HELLAS BEGATO - DUNFERMLINE 3-1

There might have been a sense of distress and emptiness in and around Dunfermline's dressing room minutes after the final whistle on Sunday night, but the defeat at the hands of Hellas Begato was the result of a far from diminishing performance on the part of a brave side, who only happened to be on the receiving end of a 3-1 scoreline on the back of a game which couldn't have been any tighter.
The lads gave it their all and were unfortunate to collect nothing out of it, but the only reason for regret really lies in the fact that had they won this game, they'd probably be celebrating their access to the second tier of AICS football.
Instead, they were left to deal with a final group stage match against Massacroni, one they'll have to face without injured striker Marco Cantelli and otherwise engaged Sicilian defender Giuseppe Buttitta, whilst it is still unclear whether Fabio Frassinelli will feature following his measles affection which kept him out last night.

Gaffer Vanin could count on Marco Semino in goal, the back pack being composed by Davide Filippi and Buttitta himself.
To the surprise of many, though, Vanin benched in form midfielder Matteo Bovalino, opting for a midpark lineup including Aldo Marletta on the right, Alessio Di Noto in the middle and Marco Cantelli wide on the left flank.
Alberto Buccianti completed the starting 7 upfront, and proceedings got underway under a brilliant direction by referee Marianna Modica.
Dunfermline started attacking and creating openings, Cantelli going close once or twice before Medicina opened the scoring for Hellas on virtually their first chance of the match.
It was a long dipping ball the Hellas striker tamed brilliantly, getting past Buttitta in quite some style before firing a low shot which went straight down the middle, leaving Semino with no chance.
Dunfermline, though, didn't lose their composure, and resumed their attacking place, Cantelli was kept out by the goalie whilst Marletta's long range effort went just wide of the mark.
Buccianti helped his team create the spaces they needed, and Di Noto opted for a last grasp pass in towards Cantelli instead of shooting from close range.
Drama struck towards the end of the first half, though, as Cantelli ran for a loose ball, only to be hit on his ankle by Hellas goalkeeper, who stood on it in the process and caused an injury which was later assessed as a sprain but had the immediate effect of withdrawing The Pars' topscorer from the game.

HALF TIME: Hellas Begato 1, Dunfermline 0

The second half got underway and soon reserved another unexpected twist, as Buttitta failed to clear his lines from a scruffy piece of play and Medicina found it way too easy to notch home from 2 yards to make it 2-0.
By huffing and puffing, Dunfermline sent their charges forward, and had a number of half-chances, also marred by a wee bit inaccuracy when it most mattered, the final passes resulting sloppy or overdone from time to time.
Even so, they managed to pull one back, as a poor clearance was intercepted by Marletta, who coolly controlled the ball and fired a dipping shot into the top corner to give his side a glimmer of hope.
Medicina was later denied by Semino, who deflected a fantastic shot onto the crossbar, before The Scots hit the woodwork themslves, through a shot on the turn by Buccianti which had left the goalkeeper wrongfooted.o
Bovalino had a further glorious chance to level matters but his brilliant volley from a Buttitta throw in was parried away by the goalkeeper.
Unfortunately for The Pars, matters got settled soon after that, as Riciputo found the narrowest of paths to beat Semino from the right handside of the box to make it 3-1 and all but end Dunfermline's hopes for the game.
Credit to Hellas, who played well and correctly, and ultimately deserved to win for they made their chances count.

FULL TIME: Hellas Begato 3, Dunfermline 1

DUNFERMLINE
Semino; Buttitta, Filippi; Marletta, Di Noto, Cantelli; Buccianti
SUBS: Bovalino
SUBS NOT USED: Perugini
MANAGER: Vanin
SCORERS: Marletta
CAUTIONS: -

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