Futsal: Pennarossa and Virtus avoid a shock, Murata and La Fiorita progress with ease

In the end, the second legs do not spring any real surprises. The same four teams who had taken control in the first 60 minutes of the quarter-finals go through. Yet two of them had a real scare. Very much so. Pennarossa, for instance: on Thursday they had won 3-0 and would have had to lose 4-0 (or 5-1, or 6-2, etc.) to be knocked out. It seemed a remote scenario, but it came very close indeed. Cosmos do not sit and calculate. They attack. And in the 8th minute they make the first step with a goal from Bacciocchi. It is not enough, they need more. That is when Molinas really takes centre stage, the undisputed driving force of the yellow-greens this season. The player of Argentinian origin doubles the lead shortly after Bacciocchi’s goal, then strikes again on 59 minutes with a wonderfully executed 10-metre free-kick. At that precise moment Muccioli’s men are just one goal away from completing a masterpiece. And the chance comes one minute into stoppage time, again from the second penalty spot. Of course it is Molinas who steps up, but this time his effort is off target. Cosmos’ dream is over, and Pennarossa let out a huge sigh of relief: an incredible upset has been avoided. The red-and-whites are into the semi-finals.

The other side who were really, really afraid were Virtus. They had won the first leg 5-4 in a somewhat “Kafkaesque” match and therefore could afford to lose by a one-goal margin, but not by two. Yet, with only a few minutes remaining, the very scenario Acquaviva wanted to avoid was unfolding: Tre Penne leading 3-1, with Ercolani’s opener followed by a brace from Gamba. Then comes the double blow that proves fatal to Penserini’s men: Beinat is sent off and, during the resulting spell of numerical inferiority, a handball in the area sends Pasqualini to the penalty spot. The Neroverdi captain, already on the scoresheet in the first half for the temporary 1-1, keeps his nerve and scores the goal that seals qualification. A second huge sigh of relief on quarter-final night. Virtus must now quickly process this strange match, because their semi-final is just around the corner.

Indeed, it is played immediately, on Wednesday. Waiting for the Neroverdi at the Multieventi will be Murata. The 10-2 first leg did not suggest any particular twists, and none came. The Bianconeri also win the return leg, albeit by a much narrower margin. The first half drifts by goalless. The second begins with Murata taking the lead through Moretti, who will strike twice more in the evening. Before that, though, Busignani and Ghiotti also get on the scoresheet to make it 3-0, a scoreline that does not leave Fiorentino passive. On the contrary, Galli’s men react strongly: in quick succession Felici makes it 3-1 and Bernardi 3-2. Moretti then pushes it out to 4-2, but Paoloni and Felici again wipe out all the deficit. This lasts until Moretti decides it is a night for a hat-trick: his third comes almost on the buzzer and draws a line under a quarter-final that was never truly in the balance.

The same applies to the tie between La Fiorita and Domagnano. The Wolves came into it 3-0 down and needed to score four more goals than Traviglia’s side. Instead, the opposite happens: it finishes 5-1, with Simone Chezzi opening the scoring before being joined on the scoresheet by Pellegrini, prior to Domagnano halving the deficit through Vagnini. Pellegrini again makes it 3-1, then Gualandi for 4-1, the score at the break. In the second half, despite Domagnano’s efforts, it is La Fiorita who score again, this time through Baldelli. The yellow-and-blues are into the semi-finals, where – on Thursday at the Multieventi – they will face Pennarossa.

Here is the full line-up of the Quarter-finals:

     *teams in red have been eliminated from the competition