Under-21, bitter ending: Malta overturn Capicchioni’s 1-0, who also hits the bar

There is a touch of bad luck, too, in condemning the Under-21 National Team to a second defeat to Malta, who go behind, are saved once by the crossbar, trouble Casadei only sporadically but eventually complete their comeback in the closing minutes, shortly before being rescued again by a header from Riggioni that seemed destined to change the outcome. For the second friendly in three days, Matteo Cecchetti introduces three changes to his starting XI: Jacopo Casadei in goal, Domeniconi in defence and Guerra down the left. On the bench there is Yazici rather than Zavoli, who is not on the squad list. The shape is again a 3-5-2, or 5-3-2 depending on the phase of play. And the first half is spent very often on the front foot. The young Titani immediately start on the front foot, looking to suffocate Malta’s build-up and attack the spaces. After 7 minutes Guerra is in on Camilleri, but is flagged offside. There is no infringement, however, when Marco Gasperoni robs Xerri of the ball and threads a vertical pass for Capicchioni, who anticipates the onrushing Camilleri and squares into the middle for Chiaruzzi, closed down by Scicluna. Malta offer a timid response on 12 minutes from a corner: Capicchioni doesn’t clear far enough and Letherby adjusts his body for a right-footed strike on the move that sails well over the bar. At the other end, a deflected shot by Zafferani almost turns into an assist for Capicchioni, who cannot bring the ball under control in the six-yard box and in any case is caught offside. Malta try to break, but San Marino’s game plan was and remains to press aggressively. And on 16 minutes, the Titani’s efforts are fully rewarded. Bugli and Cervellini box in Chukunyere; after a back-heel one-two with Bugli, Marco Gasperoni sends Capicchioni through on Camilleri: an unerring low diagonal right-footer and San Marino take a fully deserved lead. The goal gives wings to Cecchetti’s boys, who smother every Maltese initiative, leaving Jacopo Casadei virtually unemployed. As for clear chances, the match sparks back into life in the last ten minutes before the break. Zafferani presses right up onto the opposition box and carves out room for a shot, blocked by Scicluna. In reply, Malta force Casadei into his first save of the afternoon: the ball is worked wide to the left where Pitts runs at Cervellini, cuts inside onto his right and lets fly, but the San Marino keeper holds with a tidy catch.

After the restart, the fresh legs are all in the Maltese line-up. But it is two of Mazzotta’s “survivors” from the rotation who, not even five minutes into the second half, combine for the equaliser. Chukunyere gets past Bugli and picks out the run of Agius, who angles his first touch in such a way that he can then beat Jacopo Casadei across goal. San Marino’s response comes via a wicked cross from Marco Gasperoni that throws the Maltese defence into disarray: neither Capicchioni nor Guerra, however, manage to arrive on cue. At the other end, Agius starts very wide on the left, cuts inside and shoots with too little power to trouble Casadei. The San Marino keeper is instead bailed out by the assistant’s flag on 73 minutes on a glorious curling effort by Ellul, who bends the ball inside the far post: it’s a stunning strike but it doesn’t count because Gunner, who had laid the ball off, had started in an offside position. That moment ushers in another phase strongly tinged in white and blue. Capicchioni, who earlier had shown a neat dribble followed by a shot that flew too high, stands over a free-kick from three-quarters out won by Della Balda. His right-footed effort bends and dips just as it should, but crashes flush off the crossbar and behind – a scene, incidentally, already witnessed last Wednesday. San Marino, however, do not lose heart. A minute later Protti, only just on the pitch, has a go from the edge of the box: his low diagonal effort whistles just past Sargent’s right-hand post. Then Capicchioni has another free-kick, closer in than the previous one. This time the San Marino centre-forward cannot get the right cut on the ball and sends it high over the bar. Malta react with their final changes. Viviani goes close to the top corner with a fine left-footer from 16 metres. Then Xerri puts Brooklyn Borg clean through and Mularoni produces a miraculous goal-line clearance, although the second assistant’s flag then goes up to signal the Maltese number 22 was offside. Between those two flashes from the visitors, the San Marino National Team had threatened again through Yazici, who did well to carve out space for the shot, which however rolled too tamely off his right boot. Malta keep pushing in the very final stretch of the match and find the longed-for comeback goal: Gunner does well to chase down a ball that seemed lost and then pulls it back for Bridgman, who side-foots accurately into the far corner, giving Jacopo Casadei no chance. A cold shower to which the Titani try to respond in the scant time remaining. And the chance to equalise does arrive: from the corner Della Balda picks out Riggioni perfectly in the middle of the area, but though he climbs above Grech his header flies just over. A match with a bitter – and in many ways undeserved – ending, but one that also provides further valuable indications for head coach Cecchetti as he builds the group that will, at the beginning of September, kick off the new European qualifying cycle.

Under-21, International friendlies | San Marino-Malta 1-2

SAN MARINO (3-5-2)

J. Casadei; Domeniconi (58’ S. Riccardi), Zafferani, Riggioni; Guerra (58’ Tamagnini), Chiaruzzi (58’ Della Balda), Cervellini (82’ Mularoni), M, Casadei (70’ Molinari), Bugli (58’ S. Gasperoni); Capicchioni (82’ Yazici), M. Gasperoni (70’ Protti)

Substitutes: Borasco, Renzi, M. Ciacci, F. Ciacci

Head coach: Matteo Cecchetti

MALTA (4-2-3-1)

Camilleri (46’ Sargent); Xerri, Ging (84’ Grech), Sciclunan (84’ Amin), Hili (46’ Ellul); A. Borg (84’ Micallef), Letherby (46’ Viviani); Chukunyere (64’ Cross), Barbara (46’ B. Borg), Pitts (76’ Bridgman); Agius (64’ Gunner)

Substitutes: Sacco, De Flavia

Head coach: Davide Mazzotta

Referee: Michele Beltrano

Assistant referees: Cristiano Ernesto and Gianmarco Ercolani

Fourth official: Andrea Righi

Booked: Letherby, Cervellini, Capicchioni, Agius, Tamagnini, Viviani

Scorers: 16’ Capicchioni, 50’ Agius, 90’ Bridgman