League: Folgore and Juvenes out to confirm strong starts after opening fireworks

The roar of the Supercoppa triumph and of the five goals scored on the opening matchday of the league campaign is still echoing in the air. It is far too early, however, to say whether this season will also be branded in fiery letters by Tre Fiori. What is certain is that the Titano champions have taken their first steps in excellent fashion and now firmly set their sights on Faetano, their opponents in one of four fixtures that will once again open the Matchday 2 programme this week. The games are on Friday evening, and on one side of this all-yellow-and-blue clash there is Girolomoni’s team (he is a former player there), riding the wave of their excellent results, while on the other side there is Sperindio’s team (another former player), who must come to terms with a debut that was completely negative (a 4-0 defeat to Juvenes Dogana) and are therefore called on to respond, throwing their hearts over the hurdle, metaphorically speaking, given the strength of the opponents on the schedule. This match will be played on the Acquaviva pitch. At Montecchio, Fiorentino are back under the Friday night lights, just as they were in their opening win over San Marino Academy. This time, standing in the way of the Rossoblù will be Virtus, who have had a few days less rest (they played on Sunday) but are coming off a hard-earned and valuable draw: a goalless stalemate with La Fiorita. A debut draw is also the story for Cosmos, who after the sting suffered almost at the death (Vandi’s goal that earned Libertas a 1-1 draw) are seeking – at the Ezio Conti in Dogana – a swift reaction in a very delicate clash with Tre Penne. The latter started on the right foot last Saturday (albeit after toiling against San Giovanni) and remain focused on the top step of the table, which they currently share with Folgore, Juvenes Dogana, Tre Fiori, Fiorentino and Domagnano. The latter claimed the first three points on offer (beating Cailungo) and are targeting back-to-back wins against San Giovanni, who, by contrast, came away empty-handed from the match with Tre Penne and are therefore driven by the desire to get off the mark – an objective the Rossoneri will pursue on the Fiorentino turf, also on a Friday packed with fixtures.

Saturday’s schedule is lighter, with just two matches. The 5-0 win over Murata makes Folgore the side that performed best over the first 90 minutes of the league, and so they sit alone at the top of the standings – with all the limited significance that has, given we are only at the dawn of the season. Be that as it may, the Giallorossoneri have sent out a clear signal and now it is up to them to back up everything good they showed last week. Next up for Ricci’s men is Cailungo, who went down but fought hard against Domagnano and are eager to shake off that bothersome zero as soon as possible. In addition to Acquaviva – the venue for Folgore v Cailungo – there will also be action on Saturday in Montecchio, where Libertas will take on Juvenes Dogana. If Folgore are the team that have done best so far, their “cousins” at Juvenes are just one goal behind. The 4-0 over Faetano is another of those results that demand confirmation. The biancorossoazzurri will go in search of it in a delicate contest against a Libertas side that showed all their tenacity by pegging Cosmos back right at the death.

There will also be only two games on Sunday. Acquaviva hosts a meeting of two teams who were left disappointed by their first 90 minutes. Both conceded five goals in their respective fixtures, although at least Pennarossa managed to score twice against Tre Fiori. Murata are still stuck on zero and thus aiming to unlock themselves in both respects. The same situation applies to La Fiorita and San Marino Academy, who face off at Montecchio. The Montegiardino side collected a point against Virtus, while the young Biancoazzurri – between posts, crossbars and saved penalties – were left ruing their missed chances against Fiorentino, who weathered the storm and ultimately got the better of Cancelli’s boys with a goal in each half.

All weekend fixtures will be broadcast live, free-to-air via streaming on Titani.tv. Tre Penne v Cosmos will also be available on FIFA+ and DAZN.

Here is the fixture list for Matchday 2 of the league: