San Marino made history by winning their first match in 20 years, beating Liechtenstein 1-0 in the Nations League.
The tiny principality is essentially a mountain inside of Italian soil, in the Emilia-Romagna region, but has independence.
As such, they are able to field their own football team, but with such a small population to draw from, they have found it somewhat difficult to get good results.
Specifically, they have not won a match since 2004 – until this evening, when Nicko Sensoli scored the only goal to defeat Liechtenstein 1-0 in the Nations League.
The speaker in the stadium was overwhelmed and got the crowd to chant the scoreline along repeatedly.
“The appointment with destiny, which we waited for so long, too long. After 20 years it’s San Marino 1 – Liechtenstein 0!”
It was only the second ever win for the nation and their first ever competitive victory, but curiously the only other success was also against Liechtenstein in a friendly.
Their Under-21 side was also in action today, losing 7-0 to Italy.
San Marino success at last
🇸🇲 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
— The Sweeper (@SweeperPod) September 5, 2024