League: Tre Fiori and Fiorentino join the title race

The six teams involved in Sunday’s late kick-offs of the tenth round of the Campionato Sammarinese certainly did not hold back on drama. By half-time there had already been seven goals across the three pitches. By the final whistle, that tally had almost tripled, for an average of more than five goals per game. Tre Fiori led 2-0 at the break, breaking the deadlock against Pennarossa in a rather unusual way. Renzetti came off his line to claim a high ball on the edge of his area, but lost it as he landed after colliding with a team-mate. Bernardi needed no second invitation to slot into the net, putting Tre Fiori in front. Less than ten minutes later, Tomassini produced a defence-splitting pass from the right flank to release Prandelli one-on-one with the goalkeeper: for the forward it was relatively simple to double the lead. For Pennarossa, the best chance came from Cobo, who struck the crossbar. After the restart it was Benedettini who effectively killed off the contest, making the most of a perfect assist from Bernardi. Before full-time, four more goals arrived, starting with a sharp finish from substitute Djadji, who capitalised on a dreadful error from Renzetti, lifting a precise lob from 25 metres over the keeper. It was up to Ricci to lighten the heavy afternoon for the Chiesanuova club, meeting Nanni’s corner perfectly to send a powerful header into the top corner. Tre Fiori, however, still had the final word – in fact, the final two. Nardi released Berardi clean through on goal, and the yellow-and-blue winger rounded the goalkeeper to complete his brace. The celebrations were shared by Djadji, who also bagged a double deep into stoppage time, finishing off Guerra’s surge and assist to make it 6-1. In Fiorentino, Murata played the first match without a recognised goalkeeper available from kick-off. Injuries to Benedettini and Cervellini, the only registered keepers, forced Delvecchio to pull on the gloves – as had already happened before the break, when Cervellini’s injury against Folgore meant the midfielder had to go in goal for the Bianconeri. Unlike on that occasion, this time he was beaten: the Santi–Giacopetti combination produced the temporary 1-1 just two minutes after Petillo’s header had given Murata the lead. Grassi’s men went back in front shortly before the half-hour mark, when a superb first-time assist from Lucchesi opened up the flank for Echel. The latter did brilliantly to beat Borasco with a wonderfully delicate touch that made it 2-1 at the interval. Before the half-time whistle, Santi came close to levelling from a free-kick that crashed against the bar. That scoreline lasted less than a minute after the restart, as Murata broke through the middle: with his very first touch after coming on for Echel, Pineschi played in the run of Ricci, who finished with a pinpoint diagonal strike. The midfielder confirmed his rich vein of form by cushioning the ball on his chest to set up Giaretta’s thunderbolt – finding the net for Murata’s fourth in the 54th minute, a scoreline that was confirmed at the final whistle. There was a first-half exchange of blows in Domagnano between Libertas and Fiorentino. The Granata once again proved devastating starters, scoring for the third match in a row before the end of the second minute. This time it was Francesco Ottaviani who found the net, finishing from close range. The equaliser for the Rossoblù – who today wore a turquoise kit – arrived in the 29th minute, when El Ardoudi overpowered his marker on the left, reached the by-line and cut the ball back for Chiaruzzi arriving late. A perfect right-footed connection and a first goal of the season for the 2005-born Sammarinese midfielder. At the start of the second half, Tarini’s side completed the comeback. Once again it stemmed from a piece of individual brilliance by El Ardoudi, this time lucky as the ball fell onto his right foot and he blasted past Magnani from close range. The playmaker signed from Vigasio did it again in the 73rd minute, arriving on cue in the middle of the area to finish with his left – after an initial attempt had been blocked – and put Fiorentino 3-1 up. That is how three crucial wins were sealed, particularly in terms of their impact on the top end of the table, where Tre Fiori and Fiorentino have now muscled their way in. The Rossoblù move up to third place, level with Cosmos and Folgore, three points off the summit. Tre Fiori sit just one step behind, while Murata are back with their arms raised to the sky after three straight defeats. The Bianconeri remain firmly in the play-off hunt, a single point behind San Giovanni – currently seventh in the standings. Below is the full picture of the tenth matchday of the Campionato Sammarinese, available to watch for free on-demand on the Titani.tv platform.

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