League: Domagnano overtake Folgore to go third

The effects of Saturday’s snowfall also spilled over into Sunday’s schedule, leading to changes of venue and kick-off time for Fiorentino-Cailungo and Cosmos-Libertas, both played at 18:30.

With Domagnano-San Marino Academy pushed back by 24 hours, only San Giovanni-Folgore could claim to have stuck to the original plan. On the Domagnano artificial pitch it was Tognacci’s side who started with more conviction and deservedly took the lead midway through the first half. The fifth corner led to Zanni breaking the deadlock on 22 minutes, meeting Palumbo’s inswinging delivery with a headed finish. Shortly afterwards De Angelis prevented Folgore from collapsing, racing off his line to smother at the feet of Giambalvo on the edge of the box. Folgore struggled to get into the game, creating just one clear chance through Augusto Garcia Rufer – brilliantly denied by Casadei. At the other end Zanni threatened again with an audacious back-heel attempt. After the interval the first opportunity fell to the Falciano club on 57 minutes, when Sartori’s free-kick shaved the crossbar. Two minutes later San Giovanni almost doubled their lead through Fabbri, again with a header from a corner: this time De Angelis showed great agility to save low. Lasagni’s side looked unrecognisable, hitting the woodwork again through Bernardi after having squandered a sitter with Augusto Garcia Rufer, who missed from two yards with the goal gaping. In the end, the Giallorossoneri’s persistence was rewarded on 86 minutes when Aversario scored, having only recently come on for Daidola. San Giovanni’s second win in the league slipped away right at the death, but in a frantic finale they at least avoided defeat thanks to a monumental save by Casadei on Miori. Folgore are thus knocked down to fourth, overtaken by Domagnano in third place.

At the Ezio Conti in Dogana it was the Giallorossi who struck first, after an early ambitious effort from Marfella. The Wolves also hit the post through Amati on 32 minutes from a corner swung in from the left by Borasco – who then tested Papi from distance just a minute later after being picked out by Sopranzi. The San Marino forward made amends as early as the 34th minute, turning a counter-attack from a defensive corner into gold: an unstoppable burst forward, finished with a left-footed effort that Borasco could only get a slight touch to. Early in the second half the Under 22s saw their greater initiative go unrewarded, with Marfella and Bugli both shooting from inside the box around the midway point of the half – Papi blocking on both occasions. Barely 200 seconds later Domagnano made them pay: Bonetti used his physical presence to win a duel in the area and beat Borasco. The second goal did not knock the stuffing out of the Academy, who threatened again on 73 minutes through Domeniconi’s run – his whipped cross just eluding Marco Gasperoni, who failed to hit the target. Di Maio’s side also lacked fortune, as they were denied by the base of the post on 84 minutes by a precise diagonal strike from Marfella. It was the prelude to the expected finale, in which Domagnano padded their lead – punishing the Biancazzurri harshly with a shot-cum-cross from the by-line by Ferraro that caught Borasco unprepared.

In the late kick-offs, Libertas scored the quickest goal of the day. After just six minutes Morelli struck cold – in every sense – with a first-time right-footed volley from a Rigoni assist, forcing Cosmos into an uphill battle. Selva’s men were anything but lifeless, however, creating at least four clear chances in the opening quarter of an hour: the move involving Robba, from a Gjurchinoski corner, produced the 1-1 equaliser with a powerful header on 14 minutes. Special mention must go to Manzaroli, who 200 seconds earlier had pulled off a real wonder save to deny Mossolini. Midway through the half Cosmos protested the non-award of a penalty for a possible handball by Maciel in the box, but neither referee nor assistant spotted any infringement. Shortly afterwards the Gialloverdi’s comeback looked complete, only for Mattia Manzaroli to pull off the save of the season from a close-range left-footer by a stunned Hamati. At the very end of added time in the first half, Cosmos appealed again for another alleged handball in the area: Islamaj’s header beat Manzaroli, but on the line Michelotti cleared what looked a certain goal. All perfectly legal in the eyes of the officials: it was 1-1 at the break. The contest remained lively and entertaining after the restart, with Semprini and Manzaroli both decisive with low saves to deny David Tomassini and Hamati respectively. A long lull followed, broken by a huge chance for Monceri, who wasted a glorious ball from Ceccaroli by shooting wide. A few minutes later the forward’s name went into the referee’s book – but in the column marked “sent off”, gifting Libertas a numerical advantage for the closing stages. Even so, it was Cosmos who penned the Granata back and carved out the chance to win it: Ceccaroli however failed to hit the target, with the goal left unguarded after the only mistake of the night by the outstanding Manzaroli, who ultimately escaped punishment.

In Acquaviva the first clear chance fell to Cailungo, with Benedettini keeping the scores level early on in a one-on-one with Bua. Shortly afterwards the San Marino keeper had to dive full stretch to turn away Sarti’s left-footed rocket from 25 metres. At the other end a pinball in the box almost resulted in an accidental opener for Pesenti. There was nothing accidental, though, about Abouzziane’s solo run – halted only by Gallinetta’s excellent positioning. Costantini’s side grew into the game as the minutes ticked by, but the goal failed to come even when Gjonaj found himself unmarked on the penalty spot, only to drag a right-footed effort wide with the goal at his mercy. On 37 minutes Gallinetta had to intervene smartly to prevent Pesenti’s near-post header from finding the net. Before the sides swapped ends it was Cailungo who did have the ball in the net, albeit to no avail: from a corner routine, Gimenez was judged offside when heading in Guglione’s flick-on, cutting short the Rossoverdi’s celebrations. At the start of the second half Pesenti immediately tested Gallinetta, who was just as decisive moments later with a covering intervention by De Luca on Belward, denying him a simple tap-in into an empty net. A near-identical situation – with roles reversed – highlighted the desperate block by Fratini, just as Bua was already savouring the lead. In between came a curling right-footed effort from Abouzziane that shaved the bar with Gallinetta beaten. Cucchi fared no better, rising unmarked from a corner but glancing his header just over the crossbar. Pesenti’s opportunity on 75 minutes, however, could not be blamed on lack of cutting edge: he hit a perfect diagonal strike, matched only by a superb save from Gallinetta. The Cailungo goalkeeper was the standout performer in the closing stages, called into action by Mariano, Abouzziane and Molinari. There was nothing he could do though about Pesenti’s close-range header, the 90+1st-minute match winner: the sharpest of all the forwards on show secured three priceless points for Fiorentino from a cross by captain Bottoni. To think that just a couple of minutes earlier Cailungo, through Bua’s late run into the box, had themselves gone agonisingly close to snatching all three points at the death.

This is the full schedule for Matchday 10 of the league: