between San Giovanni and Faetano that drew most attention among the early fixtures of the 26th matchday of the Campionato Sammarinese futsal league. The head‑to‑head between two sides who, as things stand, would both miss out on the postseason went the way of the Gialloblù, who now sit just behind Cailungo – themselves beaten by La Fiorita. Tre Penne recorded a big win to move back up into fourth on the day Virtus had their bye week. Domagnano’s five‑goal haul against Juvenes-Dogana and the spectacular 4-3 in Tre Fiori-Cosmos completed the schedule of advance fixtures.

In Domagnano, Faetano once again leaned on the ever‑reliable Omar El Attar. The pivot delivered a complete performance, scoring all four of the Gialloblù’s goals – starting with the temporary 1-1 after Rossi’s early opener. Early in the second half his brace completed the turnaround, which was briefly halted by Francioni’s strike. The match was decided in the closing stages, when El Attar struck twice more to lift Faetano to within two points of Cailungo. Venerucci’s men, by contrast, succumbed to La Fiorita who, after Morini’s 20th‑minute goal, ran riot either side of the interval. Baldelli and Matteo Chezzi both scored in the final minute before the change of ends, while Gualandi found the net within the first minute of the restart. Angelini pulled one back for Cailungo on 52 minutes, a mere consolation.

The Montegiardino side move clear in third place, maintaining their six‑point cushion over Virtus and closing to within four of Pennarossa, who face Fiorentino tomorrow evening and still have their rest day to come. In fourth place we now find Tre Penne, who put nine past Libertas to return to winning ways. Among Penserini’s men, Gamba and Cola particularly shone, scoring four and three goals respectively. Sabatino and Ercolani also got on the scoresheet in the final 9-0. Libertas look set to finish bottom of the table, with twenty‑three defeats from twenty‑four matches played so far.

It is a difficult spell for Juvenes-Dogana, who last night suffered a fourth defeat in five games. Domagnano were able to take advantage, getting back to winning form after experiencing the firepower of the league’s top two. Gasperoni’s side broke the deadlock midway through the first half with Filippo Dolcini, before Santarini doubled the advantage – a goal that arrived while playing with a man extra following the dismissal of Simone Celli, who received two yellow cards within seconds. After the break, Bollini scored from a free‑kick and Vagnini added another. The latter finished with a personal brace, his second coming between Bologna’s goal – scored with Juvenes-Dogana using a flying goalkeeper.

The meeting between Cosmos and Tre Fiori was extremely balanced, and ultimately went the way of Pollini’s men. The Fiorentino club have now won three of their last four matches, moving above Juvenes-Dogana and closing in on the eighth place currently occupied by their Rossoblù neighbours. It was a rollercoaster of emotions in Dogana, where Tre Fiori raced into a 3-0 lead thanks to Tamagnini, Casadei and Esposito – only to concede to Molinas from a 10‑metre free‑kick right on half‑time. In the second half Cosmos shifted gear, drawing level in less than 300 seconds through Cecchetti and Cerquetti. Parity, however, was short‑lived, as by the 46th minute Alessandro Podeschi had struck what would prove to be the winning goal. A floodlighting issue then forced a brief suspension of play: once the contest resumed, Cosmos opted to play the remaining four minutes plus added time with a flying goalkeeper, but were unable to find another breakthrough.

Tomorrow evening Fiorentino take on Pennarossa, with a chance to move within touching distance of the seventh‑placed Gialloverdi from Serravalle. The Chiesanuova side, who have set themselves the target of finishing in the top two in the regular season, have no intention of easing off – fully aware, however, that they will be facing an in‑form team. On Thursday it will be leaders Murata who round off this fifth‑from‑last matchday, when they meet a Folgore side whose cushion over 13th place has shrunk to just six points.