League, Cosmos reach the final as Libertas fire blanks

It will be Cosmos who challenge La Fiorita for a place in the UEFA Europa Conference League, in the play-off final scheduled for next Saturday in prime time (20 May 2023, 20:45). The match will once again be hosted at the Acquaviva ground, where the Yellow-Greens this afternoon booked their place in the last Campionato Sammarinese BKN301 match of the 2022-23 season. On the back of their 2-0 win over Libertas in the first leg of the semi-final, the Serravalle club were able to manage the sizeable advantage at their disposal – which, for qualification purposes, also allowed for a potential defeat by two goals thanks to their better ranking in the regular season. In the end, Berardi’s side did not need to rely on that safety net, despite the expected ultra-attacking set-up of Libertas, who started Olcese, Sapori, Morelli and Ben Kacem all together from kick-off. Cosmos turned in an impeccable defensive display, facing real danger only towards the end of the first half on two initiatives from Ben Kacem. Before that, however, it was Di Maio and his team-mates who had looked more threatening, starting with Capicchioni’s central run in the 10th minute. The San Marino midfielder, deployed behind Nisi, went looking for the striker in the middle of the box, where the opening goal failed to materialise by a matter of centimetres. The Yellow-Greens were happy to concede possession to Libertas, who nonetheless struggled to carve out chances in a crowded attacking third. Just after the half-hour mark, Perretta tried his luck with a powerful right-footed strike at the near post, but Aldo Simoncini – well positioned – was equal to it. The national team keeper had no problems with Barone’s subsequent long-range effort, and then was able to launch the counter involving Pastorelli and Nisi when – on 44 minutes – he came out with his fists to punch away a cross from the flank. The Cosmos break ended with an inaccurate cross from Nisi. Ben Kacem finally sparked into life before the interval, having been well contained up to that point by Maggioli. The Moroccan was unplayable in tight spaces, weaving past a couple of opponents before forcing Simoncini into action with a left-footed effort that was too central to beat the Cosmos keeper. In the first minute of stoppage time, Sapori skipped cleanly past D’Addario and picked out Ben Kacem in the area; from a tight angle he went for the near top corner but again had to bow to the reflexes of Simoncini. The second half began with a Palazzi header from an Errico corner, but the San Marino full-back could not direct it on target. As the minutes ticked by, Libertas – needing a win by three clear goals – pushed ever more men forward, leaving themselves increasingly open to counter-attacks. On 52 minutes, Pastorelli surged all the way down the right flank before crossing for Capicchioni, who arrived just a fraction late behind Guglielmi. Sperindio tried to shake Libertas into life with a triple substitution that partially reshaped the attack, bringing on Barlafante for Sapori and Bucci for Ben Kacem. Yet it was Perretta who had the big chance on 67 minutes, when Olcese’s lay-off set him up to unleash a right-footed rocket from the heart of the box, only for the Argentine winger to blaze over. The game was virtually settled shortly afterwards, exactly a quarter of an hour from time, when Cosmos struck on the counter. Loiodice was quickest to react to D’Addario’s scruffy clearance and released Nisi into open field. The striker was onside, starting from his own half and burning past the defensive pairing of Guglielmi and Gregorio, who did not cover themselves in glory on the play. His side-foot finish in front of Zavoli was textbook, and threw the play-off final wide open for Cosmos. There was effectively nothing more of note in the final quarter of an hour, which confirmed the superiority of the Yellow-Greens over the course of two nonetheless closely contested matches. The same balance is expected in the last two games of the season. It begins on Friday, when the Granata from Borgo Maggiore will return to the pitch to face Virtus in the match that will determine fourth and fifth place (Acquaviva, 20:45). The following evening, at the same venue, it will be the turn of Cosmos-La Fiorita: the play-off final will offer guaranteed access to the qualifying rounds of the next UEFA Europa Conference League. The losing side will then have to hope that, in the Coppa Titano final scheduled for 27 May 2023, Tre Penne prevail over Virtus. In that case, the team finishing the season in third place will also take part in the youngest of UEFA’s club competitions, as Tre Penne – the league champions – will represent San Marino football in the UEFA Champions League Preliminary Round. All remaining matches will be played in Acquaviva in prime time (kick-off at 20:45) and will be available live via streaming with Italian commentary on TITANI.TV.

---