Futsal Week, solid draw for the Titans in their first test against Malta

A positive result for the San Marino national futsal team, who yesterday played their first match at the Futsal Week September Cup in Poreč (Croatia). Roberto Osimani’s Titans earned a 0-0 draw with Malta in a very evenly balanced contest.

The first part of the match was cagey, apart from a Maltese chance when Portelli struck the post following a misplaced pass by Pasqualini when playing out from the back. San Marino began to grow into the game and got back on the front foot, playing with great intensity. That led to their first chances through Moretti and Ercolani – the latter the liveliest in testing Borg. The opening 20 minutes thus went into the books and it was on to the second half.

Among the Titans, captain Busignani increasingly stepped up, trying on more than one occasion to beat Borg, but the Maltese goalkeeper was always up to the task. The same was true of Mattia Protti, who produced several key interventions to keep a clean sheet for the Titans. Osimani also brought Verri and Zafferani into the rotation, but in the latter stages of the half the Biancoazzurri began to show some fatigue. San Marino held firm and Malta hit the woodwork for a second time – this time through Sammut, three minutes from the end. In the closing stages there was a good chance as well for the Titans, with Moretti firing left-footed from inside the area but pulling his effort wide. The match finished 0-0.

Today at 18:15 they are back on court, with San Marino facing Estonia on Matchday 2.

Futsal Week September Cup, DAY 1 | San Marino – Malta 0-0

SAN MARINO

Protti, Pasqualini, Busignani, Moretti, A. Ercolani

Substitutes: Dolcini, Zafferani, Barbano, Verri, Toccaceli, Pazzini, Cola, Ghiotti, Morini

Head coach: Roberto Osimani

MALTA

Borg, Buhagiar, Sammut, Gaiewski, Portelli

Substitutes: Adami, Vella, Cachia, Montebello, Gatt, Cope, Schembri, Caruana, Sammut

Head coach: David Bobokhidze

Referee 1: Dražen Vukčević

Referee 2: Jagnar Jakobson

Referee 3: Ilie Laurentiu

Booked: Sammut, Portelli