League: Prandelli strikes, Tre Fiori one point away from the Scudetto

The penultimate league matchday, which could have seen the title return to Tre Fiori’s trophy cabinet, was marked by fluctuating emotions across the five grounds where play was taking place simultaneously. The hottest venues were Acquaviva and Dogana, where Virtus and – indeed – Tre Fiori were in action. At half-time, the defending champions were virtually within one point in the standings: thanks to goals from De Lucia and Zenoni, the Neroverdi led by the narrowest of margins at the break – having quickly responded to Boateng’s instant equaliser, scored just one minute after De Lucia’s opener. At the same time in Dogana, no goals had been scored in the clash between Faetano and Tre Fiori. The recent past of Danilo Girolomoni, now coach of the league leaders, had certainly not made things any easier for the table-toppers. Fiorentino’s side showed a completely different attitude after the restart, and were rewarded with the opening goal on 52 minutes. Much of the credit goes to Benedettini, whose coast-to-coast run was simply unstoppable. Bernardi was perfectly timed in laying the ball off and his scuffed effort turned into the ideal assist for Prandelli, who treated himself to a back-heel finish from close range to beat Venturini. Faetano’s protests over the position of the Gialloblù marksman were vehement, but Cordani judged it to be regular. A few minutes later, on the artificial surface in Acquaviva, Virtus killed off the game with Zenoni’s second of the afternoon – this time set up by Ivan Buonocunto. On 72 minutes the Neroverdi made it four with a penalty converted by Benincasa, before turning their attention to developments at the Ezio Conti in Dogana. There, Scarcella and Prandelli had in the meantime both gone close to a second goal, leaving Tre Fiori exposed to possible late twists – in a finale nonetheless honoured by a Faetano side who, it must be said, no longer had realistic targets left in the table. Even so, Sperindio’s men kept pushing to the end – in particular when Alabay had the chance for a sensational equaliser, which he was unable to take. Meanwhile, Virtus were running up a 6-1 scoreline thanks to Piscitella’s quick-fire brace in three minutes, but the gap at the top remained unchanged. With a three-point cushion going into the final league matchday, a draw will be enough for Tre Fiori against Pennarossa to celebrate the Scudetto once again. Virtus, in any case, cannot be crowned champions in seven days’ time: should the sides finish level on points, the regulations stipulate a play-off match to decide the title.

The Garcia Rufer brothers drive Folgore to victory over San Marino Academy, a win that arrives after a long sequence of draws. The opening goal bears the signature of Augusto, who finishes off an assist from Azael in the early stages with a fine run to the near post. From a throw-in, right at the end of the first half, Lasagni’s side doubled their lead. This time it was Azael who found the net, pouncing on a loose ball in the Biancazzurri penalty area after being rewarded by a fortunate ricochet off Ciacci. Folgore managed their two-goal advantage after the break without any real scares, and put the result beyond doubt a quarter of an hour from time. Augusto Garcia Rufer struck again, finishing off a splendid move in tandem with Pancotti – who supplied an outside-of-the-boot assist to the middle of the area. The Giallorossoneri, who also went close to a fourth before the final whistle, move on to 54 points and remain firmly in the race to finish the regular season in fourth place.

La Fiorita stay level on points with the Falciano club and can also rely on a better overall goal difference in the battle to claim fourth place behind Tre Penne. The Gialloblù made a fast start in Domagnano against Cosmos, breaking the deadlock after just a few minutes through Djuric. The assist from Affonso was sumptuous: he burst down the right before delivering a pinpoint cross onto his team-mate’s forehead. Gjurchinoski’s equaliser – with an assist of sorts from Vivan – was little more than a flash in the pan: Ceci’s side soon restored their lead through Jacopo Semprini, who was picked out in the area by Djuric at the end of a fine passing move on the deck. A minute later, Affonso delivered the one-two that left Cosmos on the ropes: a solo run finished with a left-footed strike at the near post that caught Alessandro Semprini unprepared. There were no further goals in the second half despite several chances to alter the scoreline, and La Fiorita were able to celebrate their sixteenth win of the campaign. Cosmos will enter the Preliminary Round, where they will face one of San Giovanni or Pennarossa on 29 April.

Mathematically out of the title race, Tre Penne had to come from behind against Libertas to secure the win. The Granata are a completely different side compared to the one at the start of the season: while there have been numerous changes to the squad, it is above all in terms of attitude that Buda’s men appear totally transformed. Able to dig in when a tricky match like today’s demands it, they have also found an enviable cutting edge in attack. This was highlighted by Cozzino’s goal on 37 minutes, which sent them into the break 1-0 up. In the second half Tre Penne threw everything forward, drawing level through Fabbri just over five minutes after the restart: the midfielder tapped home following a fine intervention by Manzaroli. The turnaround came from a corner: Turchetta picked out the run of Ferrani, who powered home the header for 2-1. Libertas, who finished with ten men after Michelotti’s dismissal, then conceded a third goal from the Pieri–Badalassi combination. From the Granata perspective, this defeat makes it impossible to catch Cosmos in eighth place and therefore confirms a Preliminary Round tie with Juvenes Dogana.

This is the full picture from Matchday 29 of the 2025-26 Campionato Sammarinese: