Back of the net! Viñales leads Riviera di Rimini to 6-2 demolition job in San Marino

MotoGP™, Moto2™, Moto3™ and MotoE™ riders head out onto the pitch in a showdown for the ages

Wednesday, 31 August 2022

In front of a packed house in San Marino, the MotoGP™ Football Match saw the first decisive victory of the weekend as the whistle blew full time at 6-2. The teams, San Marino and Riviera di Rimini, were captained by Enea Bastianini (Gresini Racing MotoGP™) and Maverick Viñales (Aprilia Racing) respectively, and the crowd were treated to eight goals, some delightful chaos, and the brief birth of a new meme.

The meme began early as Michele Pirro (Aruba.it Ducati) proved himself a great presence on the pitch but possibly not suited to being in net, with Riviera di Rimini taking the lead early on thanks to Tony Arbolino (Elf Marc VDS Racing Team). But Johann Zarco (Prima Pramac Racing) hit back in style to equalise, and then Riviera di Rimini really got the boot in. And Pirro was switched for Enrico Cassalli, a physiotherapist from San Marino, as Lorenzo turned down the role.

As the second half began there was a whisper of a comeback from San Marino – cheered on by the crowd – as Marcos Ramirez (MV Agusta Forward Team) scored but it didn’t materialise more from there. The clock kept ticking down and by the time the floodlights were both on and needed, it was a decisive 6-2 win for Riviera di Rimini.

The other scorers were Arbolino for a second time, Viñales, Andrea Migno (Rivacold Snipers) and Manuel Gonzalez (Yamaha VR46 Master Camp), twice.

Now it’s time to switch the pitch for the track once again, with the riders heading back down from the Republic of San Marino to the very same Riviera di Rimini as Grand Prix activity gets in gear tomorrow at Misano!

Watch video of the game (which doesn’t start until 32:20) HERE.