Titano Futsal Cup: Murata edge out Virtus, Pennarossa overturned by Juvenes-Dogana

Tense and gripping right up to the final whistle, the clash between Virtus and Murata was one of the very few ties still in the balance after the first legs of the round of 16. The 2-2 draw on 19 October had left every scenario open. And last night’s match on the Acquaviva court caught fire immediately: after 4 minutes Felici put Murata ahead both on the night and on aggregate; four minutes later Morganti levelled from the penalty spot. Murata moved back in front on 22 minutes through Moretti, for a 2-1 scoreline that would also be the result at half-time. In the second half Felici again stretched the lead, which was cut back to the minimum just a minute later when Sensoli slotted home for 3-2. Virtus were in no mood to bow out of the competition and showed it by fighting back to 3-3 through Paolini. With less than 10 minutes remaining of the regulation 60, extra time was looking more than likely. Sweeping that prospect away was Felici, the undisputed man of the match, who with his third goal of the evening landed the decisive blow to the Neroverdi’s hopes and sent Murata through to a quarter-final against Tre Fiori. The latter had comfortably beaten Faetano in the first leg and did so even more emphatically in the return. The 7-2 scoreline on the night saw Paolo Verri as the most inspired of Bugli’s Gialloblù: wearing number 7, he hit a hat-trick and was joined on the scoresheet by Morini (brace), Esposito and Casadei. On the other Gialloblù front, that of Faetano, Pier Giuseppe Della Valle’s double only served to make their elimination from the tournament slightly less bitter. The only comeback compared with the first legs featured Juvenes-Dogana as the protagonists. Levani’s side wiped out the 3-2 defeat suffered against Pennarossa by recording a 5-3 win, opened by Bologna and quickly cancelled out by Ciacci. Tommaso Cecchetti’s own goal put the Biancorossoazzurri in a hole, but after the break they produced just the reaction they needed: braces from Chezzi and Cavalli turned the tie in the direction most pleasing to Zonzini and his team-mates, who were able to absorb without damage Pennarossa’s final goal, scored by Maiani. La Fiorita will be Juvenes-Dogana’s opponents for a place in the semi-finals. Galli’s side had already rubbed salt into Tre Penne’s wounds in the first leg. Yesterday Montegiardino signed off on a 4-0, opened and closed by Bartoli; in between came a goal from Mariotti and a penalty converted by Gualandi. It was almost a carbon-copy result for Domagnano compared with the first leg. Back then San Giovanni had lost 4-1; this time they were beaten 5-1. Yet the Wolves initially found themselves having to chase the game when Zanotti, on 5 minutes, found a way to lift the ball over Agostini. Capone’s brace put things back in order for the Giallorossi in the space of just over a minute, specifically between the 17th and 18th minutes. In the second half Domagnano definitively iced their passage to the next round with goals from the Dolcini brothers – Filippo and Davide – and a final strike from Gracik. Watching on with particular interest were Fiorentino, who will meet the Giallorossi side in the quarter-finals. Folgore also advance, more prolific in front of goal than in the first-leg derby, which had finished 2-0. Cosmos were forced to capitulate inside the opening minute, when Biordi got his name on the scoresheet. The number 17 struck again almost immediately; then, in first-half stoppage time, Tassitano further widened the gap between the two clubs from the Castello di Serravalle. The fourth goal arrived in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, and it was Chezzi who played the right card. Cosmos found a consolation goal – and their farewell to the competition, right at the death, scored by Giglietti. In the quarter-finals it will be Folgore v Libertas. The Granata side had their own derby to negotiate. Cailungo were tasked with overturning the 4-0 first-leg defeat: a mission that Venerucci’s men failed to accomplish and, indeed, at one stage they found themselves 2-0 down on the night and 6-0 behind on aggregate. Libertas broke the deadlock early on through Davide Rossi, before doubling their lead, still in the first half, with Michele Zanotti. Cailungo at least had the satisfaction of bowing out of the competition with a goal to their name: Toccaceli scored it just over 10 minutes from time. This is the full picture from the second legs of the Titano Futsal Cup round of 16:

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