League: Virtus twice in front but La Fiorita hit back, big match ends all square

The big clash that wrapped up the opening round of the Campionato Sammarinese certainly lived up to expectations. The late kick-off between Virtus and La Fiorita finished 2-2, a draw that was ultimately fair on the balance of play. The Neroverdi went ahead twice, but the Gialloblù held firm and managed to come back.

The deadlock at the Ezio Conti Stadium in Dogana lasted until shortly after the quarter-hour mark (16’), when two new signings – one on each side – took centre stage for the Neroverdi’s opener. New Gialloblù centre-back Antonio Barretta – formerly of Tre Penne – pushed the ball too far ahead of himself while building from the back, allowing Matteo Zenoni to swoop in like a hawk, read the situation and steal possession. The former Pennarossa man then drove towards goal and, with a delicate left-footed finish, beat Vivan for 1-0. La Fiorita reacted and ten minutes later came within centimetres of levelling: a cross from the edge of the area by captain Gasperoni picked out Grandoni, who timed his run perfectly between the Neroverdi shirts and hit it on the volley, but the ball crashed against the post.

Virtus kept their composure and doubled their lead on 31 minutes: a Buonocunto free-kick caused havoc in the box and, amid the pinball, it was De Lucia who pounced to make it 2-0. It was again Grandoni who tried to spark Ceci’s side into life; shortly afterwards (34’) he had another chance from a Cicarelli cross. De Lucia seemed set to get there but missed it, and at the back post the ball reached the San Marino winger, who was caught out by his opponent’s mistake and therefore could not steer the ball on target from close range. Before the break, Tommaso Guidi also had a go, but his right-footed effort bent too much and hit the side netting.

Early in the second half (55’), it was the former Tre Penne man who reignited and reopened the big match with a stunning goal: a long throw from Gasperoni found Guidi, who brought it down, turned and unleashed a fierce strike from the right edge of the box, finding an unstoppable trajectory for Passaniti. Virtus struggled to muster a response, while La Fiorita looked energised by the goal and, ten minutes later (64’), they restored parity. Gasperoni released Zaccaria down the flank and his low cross into the box was met at full speed by Matteo Vitaioli (who had come off the bench), stealing a march on the Neroverdi centre-backs and coolly making it 2-2.

Bizzotto and Ceci turned to their benches, especially in attack. For the Gialloblù, Nappello came on (formerly of Ravenna and San Marino, among others), while for the Neroverdi there were introductions for former player Aziz Niang and Gabriel Capicchioni, underlining the quality and depth available to both squads.

The tempo remained high as the minutes ticked by, with both sides pushing for a winner: first Barretta came close to putting his side in front with a header (77’), then there was a superb reflex save from Vivan to tip away De Lucia’s header (83’). In the end, though, neither side found the decisive touch, and Virtus and La Fiorita begin their league campaign with a point apiece. It ends 2-2 in Dogana.

Here is the full schedule and results for the first matchday of the Campionato Sammarinese: