Virtus eye-catching, Juvenes-Dogana dreaming of a great escape

It’s an almost perfect Virtus side that overcomes Tre Penne 2-1, with the champions effectively slipping down to second place in the table. Bizzotto fully exploits the opportunity created by yesterday’s win for Faetano over Pennarossa to move on to 43 points and sit alone in fourth place. Top Four status is no longer a given for Tre Fiori, held to a 0-0 draw by Murata and heading into their rest round. Their advantage over Pennarossa (+5) and Faetano (+6) is far from reassuring, especially considering that those two sides will have one game more than last season’s Coppa Titano finalists. And what about the clash in Fiorentino between Juvenes-Dogana and San Giovanni? Anyone who was ready to write off Amati’s team will have to think again or at least postpone judgement: the comeback from 0-1 to 4-1 against San Giovanni not only drags Tognacci’s men into trouble, it also restores – however faint – hope for the Biancorossazzurri. Seven points off twelfth place, currently occupied by San Giovanni themselves, they will need three wins from their last four. One of those feats that football occasionally produces. Starting in Montecchio, Murata record a second consecutive draw, keeping a clean sheet against a Tre Fiori side that suddenly can’t score. For the third time in their last five games, the Gialloblù fail to find the net. Yet it is Borgagni’s team who take the initiative: after an inaccurate effort by Gjurchinoski at the near post, De Falco rattles the crossbar from a set piece. Pracucci then misfires on Cuzzilla’s cross. A risky charge off his line by Benedettini on 34 minutes sends shivers through the Bianconeri fans, who breathe a sigh of relief when the same midfielder lets them off the hook. Before the break Gjurchinoski strikes the outside of the post, the second woodwork for the Fiorentino club, who will do no better after the restart. Not even friendly fire from Fall, whose touch forces Benedettini into a diving save. A move between Pari and Bruma ends with the latter firing off target, while Lentini’s work on the hour mark finds no team-mate ready to apply the finish. Aldo Simoncini deals with Bernardi’s attempt on 72 minutes, then turns Bruma’s effort behind for a corner a minute later. From a similar situation Tre Fiori threaten, forcing Benedettini into a superb save from D’Addario on 80 minutes. That it would finish level becomes certain three minutes later, when from a corner Grani is able to shoot with the goal at his mercy from the edge of the six-yard box: but the frame of the goal is protected by the body of a defender, who blocks in extremis. The match in Fiorentino is decidedly livelier, with five goals scored. After a couple of minutes Gobbi is called into action, dealing comfortably with Montebelli’s close-range effort. At the other end, De Angelis denies Giangrandi’s strike with no fuss. The deadlock is broken from a corner midway through the half, with Senja doing well to get free at the far post. Juvenes-Dogana respond in style, drawing level on 38 minutes: Giangrandi shields the ball well on the edge of the box before laying it off for Michelotti’s winning left-foot finish. The comeback is completed on the hour, when Acquarelli attacks the six-yard box from a corner and finishes from point-blank range past a blameless De Angelis. San Giovanni are on the ropes, unable to get back into the game and collapsing in the closing stages. Once again a late run, this time from open play and a cross from wide, catches out what had so far been a very reliable Tognacci backline: Zucchi stoops to head home from close range, putting Juvenes-Dogana out of reach. And there’s more, because on 84 minutes Amati’s men complete the poker with Merli, who controls in the box a harmless-looking ball from Cevoli before beating De Angelis from close range. The gap between the teams is now seven points, with Cailungo in between. As things stand, only one of these three will reach the Preliminary Round and, despite the mountain to climb, Juvenes-Dogana intend to believe. So too can and must Virtus, involved in the ambitious bid to finish among the top four. A place in the Top Four would allow Bizzotto’s side to go straight into the league quarter-finals, avoiding the two-legged Preliminary Round. With today’s win over Tre Penne, the Neroverdi can no longer think of flying under the radar. Their victories over the leading sides and the second-best defence in the competition make Virtus far more than a simple dark horse. Their performance today was virtually flawless, in every department. Aside from one chance conceded on 6 minutes from the Vandi-Pieri axis, when the latter clips the top of the crossbar with a strange diving header, Tre Penne never seriously threaten Passaniti’s goal in the first half. Virtus, by contrast, take the lead on 13 minutes with a wonder goal from Raschi: the San Marino winger caps a fantastic week, in which he made his senior international debut (San Marino-Lithuania 1-2) and scored a hugely important goal in the race for fourth place. A powerful, precise effort from the inside-left channel that beats Migani into the far top corner. Shortly after the quarter-hour, the Neroverdi go close to doubling their lead through Focaccia, who beats Migani to the ball but can’t hit the target, before making it 2-0 through Nodari. The centre-back does not lose a single aerial duel, and the one in the opposition box from a corner is worth a goal. Late in the half Raschi could even make it three, but his counter-attacking run is stopped by Migani’s legs. The keeper is crucial again at the start of the second half in a one-on-one with Magri, who spurns the chance to deliver what might have been the knockout blow. At the break Ceci switches to a 4-2-4, bringing on Chiurato for Zonzini, but the changes that really swing the game may well be Bizzotto’s enforced ones: the almost back-to-back injuries to Raschi and Focaccia push Virtus much deeper. That is when Passaniti steps up with three outstanding saves from Ceccaroli, Badalassi and Gai – denying the latter also with a powerful right-footed strike from 25 metres. To spice up the finale comes the second yellow card shown to Gori on 90+2 minutes: already booked, he re-entered the pitch without permission. Thus Matteo Semprini’s goal – stabbing home from a scramble in the fourth minute of added time – brings the spectre of a cruel twist for Virtus. Even Tre Penne’s final hopeful ball into the area, with Migani up as well, goes unanswered: Virtus beat Tre Penne, who are however already in the play-offs together with La Fiorita, and ignite a sprint for fourth place that still involves Tre Fiori as well. Here is the complete picture from the 16th matchday of the league:  

