Under-12: Juvenes Dogana are 2025-26 autumn champions

Juvenes Dogana have laid their hands on the autumn title of the San Marino Under-12 Championship for the 2025-26 season. In the final played on Saturday 13 December at San Marino Stadium, in front of a large crowd that filled the stand with colour and backed Juvenes Dogana and Cailungo from first whistle to last, the team from the Serravalle Football Academy hub got their name back on the honours board of the competition.

Sartori’s Yellow and Blues broke the deadlock from a set play: an inswinging corner by Fantini picked out Redondi at the far post, and he rose superbly to head home the opener on 7 minutes. Regular season table-toppers Juvenes Dogana withstood Cailungo’s reaction and doubled their lead five minutes later: excellent link-up play from Fantini, who released Zanotti at exactly the right moment. A neat first touch and an intelligent toe-poke finish with his right foot stole a march on Tiribilli, whose dive was not enough to prevent the ball finding the bottom corner. Riding the momentum, Juvenes Dogana struck for a third time: this time Zanotti took the reins in midfield and his outside-of-the-boot pass sent Khalifa racing clear. The ensuing left-footed diagonal gave the Cailungo keeper no chance and the first period ended 3-0, despite the Rossoverdi fashioning more than one opportunity to get themselves back into the contest in terms of the scoreline.

The remaining three periods were extremely evenly balanced, in which Cailungo needed to win all three – or at least two of them – provided, in the latter case, they overturned the overall goal difference in their favour in the final. Yet it was once again Juvenes Dogana who edged it; after a couple of efforts kept out by Tiribilli, they found the net with Bonomo’s thunderous right-foot strike. A superb long-range effort that dipped just under the crossbar and took the Yellow and Blues closer to the autumn title. There would be no further goals in that stanza, thanks also to the two goalkeepers, who were decisive in protecting their nets. Still worth highlighting were Khalifa’s attempt direct from a corner, foiled by the alert Tiribilli, and a move started with a backheel from the same Juvenes Dogana forward – moments that drew bipartisan applause from the stand.

With their backs to the wall, Cailungo reopened the contest in the third period. After chances at either end for Khalifa and Esposito, it was the Rossoverde captain himself who stamped his mark with the goal to make it 1-0 for Gabriele Celli’s side on 41 minutes. Timing his run perfectly onto Bianchi’s long pass, he powered a shot into the top corner beyond Mascella to restore hope for Cailungo. Trailing by two periods overall and 4-1 on aggregate, the task ahead was clear: they had to win by a four-goal margin in the remaining 31 minutes – and win both of the final two periods. However, there would be no more goals, thanks in part to some outstanding defensive interventions – such as Mascella’s save on Ingrassia in the third period, or Bianchi’s double block, first on Zanotti and then on Bonomo. The final period finished goalless, despite the attacking verve shown by both sides – encouraged by Cailungo’s need to chase a big win to keep their trophy hopes alive. So it was Juvenes Dogana who raised the title to the sky at San Marino Stadium, also adding the Fair Play Trophy. Overall, last Saturday was a celebratory afternoon for the entire Under-12 movement in San Marino, as before the final all the other teams from the Bianco and Azzurro groups – as well as Polisportiva Garden, guests of the event – played friendly matches on the mini-pitches set up by the FSGC Grassroots Department.

The autumn final of the San Marino Under-12 Championship was the culmination of an emotionally charged week – at the end of which grassroots youth football activities signed off until 2026. On the same Saturday morning, in Dogana, a final pre-Christmas gathering was organised for all the teams in the Under-8 category, while last Wednesday it was the turn of the Under-10 teams, who took part in the Christmas Tournament held at San Marino Stadium.

San Marino U12 Championship, 2025-26 Autumn Final | Juvenes Dogana-Cailungo 3-2 (3-0, 1-0, 0-1, 0-0)

JUVENES DOGANA

Mascella, Volpinari, Zanotti, Fantini, Redondi, Frisoni, Bonomo, Khalifa, Albani, Barbieri

Head coach: Dario Sartori

CAILUNGO AZZURRO

Tiribilli, Bianchi, Cervellini, Esposito, Guerra, Marcattili, Giancecchi, De Scisciolo, M. Bollini, C. Bollini

Head coach: Gabriele Celli

Referee: Sean Berardinelli

Assistant referees: Michele Giagnorio, Mattia Mazza

Fourth official: Andrea Zaghini

Scorers: 7’ Redondi, 12’ Zanotti, 15’ Khalifa; 23’ Fantini; 41’ Esposito