Futsal, Tre Penne mean business: Virtus beaten and second place all alone

Of the seven matches scheduled on Matchday 20 of the San Marino Futsal Championship, Tre Penne vs Virtus was undoubtedly the main attraction – even though there were several direct clashes on the card. In the second game on the Fiorentino artificial pitch, the Città side in Biancazzurro pass with flying colours the test represented by Virtus – sunk by two goals scored in the two minutes of added time at the end of the first half. Cola and Sabatino make it onto the scoresheet, but Ruben Casadei also deserves a mention. The Tre Penne goalkeeper saved a penalty from Pasqualini after just three minutes of play. Late on, Michelotti’s men finish with one fewer as Geri is sent off. The previous match on the same surface had seen a Domagnano victory, with the side alternating wins and losses for six rounds now. At the halfway point the Wolves are 2-0 up on Folgore, thanks to goals from Menghi and Sensoli. In the second half, around the midway point of the period, Hidri makes it three and wraps it up. Moments before the final whistle, Folgore also lose Molari to a second yellow card.

In Dogana, Murata have no trouble getting past San Giovanni, tightening their grip on top spot. Yet it was Palermino’s side who opened the scoring through Gracik – on target in the 3rd minute. The reigning Bianconeri champions stay calm, with a De Angelis brace – either side of a Giusti strike – turning the game around before the clock hits 10 minutes. By half-time it is already a pokerissimo, thanks to goals from Busignani and Mattioli, while after the break Aruci and Marzi also get on the scoresheet to seal a 7-1 final scoreline. Much closer in terms of play and scoreline is Libertas vs Faetano, the second fixture in Dogana. The Gialloblù are denied by the woodwork before Andrea Selva puts the Granata ahead, with Paesini landing the decisive blow for 2-0 in the 38th minute. The only blot on Libertas’ evening is the late sending-off of Andrea Gasperoni with the game virtually over.

There is also a double header in Domagnano, where Pennarossa and La Fiorita both hit a manita. The San Marino runners-up overwhelm Cosmos 5-1, running riot after the interval. At half-time it is 1-1, following goals from Gasperoni and Molinas. The second half begins with a goal from Toccaceli, doubled around the midway point of the period by Timpani. In the closing stages Novembrini’s men finish the job with Oddone’s personal brace. Like the Biancorossi, La Fiorita also close in on the third place currently occupied by Virtus. Paying the price for the Gialloblù’s prolific evening are Juvenes Dogana: a brace from Matteo Chezzi and a hat-trick from Pellegrini, spread across both halves, leave no way back for the Serravalle side. The two goals for the Biancorossazzurri, moreover, arrive with the result already beyond doubt – merely cutting the deficit to three thanks to a Matteo Chezzi own goal and Simone Celli’s late strike.

Cailungo and Fiorentino faced off at the Multieventi. It was an extremely balanced clash and gripping right up to the end of added time in the second half. The first of the evening’s seven goals bears the signature of Meloni, who scores after eight minutes. Cailungo hold on to the slender lead until the break, only to succumb to Fiorentino’s strikes at the start of the second half: Moroni and Para twice, within nine minutes, turn things around in favour of Screti’s team. Para’s personal hat-trick from a 10-metre free-kick in the 59th minute for a 4-1 lead seems to relax the Rossoblù a bit too much – and they are punished by Meloni and Gianni in the two minutes of added time. There is no sting in the tail for Fiorentino, though, who can breathe a sigh of relief and bank a win that had been virtually secured and then almost thrown away.

Below is the Matchday 20 schedule of the championship: