Under 12: double for Folgore/Cosmos 1, who also win the Spring Tournament

The 2021-22 San Marino U12 Championship drew to a close yesterday, confirming the quality of Folgore/Cosmos 1. The side coached by Pierangelo Manzaroli, already winners of the Autumn Tournament, also prevailed in the Spring Grand Final against the same opponents: Juvenes-Dogana 1, led by Dario Sartori. The two best teams from the regular season therefore met on the artificial pitch at the “Federico Crescentini” Stadium in Fiorentino to decide the champions of the Clausura tournament. As a few months ago, it was Folgore/Cosmos 1 who came out on top, winning two of the three periods and drawing the middle one goalless. The Gialloneri overcame their Juvenes-Dogana 1 peers thanks to a goal from Augusto Ceccoli on 8 minutes. It was the only goal of the first period, also thanks to an excellent performance from goalkeeper Tomas Muccioli – the Biancorossazzurri shot-stopper. Folgore/Cosmos 1 also hit the woodwork just moments before Ceccoli’s decisive strike. The second period was even more evenly balanced, with Folgore/Cosmos 1 once again rattling the opposition woodwork. Juvenes-Dogana 1 were no less dangerous, creating at least four clear chances – as many as the Gialloneri – but the breakthrough did not come, edging the title closer to Manzaroli’s boys, who then ran out 4-1 winners in the third and final period. Early blows from Mazza and Montebelli put them in charge, both scoring inside the opening two minutes. The same Montebelli then wrapped things up as early as the 4th minute, completing a brace in the championship final. Juvenes-Dogana 1 tried to get themselves back into it, but Mattei’s goal arrived when there was no longer anything to be done. In the meantime, Folgore/Cosmos 1 had already found the way to their fourth goal through Marini, celebrating a second title of the season in as many derby finals against Juvenes-Dogana 1. However, yesterday in Fiorentino was not just about the final itself. Before the whistle of referee Andrea Zaghini, scheduled for 18:00, all the other teams – from both the White and Blue groups – faced each other in multiple matches, spread across four pitches set up inside the “Federico Crescentini” and the two adjacent futsal courts. From 16:15 to 17:55, each team played four matches to round off in the best possible way a fun yet demanding season, alongside long-time friends and their usual weekend opponents. A special mention for Juvenes-Dogana: the football hub of the Castello di Serravalle was awarded the Fair Play Trophy – reserved for the club that involved the highest number of players over the course of the season, combined with the score accumulated through green cards (shown by referees in recognition of commendable acts of fair play during matches). In the same spirit, individual awards were handed to Luca Michelotti (Juvenes-Dogana 1) and Mattia Ceccoli (Faetano/San Giovanni), whose fair play gestures during the season certainly did not go unnoticed. Finally, given the experimental nature of splitting the eleven teams into two groups, San Giovanni/Faetano were also awarded for finishing top of the White Group.

---

San Marino U12 Championship, Spring 2022 | Folgore/Cosmos 1 – Juvenes-Dogana 1 5-1 (1-0, 0-0, 4-1)   FOLGORE/COSMOS 1 Monti, Gozzi, Zavaglia, Marini, Mazza, Montebelli, Renzi, Ceccoli, Francioni, Gobbi, Ercolani Coach: Pierangelo Manzaroli   JUVENES-DOGANA 1 Muccioli, Prendi, Celani, Gasperoni, De Biagi, Ricci, Gualandi, Mattei, Michelotti, Zaouali, Zavoli Coach: Dario Sartori   Referee: Andrea Zaghini Scorers: 8' Ceccoli; 37' Mazza, 38', 40' Montebelli, 50' Marini, 52' Mattei Note: Under 12 matches are played over three periods of 18 minutes each

---