Under-17: Bulgaria hit four against depleted San Marino side

In the final group match, Yazici also joined the long list of absentees for San Marino’s Under-17 national team. Only four players were available on the Biancazzurri bench. Coach Cancelli opted for a 3-5-2, with Bindi and Riccardi as wing-backs and Capicchioni and Giacopetti leading the line. In the 6th minute, hosts Bulgaria took the lead: Casadei sees Shishkov’s low-driven effort very late and, with a crowd of legs in front of him, is unable to prevent the ball from ending up in the net. The young San Marino goalkeeper – one of the youngest in the squad – was then very sharp on Balov’s attempt in the 10th minute. After Gigov’s header, which grazed the post, it took a last-ditch clearance from Giacomo Benvenuti to keep San Marino afloat when Sulev looked certain to score. Bulgaria kept up the pressure and in the 19th minute doubled their lead through Sulev once again, whose low shot combined power and precision to perfection, leaving Casadei with no chance. Midway through the half, another scare for the San Marino goal, with Shishkov almost bagging a brace in a crowded box: his effort went just wide. The hosts continued to push forward relentlessly, but another clear-cut chance did not arrive until the 33rd minute, when, from a Georgiev corner, Giacopetti mistimed his clearance and almost turned the ball into his own net; Pasolini, however, was on the goal line to bail his team-mate out. Shortly afterwards, Georgiev went for glory himself from distance, but Casadei was equal to it. San Marino struggled to keep possession, yet on 37 minutes they carved out a good opportunity on the break: Giacopetti released Capicchioni, who was stopped for a corner. Capicchioni himself took it, looking for team-mates in the box but only finding the fists of Stefanov. Just before the interval Bulgaria fashioned another good chance from a free-kick awarded for a foul by Menicucci on Sulev: Shishkov took it, but sent it over. At half-time only Bulgaria made changes to their starting XI. Right at the start of the second half, the hosts made it 3-0: Balov met a cross from the left and turned it past Casadei. Shortly after, danger again from the left: a mix-up between defence and goalkeeper allowed Balov to pounce, but his seemingly certain goal was denied by a miraculous recovery from Tommaso Benvenuti. Balov’s hunger for a brace remained unabated: in the 57th minute it took a double block from the Benvenuti brothers to repel two close-range efforts from the Bulgarian forward. He would only have to wait a few more minutes to get his name on the scoresheet again: Domeniconi misjudged his clearance and Balov was quick to pounce, firing home Bulgaria’s fourth. San Marino were soon running on empty. Cancelli replaced Capicchioni and Bindi with Protti and Molari, then brought on Della Balda for Giacopetti. It was one of the substitutes, Protti, who in the 70th minute won a good free-kick that fellow substitute Molari swung into the middle of the area: Riccardi timed his run well, but his header drifted wide of the target. The episode injected some confidence into the young Titani. Shortly afterwards, Menicucci broke up a Bulgarian move and launched a swift San Marino counter-attack: the ball found Giacopetti, who beat a defender and immediately let fly, forcing Stefanov into a difficult save for a corner. With a quarter of an hour to go, Bulgaria threatened again with a long-range attempt from Ivelin Georgiev, comfortably dealt with by Casadei. In the meantime, Riccardi won a free-kick that Tommaso Benvenuti delivered towards Della Balda: the number 15 for San Marino struck it well but found Smilyansky – who had in the meantime replaced Stefanov – ready to save. In the closing stages there were more changes for Bulgaria and also a switch in the San Marino goal, with Grana coming on for Casadei. In added time, a chance apiece: first Della Balda teed up Protti, whose shot was saved by Smilyanski. On the ensuing counter, Molari had to concede a free-kick on the edge of the box, which Dotsev drove straight into the wall. It finished 4-0.  

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EURO U-17 2022-23, Group 13 | Matchday 3, San Marino-Bulgaria 0-4 SAN MARINO J. Casadei (from 88' Grana); Domeniconi, G. Benvenuti, T. Benvenuti; Bindi (from 67' Molari), Pasolini, Menicucci, M. Casadei, Riccardi; Capicchioni (from 67' Protti), Giacopetti (from 75' Della Balda) Coach: Nicola Cancelli BULGARIA Stefanov (from 72' Smilyanski); Minchev, Videv (from 46' K. Georgiev), Shishkov; Pergelov (from 65' Dotsev), Onasci, Sulev, Polendakov (from 46' Dimitrov), I. Georgiev; Balov (from 84' Kehayov), Gigov Substitutes: Sadetinov, Raychev, Kokov Coach: Iordan Petkov   Referee: David Smajc (SVN) Assistant referees: David Gabrovec (SVN) and Francisco Joao Serra Jorge Pereira (POR) Fourth official: Gustavo Correia (POR) Booked: Capicchioni, Sulev, Riccardi, Molari Scorers: 6' Shishkov, 19' Sulev, 46' and 62' Balov

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