San Marino ends 20-year drought with Nations League win against Liechtenstein

After two decades of not winning a single game, San Marino secured a long-awaited victory with a 1-0 win against Liechtenstein in the UEFA Nations League.

FIFA’s lowest-ranked nation have not won a game since 2004 when they beat Liechtenstein by the same scoreline in an international friendly.

Roberto Cevoli’s side, however, have now ended their 140-game winless run ans claimed their first ever competitive win courtesy of Nicko Sensoli’s 53rd-minute strike.

The 19-year-old midfielder, who plays for Italian fourth-tier side Sangiuliano, capitalised on a mistake from Liechtenstein’s Sandro Wieser and prod the ball home past the goalkeeper.

San Marino held on thanks to some desperate late defending but were finally able to celebrate in front of their jubilant home fans at Stadio Olimpico at full-time.

The landlocked country in north-eastern Italy covers just 61 square kilometres and is home to only 30,000 people.

And due to their size, the nation’s football team have often been the whipping boys of international football, preiously losing lost 13-0, 11-0 and 10-0 to Germany, Netherlands and England.

🇸🇲 SAN MARINO WIN A GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 20+ YEARS & A COMPETITIVE MATCH FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER!!!

History is made as the worst team in the FIFA rankings (210th) finally end the longest winless run in international football history (140 games dating back to April 2004)!!! pic.twitter.com/xbB3M2WQUE

However, their side has gradually improved, ending a two-year wait for a competitive goal in a 2-1 loss against Denmark in October last year.

Then, in March earlier this year, they drew 0-0 with Carribean side Saint Kitts and Nevis, their first draw since a 1-1 stalemate woith Saint Lucia in 2022.

But the country has now pulled off an improbable victory to move top of their three-nation group in D1, which also contains Gibraltar.

They are next in action on Tuesday in a friendly against 152nd-ranked Moldova.

Their opponents Liechenstein, meanwhile, extend their own sorry run having failed to win a game since beating Luxembourg in 2020.

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