League: Fiorita and Virtus share the points, Cosmos win and go top

At the end of Matchday 6 the Campionato Sammarinese has a new league leader. It is Omar Lepri’s Cosmos, who sweep aside Domagnano and take advantage of the goalless draw between La Fiorita and Virtus to move clear at the top of the table. The Montecchio big match between the Gialloblu and the Neroverdi was in fact the clou fixture of the sixth round. In the first half Stefano Ceci’s La Fiorita were the better side, threatening on several occasions near Passaniti’s goal, with the Virtus keeper always sharp between the posts. The Neroverdi goalkeeper does well to deny Zaccaria on 15 minutes, while later the backline of the Acquaviva club survive a dangerous cross from Affonso that finds no one in the middle of the box. After the break the reigning champions Virtus also begin to show, and right at the start Tortori hits the post with a header from a corner (52’), sounding the alarm for the Neroverdi. The Acquaviva side step up the tempo and on 59 minutes create another big chance through Benincasa, who tries to finish off a scramble in the box but fires over from the edge of the six-yard area. The Neroverde forward is again a protagonist – this time negatively – when on 65 minutes he is shown a second yellow card by referee Andruccioli after an aerial clash with Mazzotti. Despite being a man down, Virtus keep fighting and on 74 minutes Montanari has a go from inside the area, but his shot is blocked by the Gialloblu defence. La Fiorita respond in kind and on 77 minutes it takes a splendid save from Passaniti on a powerful Semprini header to prevent the Gialloblu from taking the lead. In the end neither side finds the decisive breakthrough and they take home a point apiece. The draw, however, as mentioned, costs La Fiorita top spot, which goes to Cosmos: the Montegiardino side now trail the Serravalle club by just one point. There were no such problems for Omar Lepri’s Gialloverdi, who cruised to a clear 3-0 win – driven on by an excellent Pastorelli – over Paolo Rossi’s Domagnano. Early on, though, it is the Wolves who threaten with a fantastic effort from distance by Giacomo Buda that crashes off the post, a powerful and venomous left-footer. Cosmos are unfazed and begin to churn out their usual flowing football. Just after the half-hour mark, a fine header from Badalassi drifts just wide of Batori’s left-hand post. The Domagnano clash is unlocked shortly before half-time: Andrea Grandoni swings the ball in from the left, Pastorelli brings it down and curls home brilliantly with his left foot from the edge of the box. Wearing the number 7 shirt, the wide man is also the main man for the second goal, which arrives on the hour from a free-kick on the edge of the area; Batori is not flawless and is beaten for the second time. Cosmos’ third comes with a slice of fortune when, on 70 minutes, substitute Danilo Rinaldi sends a low ball in from the left, Gozzi clears but the ball ricochets off Errico’s foot and into the net for 3-0. The Gialloverdi juggernaut do not stop there and within two minutes they hit the woodwork twice: first Badalassi (77’) with a header after a cross from Ben Kacem, then Fermi with a thunderous strike from the edge of the box. In the closing stages Domagnano look for a consolation goal through Rushani (82’, free-kick over) and then Angelini – thwarted by a great save from Celato – but without success. It is a second defeat in a row for the Giallorossi, who remain on 5 points; Cosmos, in addition to top spot, can also boast the league’s best attack (19 goals scored) and best defence (2 conceded). Folgore are also gathering pace, edging out Juvenes-Dogana in the derby between the clubs from the Castello di Serravalle: for the Falciano side it is their fourth win in the last five, a run that lifts them to third place alongside Murata and just two points off leaders Cosmos. The match in Fiorentino is evenly balanced and on the quarter-hour there is a double chance, one at each end: a shot from former Giallorossonero Luca Simeoni is stopped on the line, then on the counter-attack Gentilini does superbly to shut down Bitti’s break for Folgore. The Juvenes-Dogana goalkeeper is crucial again before the interval, beating away a powerful left-footed effort from Pancotti. The duel between the two is renewed at the start of the second half with a free-kick from the edge of the box perfectly set up for Pancotti’s left foot: the San Marino playmaker gets the ball to curl magnificently over the wall and into the corner, where this time Gentilini has no chance. On 73 minutes Folgore – without suspended coach Oscar Lasagni on the bench – could have doubled their lead when Alex Cavalli’s cross-shot crashes off the top of the bar with the keeper beaten. Juvenes-Dogana push forward but fail to seriously threaten Guddo’s goal, while the Falciano side could have killed the game off with a couple of counter-attacks but do not find the knockout blow. In the end, Pancotti’s piece of magic is enough for Folgore, while for Juvenes-Dogana the crisis deepens with a fourth consecutive defeat (and still no win this season). Here is the full picture from Matchday 6 of the Campionato Sammarinese:

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