San Marino end 20-year wait with first ever competitive victory
After 176 unsuccessful attempts, San Marino finally made history by winning their first competitive match ever.
The small team had only managed to secure five draws and suffer 171 losses in UEFA and FIFA competitions before Thursday night. However, their lengthy streak without a win has finally been broken.
Nicko Sensoli, a 19-year-old player who was loaned to a Serie D team in Italy last season, scored a goal early in the second half to help San Marino secure a memorable 1-0 victory against Liechtenstein in the Nations League.
This marks the second victory in the nation's history, with their only other win also being against Liechtenstein in 2024.
Recently, there have been indications that San Marino, one of the smallest countries in the world with a population of approximately 33,000, is improving in competitiveness. This was evidenced by their close 2-1 loss to Denmark in a Euro 2024 qualifying match last year.
That was included in a historical streak, as goals in losses to Kazakhstan and Finland allowed San Marino to score in three games in a row for the first time.
The win against Liechtenstein means that San Marino now has a good chance of making it to the promotion play-offs in the Nations League.
They are currently leading Group D1, and will face Gibraltar in consecutive matches followed by a trip to Liechtenstein for their last game.
The nation that comes in first in the group with three teams will move up to League C, while the second-place team will secure a spot in the play-offs.
