League: Tre Fiori stay top with Virtus, comeback win for Tre Penne

Perhaps also feeling the effects of their Cup exertions, Tre Fiori toil terribly but eventually manage to get the job done against Cailungo, repeating last week’s win and clinging on to Virtus, who in turn overcome the Juvenes Dogana hurdle by finding the decisive goals in the second half, just as they did in the reverse fixture. Girolomoni’s side (the coach still suspended) start on the front foot: Benedettini hits a powerful angled drive, well dealt with by Gallinetta. Intent soon becomes action. Braschi’s long ball is misread by the Cailungo defence; Bernardi pounces, sneaks in between the red-and-green shirts and beats Gallinetta from close range. The incident has the effect of waking Cailungo up, and the equaliser arrives almost immediately. Bua battles his way through in the box and from the byline delivers a low cross that Persichilli makes no mistake with: neat finish at the near post and it’s all square again for Tre Fiori. Riding that wave, the red-and-greens look dangerous again with a well-orchestrated counter-attack. Boateng finds Lisi in the six-yard box; he uses his chest to divert the ball but is caught in a marginal offside. Tre Fiori react and push back. Gallinetta’s gloves are back in the spotlight on Benedettini’s curling effort, while Brisigotti, on a Scarcella cross, heads weakly. Cailungo show again towards the end of the half: Persichilli drives at Scarcella and serves Bua, who sends his header wide. Scarcella then quickly carries the ball upfield and whips a great ball into the area for Sensoli, who arrives late. Early in the second half there is a huge chance for Bua, stemming from a dreadful error by Sami in the build-up. Montalti intercepts and immediately sends the Cailungo striker through on goal, one-on-one with Nardi: his attempted dribble is thwarted by the excellent low save from the yellow-and-blue keeper. With the danger averted, Tre Fiori find their second. Scarcella’s cross is perfect for the far-post run of Prandelli, who cannot – and does not – miss. A mistake by Quaranta hands Tre Fiori the chance to score a third and kill it off, but Bernardi’s trademark left-foot curler drifts wide. The 3-1 does arrive late on from a fine move between Prandelli and Nicolò Sancisi: the former’s backheel sets up the latter’s right-foot strike from the edge of the box, giving Tre Fiori what appears to be a comfortable cushion. Only apparently, because within two minutes Cailungo are back in it through Bua, dogged in winning his duel with Censoni and ice-cool in beating Nardi from close range. In the closing stages Tre Fiori drop deep and Cailungo believe. Nardi has to produce a decisive intervention on Bua’s low cross which, without the keeper’s reading of the situation, would have turned into the easiest of tap-ins for Fratti, completely unmarked in the six-yard box. In the end, although hard-earned, these are three vital points for the Fiorentino side, who refuse to vacate the most coveted position.

As mentioned, Virtus get the better of Juvenes Dogana by making the most of the second half. Piscitella is quick to test the resilience of the white-red-and-light-blue backline: his driving run ends with a close-range effort that is met by a superb save from Matteo Battistini. The reigning champions continue to spend plenty of time in the opposition half but find few openings. Benincasa gives Battistini something to think about with an unexpected swivel and shot that drifts just wide, though it is anyway chalked off for a foul in attack by the no. 25 in black and green. Just past the half-hour, a sweeping move flows out to Sabato on the flank; his teasing cross is good for both Manuel Battistini and Piscitella: the two almost get in each other’s way and Amati can only fire the loose ball against Piscitella. Sabato’s right foot stays warm: on 33 minutes he delivers the cross for Zenoni, who steals a march on his marker but fails to direct his header. The end of the half belongs to Juvenes Dogana, who in one instance threaten Guddo with Benedetti’s mis-timed but dangerous header from an excellent position on a Colonna cross, and in another force the Virtus keeper into action through Nicola Sartini, picked out perfectly by Benedetti and free to head towards the far post: a fantastic save from the keeper to keep the score at 0-0. The second half opens with a scare for Matteo Battistini, who spills Sabato’s cross and almost allows Amati to stab home, but Benedetti is in the right place to clear everything away. Virtus stay camped in the area and, from a corner, Zenoni is just off target. On the hour mark Matteo Battistini needs another brilliant save to tip away Piscitella’s curling effort; at the other end Guddo is equally sharp to deal with Amadori’s sudden strike. The balance is fine and is broken on 67 minutes: from a set piece, Scappini cushions the ball into the path of Piscitella, who places it precisely inside the far post. Virtus lead. And they could double it on 70 minutes, if not for Matteo Battistini’s superb leap to claw away Scappini’s header bound for the corner. Even so, the champions wrap up the scoreline within just a few minutes: Zenoni’s low cross is too inviting for Scappini in the six-yard box to waste. Juvenes Dogana’s final flicker is a long-range strike from Merli: Guddo gets down quickly and holds on, making look simple a save that, in truth, was anything but.

