Futsal: First defeat for Pennarossa, Murata go top

The ninth matchday of the Campionato Sammarinese di Futsal opened with significant results and several surprises. Juvenes Dogana defeated league leaders Pennarossa, while Murata took full advantage to move clear at the top. There were also wins for Folgore and Libertas, while Cailungo produced an incredible comeback against Tre Fiori, snatching a draw at the death.

The first shock of the evening arrived immediately at the Domagnano venue. A superb Juvenes Dogana side beat Pennarossa 3-2, handing the Biancorossi their first defeat of the season and knocking them off top spot. It was Pennarossa who made the brighter start, going two goals up through Verri on 12 minutes and Simone Celli on 19. Juvenes Dogana, however, were not intimidated and quickly hit back through Thomas Celli – a winger and brother of the Pennarossa scorer – who halved the deficit. Riding the momentum, the team from the Castello di Serravalle completed the comeback even before the interval, with De Angelis making it 2-2 in the final minute of the first half. After the restart, the balance held for a long stretch until, nine minutes from time, it was once again Thomas Celli who found the net, scoring the goal that sealed a hugely important victory for Juvenes Dogana and a significant leap up the table. Also in Domagnano, in the second fixture, Murata beat Faetano, who were missing several regulars, by 5-2, and in doing so claimed first place on their own. The Bianconeri broke the deadlock after just four minutes through Recober, but Faetano immediately showed they had no intention of being mere extras: within two minutes Simone Fortunati (7’) and Lago (9’) turned the game around to put the Gialloblù in front. Murata’s reply was swift and came from their leading scorer, Molinas, who levelled on 13 minutes and, on 26, completed the comeback, bagging his brace and taking his league tally to ten. In the second half Murata pulled definitively clear: on 35 minutes captain Alex Mattioli added the fourth, and in stoppage time came the first goal of the season for Mikele Tani, who set the final score at 5-2. Three points which, combined with Pennarossa’s slip-up, send the Bianconeri top of the table on their own.

Two more hard-fought clashes were played in Fiorentino. In the first, Folgore got the better of Virtus, winning 2-1 at the end of a match that remained on a knife-edge right to the final moments. After spurning a few chances, the Giallorossoneri broke the deadlock on 22 minutes through Abbrucciati. Virtus did not give up and, in the second half, equalised on 48 minutes with Belloni, giving the impression they might at least take a point. Just when the draw seemed a done deal, the decisive play arrived a minute from the end: Folgore captain Ercolani unleashed a powerful long-range strike that beat Lonfernini and earned his side a precious victory. The win allows the Giallorossoneri to build on recent results and take an important step forward in an increasingly tight table. In the second match in Fiorentino, it was Libertas who prevailed over San Giovanni, winning 3-2 at the end of a contest that was anything but straightforward. The Granata flew out of the blocks and, inside the first eight minutes, Giuccioli struck twice to put them firmly in control. San Giovanni tried to get back into it on 16 minutes through Bernacchia, but at the start of the second half the Libertas number seven struck again, completing his hat-trick on 33 minutes and restoring the two-goal cushion. The Rossoneri kept believing and, in stoppage time, their number 33 found the net again to notch his own brace. The goal, however, came too late to truly reopen the contest. Libertas thus claimed three points that lift them level with La Fiorita in third place, while San Giovanni remain for the moment second from bottom.

Headline honours on the night, though, go to Cailungo, who produced a truly incredible comeback against Tre Fiori at the Multieventi. The match ended 3-3, with the Rossoverdi recovering from three goals down in a thrilling finale. Tre Fiori appeared to have the game firmly under control, racing into a 3-0 lead thanks to a brace from Giacomo Bernardi, on target on 7 and 41 minutes, and a goal from Alessandro Podeschi on 15. Just when everything seemed settled, the character of Pollini’s side came to the fore: they refused to stop fighting and pieced together a comeback as unexpected as it was deserved. Alberto Antonelli started the recovery on 47 minutes, while Meloni, six minutes from time, brought Cailungo back to within one. Tre Fiori tried to hold on, but just when the game looked over, came the twist in the tale: deep into added time, Antonelli again found the net to make it 3-3, sparking wild celebrations among the Rossoverdi. A precious point for Cailungo, who rediscover their smile and can now approach their upcoming fixtures brimming with confidence.

The ninth matchday of the Campionato Sammarinese di Futsal is not over yet. The action continues this evening at the Acquaviva sports hall, where at 22:00 the clash between Cosmos and La Fiorita will complete the round’s programme.

Below is the partial schedule for Matchday 9: