League: thirteen goals in the late fixtures, Faetano close in on the play-offs

The late fixtures of the 23rd matchday of the Campionato Sammarinese serve up a raft of spectacular goals – thirteen in just three matches. San Giovanni throw away three points which, after going 2-0 up on Pennarossa, looked to be in the bag. Zenoni had other ideas, matching Brisigotti’s brace – the latter starring in Faetano’s win over Libertas. Juvenes-Dogana also come from behind to win: Fabbri’s men concede early, then seal it late on. Colonna and Ferrulli strike to cancel out Marco Gasperoni’s opener. San Giovanni-Pennarossa has it all, offering thrills and goals galore, from A for Azael to Z for Zenoni. After a free-kick from the Rossoneri midfielder, it is in fact Dolci’s side who carve out the clearest early chance through Pintore, who hits the post from a great position. Having survived that scare, San Giovanni take the lead at the start of the second half through Azael Garcia Rufer, who finishes off a pinball move in the box. Chances continue to flow, including a penalty that Del Prete saves from Aprea. The second San Giovanni goal arrives shortly after, when Ghiggini’s knockdown releases Senja – ruthless in front of the opposing goalkeeper. But Pennarossa can rely on a formidable strike partnership, capable of scoring twice in three minutes. On 65 minutes Pintore flicks on – perhaps unintentionally – for Zenoni, who meets it first time with a right-footed volley into the corner to reopen the contest. Three minutes later, at 68’, the same Pintore gets the faintest of touches on a central through ball from a team-mate, sending his strike partner racing clear to complete his brace and make it 2-2. From then on both sides create chances to claim all three points, but wayward finishing prevents the deadlock from being broken for a third time. Goals abound in Montecchio as well, where Faetano – wearing black armbands following the passing of Adrian Ricchiuti’s father – take the lead via the Lisi-Dulcetti combination shortly before half-time. The whole team rushes to the technical area for a collective embrace with their coach. The second half turns into a firecracker of a contest, starting with Buturca’s 1-1 equaliser. In the build-up there is a heavy clash between Forconesi and Parisi, with the latter coming off worse and requiring treatment from paramedics, with the ambulance entering the pitch as a precaution. A goal-line clearance at each end precedes Brisigotti’s wonder goal, released by Lisi and floated into the top corner with a delightful lob. Even so, the contest is far from over: Tomassini takes advantage of a slip by Bertuccini to race clear one-on-one with Forconesi and restore parity with a clinical diagonal finish. Still the game refuses to settle: Lisi bursts through the middle and goes down under Moretti’s tackle, with the defender adamant he got a touch on the ball. The referee disagrees and awards a penalty. Manzaroli saves Brisigotti’s effort, but the forward is first to the rebound to put Faetano back in front – this time for good. Capping off the Gialloblù victory is the first goal in San Marino for Coratella, who writes his name on the scoresheet in the 90+10th minute. At the Ezio Conti in Dogana, San Marino Academy and Juvenes-Dogana produce a finely balanced encounter. It starts in hugely encouraging fashion for Cecchetti’s side, with Gespi standing in for him on the bench for the last time: Santi hits the post and on the rebound Marco Gasperoni pounces to make it 1-0 as early as the 6th minute. Around the quarter-hour mark, a superb piece of agility from Gentilini denies an inspired Santi a second from 40 metres out, paving the way for Colonna’s poacher’s finish to level the scores. It is a highly entertaining first half, also for the FIFA+ audience as the Campionato Sammarinese makes its debut on the platform with this very match. After the restart Santi again goes close, smashing the ball against the crossbar with Gentilini beaten at the end of a wonderful move started by a sombrero from Molinari. By the 81st minute, the Biancazzurrini are in no doubt it is not to be their day: from a corner, Cevoli makes a scruffy contact with his right foot and the ball drops to Ferrulli, who adjusts brilliantly to swivel and steer it into the far corner, beating Alessandro Casadei for a second time. It is the final twist of the match, which rewards the Serravalle club – now up to 13th, though still eight points shy of the postseason spots. Here is the full picture from the 23rd matchday of the Campionato Sammarinese, broadcast live in its entirety – and completely free of charge – on the Titani.tv platform. Click here for the updated table.

---