Nations League: San Marino claim historic win

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San Marino 1 - 0 Liechtenstein

San Marino made history by securing their first-ever competitive win, defeating Liechtenstein in the Nations League.

With this victory, the world’s lowest-ranked team in FIFA's rankings ended football’s longest winless streak, which stretched over two decades and 140 matches. 

For two small countries, the match has now gained a lot of attention across the world. San Marino were even trending on Twitter/X and other social media websites at one point. The video below is from the Esir Sports YouTube account.

Their last triumph was a friendly in 2004, also against Liechtenstein and with the same scoreline.This marks only their second win in history.

The decisive goal was scored by 19-year-old Nicko Sensoli, who plays in Italy’s fourth division. The teenager, who wasn’t even born when San Marino last tasted victory, found the net in the 53rd minute, lofting the ball over goalkeeper Benjamin Buchel and sparking wild celebrations from his teammates.

San Marino then defended valiantly to secure this historic result, a stark contrast to years of heavy defeats. The minnows have lost 196 of their 206 matches and were hammered 10-0 by England in a World Cup qualifier as recently as November 2021. However, there have been signs of progress since. 

San Marino

In October last year, they scored their first competitive goal in two years, narrowly losing 2-1 to Denmark in a Euro 2024 qualifier.And in March, they held Caribbean side Saint Kitts and Nevis to a 0-0 draw.Nestled by Italy and overlooked by the stunning Mount Titano, San Marino has a population of just 33,000 and covers only 61 square kilometres—about half the size of Manchester.

Location: San Marino

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