Titano Futsal Cup: Cosmos knock out Fiorentino on penalties, painless defeat for Pennarossa

There is a sensational turnaround on Thursday’s night of second legs in the Futsal Cup round of 16, and it concerns the clash between Cosmos and Fiorentino. In the first leg it was Gianni Galli’s men who prevailed 4-2. Nothing that really ruffled the Serravalle Gialloverdi, who went in front straightaway through Bacciocchi (later sent off at the start of the second half for a second yellow) and then managed to push on to a 3-0 lead before the break thanks to a Molinas brace. That scoreline would have taken Cosmos straight through to the quarter-finals, but Fiorentino find the strength to drag the tie at least into extra time thanks to Baizan’s 3-1 strike. No further goals arrive in the 10 minutes after the 60th, so the verdict is left to penalties. Every spot kick is converted flawlessly except one: Forcellini hypnotises Paoloni and effectively seals qualification for a Cosmos side who will meet Virtus in the quarter-finals. The latter, already holding a comfortable advantage over Tre Penne, choose not to sit on it but to extend it as far as possible. It ends 9-1, with an early hat-trick from Biordi followed by goals from Pasqualini and Pascucci, before Gamba pulls one back for Penserini’s side. Shortly after, Di Maio is sent off, but Virtus still add another before the change of ends, with Biordi scoring his fourth of the night. The black-and-green monologue continues after the restart, as goals from Bernardi, Stacchini and Morganti complete the rout. There are no surprises either in the tie between Murata and Faetano, won by a wide margin in the first leg and by an even wider one in the second. Here Faetano at least have the satisfaction of getting on the scoresheet, but Murata are nonetheless the undisputed protagonists, signing off with a 13-1 in which Busignani is the leading scorer (four goals, one of them from the spot); alongside him, Albani, Capicchioni, Mattioli and Ghiotti all get on the scoresheet twice. Just the one goal instead for Ercolani, who mars his evening by getting sent off halfway through the second half and thus ruling himself out of the first leg of the quarters. For Faetano, the consolation goal bears the signature of El Attar. Domagnano battle but in the end have to give way by the narrowest of margins to La Fiorita, just as they did in the first leg. Davide Dolcini puts the Wolves ahead in the first half, but an unfortunate deflection off his brother Filippo restores parity in the 11th minute of the second half. Then it is Matteo Chezzi who protects Montegiardino’s passage to the next round with a fine strike on 53 minutes. In the quarter-finals it will be La Fiorita versus Murata. Pennarossa, Juvenes-Dogana and San Giovanni fail to repeat their first-leg victories but still go through on the strength of those results. The Chiesanuova side fall 3-2 to Tre Fiori in the third meeting of the season between the two, the first to be won by Pollini’s men, who find themselves 3-0 up at half-time (a score that would have forced extra time) thanks to goals from Maiani and Tamagnini, the latter netting twice. But there is another brace on the night in Fiorentino: that of former player Gasperoni in the second half, and it is ultimately this that marks the difference between those who progress and those who go out. Pennarossa now set a quarter-final date with San Giovanni, who come through unscathed after a 2-2 draw in the second leg with Libertas. It is Franchino’s Rossoneri who break the deadlock, capitalising on Taddei’s own goal on the stroke of half-time. At the start of the second half Zonzini makes it 2-0, but here Libertas find a reaction that allows them to wipe out the entire deficit: the goals from Zaghini and Taddei’s penalty are enough to avoid what would have been a sixth defeat of the season – in all competitions – but not to extend their cup run. A draw without consequences also for Juvenes-Dogana after their first-leg win. Cailungo cancel out the red-white-and-blue advantage when Flammini replies to Borasco’s opener. Venerucci’s men, however, would have needed two more goals to take the tie into extra time. In the quarter-finals it will be a derby between Juvenes-Dogana and Folgore. These are the results of the second legs in the round of 16:

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