League: San Giovanni and Cosmos reach play-off semi-finals

There was no alternative but to win – even by the narrowest of margins – for Tre Penne and Folgore, given the first-leg results in the Quarter-finals of the 2024-25 Campionato Sammarinese play-offs. At stake for the eventual postseason champions is a place in the next edition of the UEFA Conference League.

The starting conditions suited San Giovanni, a side that has built much of its recent success on defensive solidity and counter-attacks. However, Tognacci has to rethink his game plan almost immediately, as Folgore press high from the off and threaten through Ura and Miori. Starna shows remarkable reflexes to keep out the first effort but can do nothing about Miori’s acrobatic finish, the forward shaking off Senja’s marking before scoring with a twisting effort on 9 minutes. With the lead secured, the Falciano side drop into a more cautious shape. Even so, Lasagni’s men have a big chance to double their advantage, but Cateni fails to hit the target from Ura’s cut-back. Right at the end of the half, San Giovanni are centimetres away from an equaliser through Stefano Sartini, but Guddo pulls off a miraculous save to keep out his close-range header. The equaliser arrives at the start of the second half, courtesy of a 20-metre free-kick from Robba, helped on its way by a deflection off the wall that wrong-foots the Folgore goalkeeper. Sartori then tries his luck from a set piece as well, shaving the outside of Starna’s left-hand post, while Aprea attempts an overhead kick from very little space and even less time, his effort drifting over the bar. Just after the hour mark, San Giovanni’s 2-1 is ruled out following a Zanni free-kick. In the referee’s view, Brolli’s touch on the ball is accidental – a condition that does not play the opponents onside, including Augusto Garcia Rufer, who had beaten Guddo. The game is now a splendid spectacle, wide open going into the final quarter of an hour. On 75 minutes, the Folgore keeper is called into action again and shows sharp reflexes to deny a powerful effort from substitute Cocco. His opposite number, Starna, is no less impressive: with five minutes left he produces a stunning save, tipping Adami Martins’ thunderous strike over the bar after the latter had latched onto a loose ball in the box. It is the final flashpoint in a tie that rewards San Giovanni, who now move on to face the winners of Tre Fiori vs Fiorentino in the semi-finals.

In Montecchio, the Cosmos–Tre Penne match-up was settled in favour of the Gialloverdi. The club from Città approached the game with understandable caution, knowing they would be eliminated even with a draw. That scenario allowed Andy Selva’s men to take control early on, threatening with headers from Badalassi and Fatica, as well as the pace of Ben Kacem. Tre Penne responded with a left-footed strike from Gaiani from the heart of the area, taken off-balance and therefore sailing over the crossbar. The deadlock in what had been a rather scrappy match up to that point is finally broken by the ever-reliable Imre Badalassi, quickest to react to Migani’s short, central parry to fire home. Just like last Saturday, the former Tre Penne man chooses not to celebrate – despite putting Cosmos within touching distance of the play-off semi-finals. At half-time, Berardi withdraws the booked Gaiani and sends on Amati, who curls a 20-metre free-kick over the bar on 49 minutes. Shortly afterwards, Ben Kacem is denied by Migani after an error by De Queiroz. The Biancoceleste goalkeeper comes up big again on 63 minutes, thwarting Badalassi, who had been played in on the edge of the area by an excellent through ball from Ben Kacem. Two minutes later, Mularoni is unable to apply the finishing touch into an empty net at the end of a counter-attack led by Badalassi and Pastorelli. Cosmos fail to kill off the contest even with Biral’s third-half run at goal, and they protest on 70 minutes, appealing for a penalty for a handball by Ceccaroli in the wall from a Pastorelli free-kick. Tre Penne struggle badly to create clear chances, and scoring twice against this Cosmos side looks an impossible mission. In fact, on 81 minutes the Gialloverdi go close to 2-0 with a rocket from Pastorelli, brilliantly turned behind by Migani. His counterpart at the other end finishes the match almost untested, keeping a clean sheet that Tre Penne never really looked like threatening. Their season ends with elimination in the play-off Quarter-finals. Cosmos go through and will face the winners of Faetano vs La Fiorita.

Here is the full picture of the 2024-25 Campionato Sammarinese play-off Quarter-finals: