- Nicko Sensoli - 53'
San Marino win first competitive game
Sept 5 (Reuters) - San Marino won their first ever competitive match by beating Liechtenstein 1-0 in the Nations League on Thursday, 20 years since their only other victory, also against Liechtenstein.
The Nations League D game was hardly a clash of the titans, with San Marino bottom of FIFA's rankings at 210th and Liechtenstein 199th, but Nicko Sensoli's goal in the 53rd minute will make him a national hero.
San Marino's only other success came in their 69th game, a 1-0 win over Liechtenstein in a 2004 friendly.
Their fans have endured 140 matches without a win since then and the 19-year-old Sensoli's goal sparked wild celebrations at the San Marino stadium.
Sensoli was not even born when San Marino last won, and there was a long wait for the final whistle with eight minutes of added time before victory was confirmed to leave the hosts top of three-team Group 1, which also includes Gibraltar.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Ed Osmond)
Game Information
- Referees:
- Andris Treimanis
UEFA Nations League Standings
Team | GP | W | D | L | GD | P |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
San Marino | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 3 |
Gibraltar | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Liechtenstein | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |