Titano Futsal Cup: Murata and Pennarossa face off for the first trophy of the year

After the Campionato Sammarinese regular season and all the knockout rounds of the Titano Futsal Cup, there is no longer any doubt: as things stand, Murata and Pennarossa represent the very highest level of San Marino futsal. For the black-and-whites this outcome was almost expected, given the push given to their revamped project already last year and especially in the last summer transfer window, which brought back home – among others – Protti and Busignani. The journey of the Chiesanuova club, however, has been different. Having approached the season very much under the radar, Novembrini’s players immediately created a winning blend, inevitably built on the excellent qualities of the many individuals who have stood out on the pitch. As Gabriele Monesi, Novembrini’s technical assistant, underlined in the press conference: “We are having a positive season, in some ways even beyond expectations. Reaching the Titano Futsal Cup final is the first seasonal objective that we can say we have achieved, and having brought this club back to play for a trophy ten years after the last time is a great source of pride. We won’t be the favourites to lift the cup, we know that, but finals are games to be played and anything can happen. Especially if we look at the previous meetings, where, a few minutes from the end, we were always in front.” On one occasion Pennarossa took the only point dropped by Murata this season, while on the other they were beaten at the buzzer.

Murata will go into the match as favourites, but this does not appear to be a concern for the Bianconeri. “We are putting together an important and exciting year from every point of view, in which we have set records for points won and goals scored – begins Cristiano Orsini, assistant coach to mister Spada. We have reached a final in which we will give 1,000% on the court. We come into it in good mental and physical shape, despite the long-term absences of Cesarini and Angelo Casadei. For some time now we have been holding one indoor training session a week, to give as much continuity as possible to the quality of our play on the parquet. It’s a pity to know that Pennarossa will not be able to count on their full squad: when you reach a final you always hope that both teams can compete at the very best of their capabilities. That said, we will be facing a side that has shown it can cause us problems, and we will have to approach them with maximum concentration.”

Monesi does not reveal which players will be missing, but he does admit that in the Pennarossa camp “for the first time this season we won’t be able to count on every single player being available. It’s a shame to have to contend with that precisely on the occasion of a final with an important trophy at stake. Nonetheless, we have shown that we are a team on an upward path and I consider us ready to play our hand on a surface that is perhaps more suited to our opponents, who – also thanks to the presence of many national team players in their squad – have more minutes in their legs on the parquet.”

Also speaking at the press conference were two stalwarts of their respective clubs, who have already experienced the build-up to a final. “This might be my last one as a player,” admits Nicola Albani, “and for that reason it will certainly be special. Matches like this are prepared through work and the right attitude; recently we have been preparing almost like professionals, adding an extra training session. I see my team-mates motivated and fired up, so I’m expecting a really good game. From a technical and tactical point of view, we will have to show that we have learned the lessons from our previous encounters with Pennarossa: leaving aside the first meeting of the season, when the weather had a major impact on how the game unfolded, we have experienced first-hand their ability to overturn situations.” A link back to the last final contested by Pennarossa in 2015, Antonino Guidi admits he has been pleasantly surprised by the renewal of the group: “I didn’t know many of them personally, but just a few training sessions were enough to see their great willingness to follow the coach and improve day by day. Playing another final is something I had hoped for, but achieving targets of this kind is never a given. We will once again be up against two players who are very much used to going all the way in competitions, like Protti and Busignani – it will be nice to test ourselves against them once more.” Curiously, the Titano Futsal Cup final in June 2015 was one of the few disappointments suffered by one of the most successful duos in the history of San Marino futsal. And in the Tre Fiori side, beaten 4-2 on that occasion, there was also Manuel Poggiali – who some time ago returned to his hometown club Pennarossa in Chiesanuova to give fresh impetus to the Biancorossi futsal project. With decent results so far.

The Titano Futsal Cup final will be played tomorrow evening at the Multieventi, with kick-off at 21:45, and will be broadcast live and free on Titani.tv (streaming and app) and San Marino RTV.