Futsal, quarter-finals: Virtus-Tre Penne is a rollercoaster of emotions, Murata hit Fiorentino for ten

It’s an explosive and far from settled quarter-final between Virtus and Tre Penne. It ends 5-4, with Michelotti’s men able to make the most of the final minutes to complete an overtake of great significance in the context of the two-legged tie, given that Tre Penne will now be forced to win the second leg by at least two goals. And yet, up until the 58th minute, the Biancoazzurri were in front. They had, however, found themselves three goals down in the first (full) quarter of an hour: Biordi’s opener and Pasqualini’s brace seemed to have given the match a very clear direction. Instead, this is exactly the moment when Tre Penne bare their claws: Sabatino pulls one back immediately and then – in the first half of the second period – the former Cailungo pivot and Cola manage to wipe out the entire deficit. Sabatino is back on the scoresheet for the third time on 52 minutes, giving Tre Penne a hugely valuable lead, which, however, will not hold until the final whistle. As the game enters its closing stages, Virtus produce a double surge that gives them an equally significant advantage going into the return: Cevoli makes it 4-4 and Pasqualini – one minute into stoppage time, from the second penalty mark – seals the final 5-4.

At the opposite end of the spectrum from this high-tension Virtus–Tre Penne, there is Murata-Fiorentino. The Bianconeri juggernaut unleash their full potential: it finishes 10-2, with hat-tricks from Moretti and Mattioli and a brace from Ghiotti, plus goals from Busignani and goalkeeper Protti. For the Rossoblù, Felici scores on the stroke of half-time (for 5-1) and Bernardi on 28 minutes of the second half (for 7-2). La Fiorita and Pennarossa also seem to have set a clear marker in their quarter-finals – albeit not as emphatic as Murata’s – as both win 3-0. The Gialloblù strike Domagnano at the end of both halves thanks to a rampant Marcello Morini, who signs a hat-trick. The No. 7 hits Domagnano for the first time on 30 minutes, then repeats the feat on 57 minutes. The goal that plunges the Wolves further into trouble arrives just before stoppage time is indicated, and once again – just as with Pasqualini in Virtus-Tre Penne – from the second penalty mark. There are no multiple goalscorers, instead, in Pennarossa-Cosmos. Danny Gasperoni puts Chiesanuova ahead on the stroke of half-time; then Oddone (on 34 minutes) and Maiani (on 55 minutes) leave Cosmos – just like Domagnano – needing a win by at least four goals next Monday to overturn the two-legged tie.

Here is the partial picture of the quarter-finals: