San Marino players celebrating (X)
With a population ~33K, San Marino previously held a competitive record of 0-5-171, and recorded just their second-ever win as a footballing nation
San Marino, the world’s worst team according to the FIFA rankings, made history on Thursday by beating Liechtenstein 1-0 in the UEFA Nations League to claim their first ever competitive win.
The tiny country of barely 30,000 people, surrounded by Italy, came into the match at their San Marino Stadium looking for a first win of any sort since beating Liechtenstein in a friendly in 2004.
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
Liechtenstein had a goal disallowed for a tight offside in the first half before San Marino pounced on a defensive error to grab the winner in the 53rd minute through Nicko Sensoli.
Aged 19, he had not been born when the team who sit 210th and last in the world rankings last won a game.
The whipping boys of international football had been building up to this having claimed draws in friendly matches against Seychelles, Saint Lucia and Saint Kitts and Nevis over the last two years.
They are in the three-team Group 1 of the bottom tier League D in the Nations League, with Gibraltar their other opponents.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)
