“For the second time we played for third place at the tournament in Croatia. We finished 1-1 against a strong team like Switzerland. We started a bit slowly, conceding a goal early on, but then we found our rhythm against our opponents. It was a great team performance, capped off with a win on penalties.”
Marco De Angelis sums up San Marino’s third-place finish at the Futsal Week October Cup in Poreč, Croatia, in these words. His goal brought the Biancoazzurri back into the match after Switzerland had taken an early lead. Roberto Osimani’s side then held firm until the end, securing a 6-5 win on penalties after the 40 minutes of regulation play finished 1-1.
De Angelis’s comments focus on the team’s response to a difficult start. Switzerland needed just six seconds to score through Berke Celebi, who tapped in Kägi’s assist at the far post. San Marino, however, found the equalizer at 3’48”: following a free-kick, De Angelis arrived first on a loose ball in the opposition area and slotted it into the net.
The final remained tightly contested from there. The Swiss hit the crossbar, while before the break goalkeeper Aranya denied Ercolani a go-ahead goal. In the second half, the Titans held firm in defense and looked to counter-attack, but the score remained unchanged.
From the penalty spot, San Marino did not miss a single attempt. Switzerland’s Arpagaus struck the post, while Matteo Chezzi — already the scorer of a brace against Greenland — converted the decisive spot-kick. The Biancoazzurri thus climbed onto the third step of the podium, in a campaign faced without Matteo Moretti and captain Danilo Busignani.