The leading pair remain locked together, but right on their heels stay Tre Penne, who come from behind to win a delicate clash with Domagnano. Bonini’s side (with the coach facing his former club) start strongly but fall behind on the half-hour. Bonetti wins and converts a penalty, taking his tally to 20 in the scoring charts. Peluso blazes over a great chance to level, and threatens again at the very start of the second half, beating Nanni to the ball and putting it just wide. Domagnano’s reply again comes from Bonetti, who beats two men on the edge of the box and unleashes a powerful drive that swerves just off target. A minute later Buda’s left-footer meets the same fate. At the other end Bartoli goes close with a rocket from distance and, above all, Peluso on a quickly-taken free kick: the no. 10’s cross flashes right across the area and reaches Nigretti, who fails to seize the ideal moment for an easy finish. On 67 minutes Tre Penne are caught out on their own corner. Sopranzi wastes a six-on-two counter-attack by firing over. Having survived that huge scare, the team in white and blue roll up their sleeves in search of an equaliser. They get it on 73 minutes: Errico floats a free kick into the box and Badalassi rises brilliantly to head home. Domagnano wobble badly on another set piece: it takes a goal-line clearance from Guglielmi to deny Berardi the joy of an immediate 2-1. Joy that the white-and-blues will only have to wait a few more minutes for. Peluso burns everyone down the left, drives into the box and whips in a powerful cross that Manuel Maggioli diverts into his own net. In the closing stages Tre Penne try to close it out. Errico’s audacious attempt from the halfway line lands on the top of the net, Badalassi’s header from a corner lacks power and D’Addario’s first-time right-footer at the end of a counter led by Pastorelli sails over. Domagnano, for their part, have the ball in the net through Guglielmi, but the referee had already stopped play for a foul in attack. The Wolves’ run comes to an end after three straight wins.

La Fiorita and Folgore share the spoils in their direct clash at the “Crescentini”. The scoreline is already creaking in the 5th minute: Zaccaria blocks Adami Martins’ point-blank effort and, from the follow-up, Zavoli pulls off a stunning save on Sartori’s strike. At the other end, the Folgore defence shudders at Djuric’s header from a Cicarelli cross, the ball whistling just past the post. Augusto Garcia Rufer’s header from Tourè’s cross, on the other hand, is perfectly on target, but the referee rules out Folgore’s opener for offside. Shortly afterwards Affonso passes up a huge chance to make it 1-0: Dormi sends him into space and the former Murata man, having skipped past a couple of opponents, fires wide from a very favourable position. On the half-hour De Angelis flies to turn away Cicarelli’s well-placed free kick, and Zavoli responds in kind on another powerful header by Augusto Garcia Rufer. Long-range efforts from Augusto Garcia Rufer and Dormi usher in the second half. But it is an own goal by Semprini that breaks the deadlock, diverting Sartori’s cross intended for Augusto Garcia Rufer into his own net: the striker celebrates, but there is no touch from him. The substance remains: Folgore in front. La Fiorita react immediately with Guidi’s curling shot, brilliantly saved by De Angelis. The forcing from Ceci’s men, dangerous above all with Lunadei’s diagonal effort, finally pays off on 85 minutes. A moment of shooting perfection from Zaccaria restores parity in Fiorentino: a first-time volley on a half-clearance from the defence that nestles perfectly in the top corner, rendering De Angelis’ dive futile. In the little time remaining La Fiorita even try to complete the turnaround, but manage to create real danger only once, through Affonso: the no. 17 shaves the upright after a lovely one-two with Olcese.

Below is the full rundown of Matchday 24 of the league: