Under 19: Santi’s opener not enough as Bonesso’s boys edged out late in Gibraltar

A strong performance from the Under-19 National Team was not enough to avoid defeat (3-1) in the first of the two friendlies against Gibraltar played last night. At the Victoria Stadium, Loris Bonesso’s side went toe-to-toe with their peers from Gibraltar and only succumbed in the closing stages. After the first ten minutes of sparring and balance, San Marino began to make their presence felt and in the 23rd minute Famiglietti, from the right, played the ball inside for Lisi. Gibraltar defender Caetano brought him down and the referee pointed to the spot. Simone Santi stepped up and picked out the corner brilliantly, beating Victor to give the Biancazzurri the lead. Just seconds later the Titans could even have doubled their advantage: defender Busto lost the ball just outside the edge of his own box, Marco Gasperoni pounced on it and drove towards goal, but his right-footed effort failed to hit the target. The match was played at a high tempo and was entertaining; Gibraltar regrouped and a few minutes later found the equaliser. From a corner, midfielder Gonzalez made contact with the top of his head, sending the ball looping over in a teasing lob that also clipped the post on its way in for 1-1. San Marino were having none of it and went back to imposing their game. On the half-hour mark, Matteo Valli Casadei won a corner; an excellent turn and shot from Marco Gasperoni only just missed the far corner. Later, Valli Casadei again carried the ball forward from the three-quarters area and fed Famiglietti, whose shot was deflected for a corner. From the ensuing delivery, Zavoli tried to catch everyone out but could not find the target. In the 39th minute, Jessop caught the eye for the hosts: he did it all himself, charging down the flank and cutting inside, but his finish was poor. A very good first half ended with the score at 1-1.   San Marino came out on the front foot again at the start of the second half. Marco Gasperoni won a free kick from a promising position, but Renzi’s right-footed effort sailed over the top corner. Another good move from the Titans saw Simone Gasperoni strike well, only for the goalkeeper to parry; Famiglietti reacted quickest to the rebound, but once again keeper Victor denied him. In the 63rd minute, a short corner routine saw Renzi swing the ball into the box; the defence failed to clear convincingly, and the youngest player on the pitch – 2006-born Riccardo Zafferani – tried to catch the backline out, but his header was claimed by Victor, who punched clear. From the continuation of the move, however, Marco Gasperoni skipped past a couple of opponents and, from inside the area, tried a magnificent curling right-footer that missed the top corner by a whisker. Ten minutes from time, a bad foul by Buckley on Alex Caddy earned a free kick on the edge of the box: Santi teed up Renzi, who struck from distance. Victor failed to deal with it cleanly, spilling the ball; Ciacci went for the rebound but fouled the goalkeeper, and the chance was gone. San Marino created plenty but could not find a way to restore their lead. Gibraltar, on the other hand, managed to do so in the 84th minute with a stunning strike from Jessop, who unleashed a thunderbolt from the edge of the box that flew into the top corner. In stoppage time there was room for a third, again involving Jessop, who used his pace on the counter-attack and squared perfectly for team-mate Emrani. He brought the ball under control, skipped past Caddy and slotted home for the final 3-1. There was a real sense of disappointment for Bonesso’s boys, but also the awareness that they can go toe-to-toe with Gibraltar. The “rematch” is scheduled for tomorrow, again at 20:00 at Gibraltar’s Victoria Stadium.

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Friendly | Gibraltar Under 19-San Marino Under 19 3-1   GIBRALTAR Victor; L. Soiza (56' Villa), Britto, Busto (74' Colton), Rodriguez (74' Buckley); Caetano (46' Emrani), Gonzalez (56' Stevens), Perera (49' Gomez), Zammit Moreno (56' J. Soiza), Jessop; Cawthorn (74' Huart Guerra). Substitutes: Mifsud, De Torres, Wahnon. Head coach: Malcolm Martin   SAN MARINO Amici; Ugolini (61' Caddy), S. Gasperoni (61' Riccardi), Zafferani, Ciacci, Zavoli; Lisi (29' Renzi, 84' Molinari), Casadei Valli, Santi (84' Tumidei); Famiglietti (61' Sensoli), M. Gasperoni (72' Casali). Substitutes: Battistini, Terenzi. Head coach: Loris Bonesso   Scorers: 24' pen. Santi, 26' Gonzalez, 83' Jessop, 90' Emrani    

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