Futsal: Murata secure 3rd place. Cup semi-final second legs on Thursday

With last night’s win over Tre Fiori, Murata have mathematically secured third place with one matchday to spare. The headline clash of the 29th round of the Campionato Sammarinese di futsal – played entirely yesterday evening – saw the Bianconeri prevail 4-2 over the Gialloblu. Cellarosi’s side made the perfect start, breaking the deadlock through Moretti and quickly doubling their lead with Belloni. Tre Fiori replied via Morini but Mattioli restored the two-goal cushion. Alex Bugli’s team did not give up and got back into it again thanks to another goal from Morini. The decisive break came in the second half with Moretti’s strike – his second of the night – sealing the final 4-2. Murata move up to 60 points, with Tre Fiori three points back. In the next round the Gialloblu will need just a point against Faetano to finish the regular season in fourth and book their place in the quarter-finals. Everything is decided at the top as well. Fiorentino’s big win over Faetano means the Rossoblu will end the regular season in first place and head into the play-offs in the best possible shape. The reigning champions had no trouble against Gualtieri’s Gialloblu, who had to bow to the sheer dominance of Danilo Busignani. The striker – suspended last time out against Domagnano – cut loose last night, scoring no fewer than six goals, taking his overall tally to a staggering 62 in the league. Joining him on the scoresheet in Michelotti’s side’s rout were Paolo Casadei, Andrea Gasperoni and Alan Bacciocchi. Faetano stayed in touch in the first half thanks to goals from Casali and Giacomo Bacciocchi, but eventually crumbled, suffering yet another defeat that leaves them bottom of the table alongside San Giovanni. Behind leaders Fiorentino, Folgore are assured of second place despite having a rest day this round. There are still places from fourth to sixth to be settled. La Fiorita and Juvenes-Dogana both won their matches last night and have closed in on the aforementioned Tre Fiori in fourth. Although level on 55 points, it is currently the side from the castello of Serravalle who are ahead in the head-to-head record against the Montegiardino club. Levani’s men confirmed their excellent form by recording an eighth straight victory with a 4-1 win over Pennarossa. All the goals came in the first half, with Chezzi, Paesini and Bologna (who bagged a brace) on target. Brighi’s goal early in the second half was not enough for the Biancorossi to avoid defeat, but Cailungo’s simultaneous slip-up gave the Chiesanuova outfit the certainty of 12th place, which secures access to the Preliminary Play-off Round. The only downside for Juvenes-Dogana was Bologna’s late red card, which means Levani’s side will be without their leading scorer for the final matchday against Domagnano. As mentioned, La Fiorita were also smiling after overcoming Virtus. Gianni Galli’s men broke the deadlock midway through the game with Berardi, but the Neroverdi levelled late on through Pascucci. The Gialloblu refused to settle and, thanks to a brace from Corrado Bartoli shortly afterwards, they picked up three crucial points to keep their hopes of fourth place alive. Despite the defeat, the Acquaviva side are certain to finish the season in seventh and qualify for the Preliminary Play-off Round. The same goes for Domagnano: the Giallorossi claimed their second win in the last three last night, which also mathematically secures eighth place in the standings. On the parquet at the Multieventi in Serravalle against Tre Penne, Fabio Gasperoni’s team took the lead early in the second half through Faetanini and doubled it soon after with Bollini. Città’s Biancoazzurri got back into the game thanks to Capone’s own goal, but the Wolves struck again through Vagnini. Domagnano then widened the gap further with Capone and once more with Vagnini. Davide Ghiotti’s Tre Penne therefore saw their two-match winning run come to an end, but they can still finish ninth. Although they have been caught on 36 points by Libertas – winners last night – the Biancoazzurri can rely on a better goal difference than the Granata. Penserini’s side, as mentioned, claimed all three points with a 4-1 victory over Cailungo. Mazza and Zanotti gave the Granata the ideal start and they went in at the break two goals up. Early in the second half Vitillo pulled one back for the Rossoverdi, but Francesco Rossi and Alex Stefanelli put the result – and the win – beyond doubt. Cosmos win and secure 11th place: the Gialloverdi got the better of San Giovanni, although it was the Rossoneri who opened the scoring through Ugolini early on. Muccioli’s team replied via Lorenzo Bacciocchi, who was then also sent off shortly afterwards. San Giovanni failed to make the most of the power-play and the sides went in level at the break. After the restart, Andrea Guidi and Filippo Zafferani traded blows to keep the contest finely balanced. Before long, however, Cosmos stepped on the gas and, with goals from Alessandro Carloni and Davide Zafferani, wrapped up a 4-2 victory. The Gialloverdi’s regular season is over – they have a rest day on the final matchday – but their 11th-place finish earns them a spot in the Preliminary Play-off Round. There will be no post-season, instead, for San Giovanni, who remain bottom of the table alongside Faetano. Here is the full picture from Matchday 29 of the Campionato Sammarinese di futsal: Click here for the updated standings This week also sees the return – on Thursday 2 May – of the Titano Futsal Cup with the second legs of the two semi-finals. After their 4-0 win in the first leg, Fiorentino have one foot in the final. La Fiorita, for their part, will need to score at least four goals – and concede none – just to force extra time. The head-to-head record, however, does not favour the Montegiardino club, who also lost both league meetings this season. The Gialloblu will be without suspended player Nicolò Mariotti. Kick-off is at 21:45 on the artificial pitch in Fiorentino. Folgore and Tre Fiori will be on first at 20:15 – on the same pitch. It promises to be a match well worth following because after the spectacular 3-3 draw in the first leg, everything is still wide open. If the scores are level again after normal time, the tie will go to extra time and, if needed, penalties. This season’s previous meetings give Falciano’s club grounds for optimism, as they won both league encounters. Both matches will also be officiated by referees from Latvia, as part of the usual referee exchange programme: for the clash between Folgore and Tre Fiori the referee will be Igors Jacevics (together with Tonelli and Tura), while for the duel between Fiorentino and La Fiorita the selected official is Deniss Kozlovs (with Piccoli and Tura).

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