Football Daily | Free-scoring San Marino and their (relatively) red-hot form

Do Losers Lose Less Each Time?

Micronics is a store in San Marino that may seem ordinary from the outside. However, inside you'll notice football memorabilia and a familiar face - 52-year-old Davide Gualtieri. He owns the shop and is famous for scoring the most popular goal in San Marino's national team's history against England. Although they lost, it was a proud moment for San Marino and Gualtieri still receives appreciation from Scotland fans. San Marino's team has only scored 31 goals in their history and one goal between September 2021 to October 2023. They haven't had much success and have lost to several teams by significant margins.

San Marino's journey in Euro 2024 qualifying was not a smooth one. They played seven games and lost all seven, without even scoring a single goal, and conceded 24. However, something unexpected happened during their game against Denmark. The team that was 188 rankings above them, San Marino, did manage to score a goal. It was an equalizer that Alessandro Golinucci hit home from a corner. Although they still lost by just a score of 2-1, this goal gave them hope for the future. Last Friday, in Kazakhistan, Simone Franciosi scored another goal, but unfortunately, they still lost 3-1. This time though, the players celebrated like they had won because the attendance at the Astana Arena was 56,310, which is almost double the population of their entire country, which is around 34,000 people.

The Social Media account @SanMarino_FA excitedly announced that their football team had scored again, with an exclamation of "WE DID IT AGAIN". The account, which is not affiliated with the team, is run by a Dutch follower named Martino Bastianelli. He has helped to bring attention to San Marino's football achievements. The team had the chance to make history by scoring in three consecutive games during their final qualifier against Finland. Despite falling behind, they were able to win a penalty in stoppage time. Filippo Berardi took the penalty and scored, bringing the score to 2-1. The account's hype man, based in the Netherlands, posted an ecstatic response that was difficult to understand.

La Serenissima needs to win a game soon, which they haven't done since 2004 when they won against Liechtenstein in a friendly match. Fans want them to play against Gibraltar, who just lost 14-0 to France. If La Serenissima keeps playing well, they might be able to win a competitive game in the fourth tier of the Nations League next year. Although San Marino is unlikely to qualify for any major tournaments or beat any heavyweights, they still have their own goals to pursue. We recently talked about how it's not good for anyone when small teams lose in qualifying matches, but football has many different aspects, and San Marino has rightfully earned their place, even if they are known as the world's most unlucky team.

Today's Inspirational Quote

When I received praise for my approach, I felt it was too much. That's just my personality. I know some individuals prefer to avoid the spotlight, but I am not one of them. I am simply being true to myself. Nowadays, even professional football clubs are being cautious during medical examinations. This applies to both the Premier League and the lower division, which is significant. As athletes, we frequently discuss injury, but cancer is something that never crosses our minds. Sol Bamba, the previous defender for Cardiff and Middlesbrough, speaks with Dominic Booth about his experience with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the strong relationship he has with Neil Warnock, and his transition to a coaching role.

I think that if there was a report about a game between England, a strong team, and a weak European team, it would sound different than the one about France crushing Gibraltar with 14 goals, which was talked about in yesterday's Football Daily. However, we can never be certain about how it would have been reported.

When Jeremy Foxon played in the U-11 boys' league in Maryland, there was a regulation that prohibited teams from scoring more than six goals in the second half if they were already leading 6-0 at half-time. This rule was put in place to prevent the other team from feeling too discouraged and quitting the sport altogether. Jeremy notes that he never encountered any French national players during his time in the league.

If you want to send a letter, you can send it to the email address [email protected]. The lucky winner for today's chosen letter is Jeremy Foxon. As a prize, he will receive a copy of Arsène Who? written by Ryan Baldi. We still have more prizes to give away throughout the week, so start typing your letters now!

The newest installment of the Football Weekly podcast has arrived. Don't miss out, listen now!

Here's a snippet from our everyday soccer bulletin called Football Daily. To read the complete edition, simply access this webpage and comply with the guidelines.