Futsal, moment of truth: Folgore face La Fiorita for the title and a place in Europe

A year on, La Fiorita are back in the championship final. On Friday night the Montegiardino side will make a second consecutive attempt to open their trophy cabinet in futsal. And they will do so against Folgore, the team that, by everyone’s account, have only one goal this season: to win everything. In that respect, Spada’s players are already halfway there: the 2021-22 Titano Futsal Cup has recently been added to their collection after their victory over Tre Fiori in the final. Now their path crosses that of another yellow-and-blue team. Late on Friday evening we will know who succeeds Fiorentino in the roll of honour of the competition and in representing San Marino in the UEFA Futsal Champions League. The two finalists met today for the press conference ahead of the championship final. Present were the two captains, Giacomo Mainardi and Giacomo Bernardi, along with Edoardo Allasia and Michele Della Valle representing their respective clubs. Bernardi began by recalling the different routes Folgore and La Fiorita have taken through these play-offs. "Inevitably we come into this final more tired than our opponents – said La Fiorita’s captain, who missed last year’s final through suspension – They have played fewer matches than us in the play-offs and have been able to prepare for this clash better. But I can say that the mood in our dressing room is excellent. We were finalists last year as well, and this season we have confirmed ourselves. Now we need to take that extra step. We know Folgore are favourites on paper, but we are fired up and aware of our strengths, so we will battle just as we did against Tre Fiori. A week ago, in the semi-final, we lost to Folgore by too large a margin. We won’t make the same mistakes. We’ve had a fantastic play-off run and I’m especially pleased with our young players, who have shown they are absolutely up to the task. Friday will be a great match: may the best team win." The “ball” then passed to Giacomo Mainardi, man of the match in the Titano Futsal Cup final, and a former La Fiorita player: "Up to now we’ve had a fantastic campaign, which has allowed us to grow in confidence and self-belief. Winning helps you win more, as everyone knows, and lifting the cup gave us another step forward in terms of mentality. It’s true that we won by a wide margin in the semi-final, but finals are a completely different story. The tension players feel is on another level. So anything related to the past no longer counts and everything is reset. I think a single episode could make the difference. We’ll give our all to repeat our cup success." For La Fiorita’s Sporting Director, Michele Della Valle, reaching the championship final was not, given the strong competition, an easily predictable outcome. However, it is not a shock either. "Unlike Folgore, who were built to win everything, we were in the mix with other teams to get this far in the tournament," admitted the yellow-and-blue official "but I have always said this in the dressing room, and the coach has repeated it: last year’s final was no fluke. Still less is it a coincidence that we’ve got back there. In fact, from last summer we set ourselves the goal of returning to the final, and we achieved it. These are the fruits of a project that started two years ago: we laid the foundations of this group and gradually strengthened them with experienced additions. I’m thinking of Stolfi but also of Bernardi himself. The core is solid and results follow. Last year we were left with a really bitter taste: unfortunately, we couldn’t play that final with a full squad, between suspensions and the after-effects of Covid. This year I won’t deny that our opponents are favourites, quite the opposite. But we are highly motivated and will do everything we can to make life difficult for them." Edoardo Allasia opted for full transparency: "They say Folgore were built to win everything, and it’s true. We’ve never hidden from that since the start of the season. Our summer transfer business made it clear to everyone what Folgore’s intentions were in futsal. Then, every result still has to be earned on the pitch. Winning the Titano Futsal Cup was hugely important and also gave us great belief: the awareness that we have a deep squad made up not of six or seven players, but fifteen. Everyone can step up when called upon. Compared to that final, we’ll have a few more options available on Friday. Our job is to stay focused and be ready to face a team with a strong identity that have shown, by reaching two finals in twelve months, that they deserve to be at the top of our game. It’s proof of the quality of the work carried out by Sporting Director Della Valle." The final will be played in Fiorentino at 21:00 on Friday 3 June. The refereeing team will be D'Adamo, Piccoli and Ilie. Here is the play-off bracket of the San Marino Futsal Championship:

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