League: three draws in the late kick-offs, La Fiorita held by Folgore

Three draws in the three 3 pm late kick-offs of Matchday 9. A spectacular 2-2 between Folgore and La Fiorita, goalless in Domagnano between Murata and San Giovanni. The point feels a little tight for the Academy away to Faetano.

The big showdown in Montecchio between Folgore and La Fiorita – the main course of the Sunday afternoon – bursts into life straight away. It’s the 7th minute when Mazzotti heads on from a corner, De Angelis makes the save but the yellow-and-blue defender is first to the rebound and fires it back into the net. Just a minute later Folgore are level: cross from the left by Miori, Augusto Garcia Rufer brings it onto his left and makes it 1-1. After a high-tempo start, the game settles. Pancotti – facing his former team – tries to spark it again with a trademark move: a venomous left-footed strike from distance that whistles just past the post. A little after the half-hour mark, La Fiorita do manage to retake the lead: a wonderful move from the Gialloblù with Cicarelli combining brilliantly with Affonso, who returns the one-two for his team-mate to slot home his first goal of the league campaign.

At the start of the second half Folgore push, but De Angelis is decisive in denying Vitaioli (53’) and Marco Gasperoni (55’). Zavoli is just as good at the other end, getting his gloves to Cateni’s thunderbolt in the 61st minute. The game stays at a high pace and on 69 minutes there’s another chance for La Fiorita: a piledriver of a left-foot from Dormi crashes off the crossbar and down onto the goal-line; on the rebound Zaccaria can’t turn in the tap-in, but he would have been offside in any case. There are yellow-and-blue protests as the ball appeared to have crossed the line on Dormi’s shot, but referee Ucini lets play continue. Folgore hold firm and in the 85th minute they find the equaliser: a ball lofted in from the halfway line by Brolli, Zavoli misjudges the outing and Garcia Rufer punishes him, completing his brace for 2-2. It’s a seventh league goal for the former San Giovanni striker, now joint top scorer together with team-mate Daidola. It’s still not over, because on 88 minutes a superb De Angelis – no stranger to great saves – preserves the result for Folgore: first Olcese clips the post and, from the rebound, Djuric strikes powerfully from the penalty spot area but the San Marino goalkeeper somehow pulls off a stunning stop. In added time there is also room for a red card for a second booking (the latter for simulation) shown to Olcese. Even so, the scoreline remains unchanged until the final whistle. In Montecchio it finishes 2-2.

Stalemate with no goals between Murata and San Giovanni. The best chance of the first half falls to Tognacci’s Rossoneri when Cirillo brings down Zanni in the area. Zanni himself steps up from the spot, sends Bracconi the wrong way but overdoes the angle, hitting the post. Murata try to take advantage through a good surge by Davide Simoncini, but the San Marino centre-back’s finish is one to forget. San Giovanni shoot more than Murata, but without finding the target. In the 55th minute, however, Piantkivskyy does hit the target, as does the sharp reaction from Casadei. The minutes tick by and into stoppage time (90+2) it is again Murata who have a chance to win it. This time the opportunity falls to Tomassoni, who meets De Biagi’s cross from the right but then fails to hit the target from the edge of the six-yard box. In Fiorentino it ends 0-0.

Also in Fiorentino it finishes 1-1 between Faetano and San Marino Academy. Sperindio’s side break the deadlock on 14 minutes through Romano, who glances in Mariani’s free-kick with his head. The Titani’s reply is not long in coming (25’) with a good right-footed effort from Marfella that Venturini has to work hard to keep out. At the start of the second half Academy restore parity: Kokeri brings down Protti in the area and it’s a penalty. From 11 metres, Marfella makes it 1-1. The Titani seem to have more in the tank and Faetano are forced to rely on Venturini. Among the many chances for Di Maio’s side, the clearest comes in stoppage time when Marfella, from inside the six-yard box, somehow fails to hit the target. Faetano thus escape, while Academy are left with plenty of regret for a victory that looked within reach.

Here is the full picture from Matchday 9 of the Campionato Sammarinese: