Titano Futsal Cup: Folgore and Fiorentino with one foot in the semi-finals

The leading favourites for the race to the national trophies lived up to expectations in the first legs of the Titano Futsal Cup quarter-finals, which also marked the debut in the competition for holders Folgore. Spada’s men all but booked their place in the semi-finals as they claimed the first of the two clashes with Cailungo with a resounding 6-0 win. Pellegrini, author of a hat-trick, took centre stage. Rounding off a perfect evening for the Falciano club, already 2-0 up at half-time, were goals from Bernardi, Giardi and Matteo Chezzi. Barring major upsets, Folgore will meet in the semi-finals the winners of the tie between Virtus and Juvenes-Dogana, which remains wide open after the first sixty minutes. The Serravalle side edged ahead thanks to Simone Chezzi’s goal in the 42nd minute. Qualification will be decided on 8 December, when even a narrow win for Pollini’s Neroverdi would take the tie to extra time and potentially a penalty shoot-out. The same destination cannot be ruled out for the pairing of Tre Fiori and Libertas. Alex Bugli’s side met expectations, finding the net at either end of the second half through Cecchini and Cappelli. Penserini’s Granata deserve credit for keeping their chances alive ahead of the return leg, all the more so considering they had only six players available last night. Limited rotations and an extraordinary physical effort from those on court have earned Libertas a second leg with hopes still very much alive. A definitive verdict, instead, came from the clash between Pennarossa and Fiorentino, which was balanced for the first thirty minutes. Michelotti’s men, despite falling behind early on to a goal from Podeschi (the first conceded by the Rossoblù in the competition), turned the match around and all but secured a semi-final spot thanks above all to a stunning start to the second half. While it was 1-1 at the break, courtesy of Gasperoni’s equaliser on the quarter-hour mark, at the start of the second half Fiorentino struck four times in seven minutes: Busignani, Maiani and, in between, a brace from Moretti opened up an unbridgeable gap, before Protti – the Rossoblù goalkeeper – added a highly unusual goal of his own. This despite the fact that the National Team keeper had also recently scored in the Campionato Sammarinese final, when he was wearing the Folgore shirt. While awaiting the return fixtures on 8 December, here is the summary following the first legs of the 2022-23 Titano Futsal Cup quarter-finals: Click here to view the bracket.

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