San Marino Talent Cup: winning debut for Cesena, Sassuolo into the final

The second matchday of the San Marino Talent Cup 2026 delivered plenty of drama. At the “Ezio Conti” Stadium in Dogana, Cesena marked their tournament debut with a last-gasp 4-3 victory over Ascoli. After two defeats, the Piceni will return to the pitch on Monday in Montecchio in the play-off for fifth place (17:45). The Romagnoli, for their part, will face Perugia on Saturday in a straight shoot-out for a place in the final. Whoever comes out on top, again in Dogana, will go on to challenge Sassuolo for the trophy. Cesena started strongly, striking twice in quick succession through Bombardini and Marra between the 11th and 15th minutes. Nespeca and Djoric then responded in similarly rapid fashion, hauling Ascoli back on level terms just after the half-hour. Before the break, however, Cesena found a way to edge back in front thanks to Zannoni. After the restart, Djoric restored parity for Andrea Gessa’s side, and the 3-3 scoreline held until the closing stages. A penalty shoot-out seemed on the cards, but it never materialised thanks to Lombardo’s decisive goal, which sealed the win for Cesena.

There were goals galore in Acquaviva too, where Sassuolo came from behind against Bologna to book their place in the final. The Felsinei, reigning champions, went ahead on 14 minutes with a thunderbolt from Demaurizi that crashed in off the underside of the bar before hitting the ground and nestling in the net. Within six minutes, though, Sassuolo had turned the game on its head and pulled away: Barb scored after breaking the offside trap, while Della Giovanna struck twice more – first from the spot, then with a precise right-footed finish from inside the area. Just before half-time, Spaseski made it 4-1 to the Neroverdi with a superb free-kick that flew into the top corner. In the second half, Bologna struck quickly through Covolo but were unable to keep their comeback bid going, and must now settle for a meeting with San Marino Academy – on Saturday in Acquaviva, from 16:00 – as they try to claim third place overall.

The finals are scheduled for Monday 24 August and will follow the programme below, which also includes the Montecchio ground.

The qualifying phase matches will be played over 90 minutes; if the scores are level at full time, group stage penalties will be taken, with no extra time. A shoot-out victory will earn the winning team two points, and the losing team one. To determine the group standings in the event of a tie on points between two or three teams, the following criteria will be applied, in order: i) points in head-to-head matches; ii) goal difference in group matches; iii) greater number of goals scored; iv) drawing of lots. The maximum number of substitutions allowed is seven, while suspensions for accumulation of bookings will be triggered after two yellow cards.