League: ruthless Tre Fiori fly five points clear, Abouzziane and Benedettini inspire Fiorentino

A ruthless Tre Fiori side defeated a good San Marino Academy 2-0 to tighten their grip on top spot in the league. In the rescheduled fixtures of Matchday 19, the Gialloblù took full advantage of Virtus’ slip – held to a draw by Cosmos yesterday – to move five points clear of their nearest rivals and already take a firm grip on the title race. The first half ended goalless, with the Titans frequently threatening Nardi’s goal. Early in the second half there was also a golden chance for Di Maio’s team, as Righi’s fine free-kick on 49 minutes missed the target by a whisker.

Girolomoni then turned to his bench on 51 minutes in an attempt to spark his side into life. Despite the introduction of his “big guns”, it was still the Academy creating the danger and Nardi had to produce a superb save to keep out Mattia Ciacci’s powerful effort and preserve his clean sheet. Shortly afterwards, though, Girolomoni’s changes paid off as the Gialloblù broke the deadlock on 57 minutes: a perfect cross from Scarcella found Prandelli, whose towering header left Conti with no chance. The Titans refused to give in and tried to get back on terms, but Nardi and his backline held firm. The curtain finally came down in Acquaviva on 84 minutes when Prandelli once again found the net with another header, this time meeting Sami’s corner. It was a nightmare evening for the Academy, compounded in stoppage time by the dismissal of Mattia Ciacci after a robust challenge on Prandelli.

The other team from the Castello of Fiorentino were also celebrating: Costantini’s Rossoblù won 3-2 in the 90th minute against Domagnano in a crazy match full of twists and turns. The game in Domagnano was unlocked on 13 minutes and it was Fiorentino who struck first: Ferraro lost a poor ball in midfield, Abouzziane pounced and slipped in Pesenti, who beat Papi one-on-one with a deft outside-of-the-boot finish. Domagnano reacted around the half-hour mark with a thunderous effort from Buda, well dealt with by Benedettini, who grew in confidence as the minutes went by and would prove decisive. On 34 minutes, however, the Giallorossi found the equaliser through Ferraro, who made amends for his earlier mistake by turning in Perazzini’s assist for 1-1. Just a minute later Fiorentino were back in front: Abouzziane collected the ball on the corner of the box, cut inside onto his right and unleashed a perfect curling strike into the top corner. The only blot on Fiorentino’s copybook amid Abouzziane’s moment of magic was Pesenti’s sending-off during the celebrations – apparently for something he said. The second half began with Fiorentino down to ten men and Domagnano pouring forward. For Costantini’s side, the already-mentioned Benedettini was providential, first denying Sopranzi and then Perazzini around the hour mark. Amati’s Wolves kept pushing and on 63 minutes Buda rattled the crossbar, and it was on 71 minutes that they finally drew level. In the same goal where Abouzziane had scored his gem, this time it was Bonetti who met a perfect cross from Guglielmi with a stunning overhead kick to make it 2-2. That was goal number 13 of the season for the Giallorossi striker, joint top scorer alongside Prandelli.

The game remained finely balanced until the 90th minute, when Abouzziane produced yet another burst of pace and was brought down in the box by Filippo Valentini. The referee pointed to the spot and Abouzziane converted for 3-2. It was not over yet, because deep into stoppage time Benedettini once again came to Fiorentino’s rescue, first thwarting Famiglietti and then Bonetti to seal the victory. The Rossoblù move up to seventh place alone in the standings.

One point apiece for Juvenes-Dogana and Cailungo, with both goals coming from the penalty spot. The Serravalle side broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time: Ir Nasr handled in the area and Borriello awarded a penalty. From 11 metres, Aprea duly scored his seventh league goal of the campaign. In the second half, the equaliser arrived on 76 minutes: Ghiggini and Michelucci collided in the box and it was another penalty. Bua stepped up to make it 1-1. Five minutes from time, Juvenes-Dogana had a new opportunity, but Aprea’s effort drifted just wide. It finished 1-1 in Montecchio.

It was the same scoreline in Fiorentino between San Giovanni and Libertas. The match was cagey until the half-hour mark, when Morelli began to pose a threat. First, the Granata captain struck the post with a free-kick, then in the continuation of the move a coming-together in the box between Tiraferri and Nicolini resulted in a penalty for Libertas. Morelli stepped up and was initially denied by Casadei, but reacted quickest to fire home the rebound. San Giovanni, however, refused to give up and on 69 minutes managed to level things up. Zanni picked the ball up on the edge of the box and drilled it into the bottom corner where Manzaroli could not reach. It finished 1-1 in Domagnano.

Below is the full programme of Matchday 19 of the 2025-26 Campionato Sammarinese: