When there’s a trophy up for grabs, they’re always the ones competing for it now. In women’s futsal TikiTaka Francavilla vs Bitorno is now the new “Classic” of Italian women’s futsal. Last year the match was the last act of the Scudetto playoffs, this year the two teams also met in the Italian Cup Final in Genoa and in both circumstances the Apulians triumphed. Now Bitorno and TikiTaka Francavilla find themselves facing each other again with the tricolor triangle that designates the Italian Champions at stake. It will be played, news of the news, in a single match live on Sky.
And the anticipation is already growing for the big match, after the semi-finals which saw the Apulian team eliminate Montesilvano and the Francaville team, who however play and train in Pescara, eliminate Falconara. So: Bitonto for the encore, TikiTaka Francavilla for the redemption. Exactly like a year ago, the Scudetto of the women’s Serie A season 23/24 will also be a “personal” matter between the Apulian and Abruzzo people. Only the setting changes: the tricolor will be awarded on June 9th at 5pm at the PalaFlorio in Bari, the setting for the dry final which will be illuminated by the SkySport cameras. And it is already said that next year Bitonto, regardless of how the match goes, will try to snatch the champion Vanin from Francavilla….
HOW WE GOT TO THE FINAL – In both “seeds” there is no need for “beautiful”: if TikiTaka prevails with a double 2-1 (first at PalaRigopiano and then at PalaBadiali) against Stilcasa Costruzioni Falconara, Bitonto prevailed more easily against Montesilvano: 6-3 in the first match (result achieved at PalaRoma in the last 3′ minutes of the match) and 7-1 wide at PalaPansini. In the home arena, Marzuoli’s lionesses roar loudly and gain the pass for the deserved final: Lucilèia (hat-trick) and Diana Santos (double) the stars of Friday evening, Grieco and Mansueto also scored, while Taty’s response for the temporary 1-1 turns out to be just a flash in the pan. So it’s decided, then. New year, same finalists: Bitonto and TikiTaka, who clashed, as already mentioned, this season – as well as obviously in the regular season – also in the Italian Cup.
THE PREVIOUS SEASON WITH A TROPHY AT WORLD – The journey to the Final Eight of the women’s Serie A Italian Cup did not end in the best way for TikiTaka, who were once again fatally struck by a clash in the last act with Bitonto of the Pescara coach Gianluca Marzuoli. And the cup that the 8 teams competed for in Genoa has inexorably made its way to Puglia. It was again Bitonto and Lucilèia, former Ballon d’Or players seen at work in Abruzzo at Montesilvano (a team eliminated in the Semi-final by the Apulians both in the Cup and in the Scudetto playoffs), who confirmed themselves in the Genoa 2024 event by beating TikiTaka 7-3 comeback and equaling Falconara’s record: second consecutive Italian Cup won, just like it was for the citizens before the neroverde rise.
Championship scoreboard:
WOMEN’S SERIES A – PLAYOFF – QUARTER-FINALS
1) BITONTO-KICK OFF 9-1 (game-1 2-4, game-2 8-1)
2) GTM MONTESILVANO-FEMALE MOLFETTA 7-3 (9-0)
3) TIKITAKA FRANCAVILLA-LAZIO 7-1 (4-1)
4) STILCASA COSTRUZIONI FALCONARA-VIP 4-0 (7-5 dts)
SEMI-FINALS
X) BITONTO-GTM MONTESILVANO 7-1 (game-1 6-3)
Y) STILCASA COSTRUZIONI FALCONARA-TIKITAKA FRANCAVILLA 1-2 (1-2)
FINAL – SINGLE RACE – 09/06
BITONTO-TIKITAKA FRANCAVILLA 5pm, live on Sky Sport
