La Fiorita clinch third San Marinese Championship

SP La Fiorita clinched the San Marinese Championship for only the third time in their history, and the first since 1990, with a 2-0 final victory against SS Folgore/Falciano.

San Marino's league system is divided into two groups, with the top three from each entering a knockout phase which began on 3 May. La Fiorita topped Group B, while Folgore, who came third in the same section, beat holders SP Tre Penne on their way to the title decider. The final was a tense affair with neither side giving anything away until the 71st minute, when Filippo Pensalfini broke the deadlock. Giacomo Gualtieri sealed the win in added time.

With Andy Selva, San Marino's all-time leading scorer, and Gualtieri in attack, La Fiorita were widely considered favorites ahead of the final but were frustrated for long spells. That was until Folgore goalkeeper Luca Lelli failed to hold on to Tiziano Mottola's free-kick from the left and Pensalfini was on hand to open the scoring with a calm left-footed finish.

Folgore pushed hard for an equaliser but Francesco Perrotta's shot over the bar was the closest they came. In added time Gualtieri rounded off a sweeping counterattack to grab his fourth knockout round goal having scored 18 in the regular season. "It's a unique emotion," said La Fiorita captain Simone Montanari. "We did not play well in the first half but we were the far better side in the second and deserved the victory. This is a fantastic group, we were already satisfied to have reached the final but we have now completed our masterpiece."

La Fiorita coach Alberto Manca, whose side will enter the 2014/15 UEFA Champions League first qualifying round, added: "It was very hard, our main strength is the group because everybody is eager to contribute and you could see it clearly. We are all tired after a long season but a victory like this is certainly an extra motivation for the future."