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MURATA Benedettini, Fall, Carlini, Ricci, Valentini, Cangini, Toccaceli, Genghini, Pari (from 67' Comuniello), Bruma (from 85' Bertozzi), Bernardi Substitutes: Castelgrande, Terenzi, Lelli, Gori, Babboni Coach: Achille Fabbri   TRE FIORI A. Simoncini, D'Addario, De Lucia, Grani, Cuzzilla (from 63' Corinti), Censoni, Adami Martins, Pracucci, De Falco, Gjurchinoski, Lentini Substitutes: Castagnoli, Della Valle, Tamagnini, Dolcini, Ciccione, Astolfi Coach: Gian Luca Borgagni   Referee: Alessandro Vandi Assistants: Mattia Sapigni and Andrea Zaghini Fourth official: Raffaele Delvecchio Booked: D'Addario, Valentini, Censoni, Benedettini  

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JUVENES-DOGANA Gobbi, Raschi, Acquarelli, Mezzadri, Cevoli, Baldazzi, Merli, Giangrandi, Pasquinelli, D'angeli (from 77' Zucchi), Michelotti (from 90'+2' Tumidei) Substitutes: Guidi, Cisternino Coach: Manuel Amati   SAN GIOVANNI De Angelis, Senja, Angelini, Conti, De Biagi, Lisi, Strologo (from 84' Matteoni), Grillo (from 64' Magnani), Berardi (from 84' Perotto), Ugolini, Montebelli (from 87' Cecchetti) Substitutes: Montagna, Grechi, Tommasi Coach: Marco Tognacci   Referee: Davide Borriello Assistants: Ernesto Cristiano and Leonardo Battista Fourth official: Nicola Villa Scorers: 24' Senja, 38' Michelotti, 61' Acquarelli, 81' Zucchi, 84' Merli Booked: Mezzadri, Berardi, Baldazzi, Merli, Giangrandi, Michelotti  

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VIRTUS Passaniti, M. Battistini, Nodari, Giacomoni, Gori, Focaccia (from 59' Alvarez), Ciacci, Golinucci, Magri (from 90'+3' Apezteguia), Angeli, Raschi (from 57' Castiglioni) Substitutes: Paolini, Muggeo Coach: Luigi Bizzotto   TRE PENNE Migani, Sartori (from 73' Cibelli), Vandi (from 73' Cauterucci), M. Battistini (from 82' M. Semprini), Lombardi, Genestreti, Zonzini (from 46' Chiurato), Gai, Badalassi, Ceccaroli, Pieri Substitutes: Zambetti, Casadei, Zafferani Coach: Stefano Ceci   Referee: Antonio Ucini Assistants: Salvatore Tuttifrutti and Alessandro Salvatori Fourth official: Andrea Piccoli Scorers: 13' Raschi, 27' Nodari, 90'+4' M. Semprini Booked: Ceccaroli, Gori, Chiurato Sent off: Gori (second yellow card)

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