San Marino misses chance of first win in 20 years over Caribbean minnows
THE football world held its breath ahead of tonight’s big international clash as San Marino attempted to end their two-decade wait for victory.
However, the microstate in northeastern Italy will have to wait and see after missing a golden opportunity for a golden win.
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San Marino is ranked as the worst national team according to the FIFA rankings, having lost 192 of the 201 matches it had contested before tonight.
It is the fifth smallest country in the world with a landmass of 61 km2 – about half the size of Manchester – and a population of just 33,000.
Yet goals in each of their last three matches – including against Denmark, who were until recently ranked in the top 20 countries in the world – appeared to show an upturn in their fortunes.
And a match against Caribbean side Saint Kitts and Nevis – ranked 63 places above San Marino at 210th in the FIFA rankings – presented a great opportunity to finally get a win on the board after twenty years.
San Marino was sensationally the bookmakers’ favorites to win the match in Serravalle.
Things started well when Filippo Berardi scored a penalty after 21 minutes to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
It led to a fan, who goes by ‘San Marino fan account’ on social media and started a campaign to have Jose Mourinho rule the nation, saying: ‘BERARDI YOU SEXY SEXY SUN OF A BEACH.’
The cheers didn’t last long, however, as Tyquan Terrell evened the score in the 31st minute.
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Things got worse on the stroke of half-time when Andre Burley scored a second for the visitors after the home side failed to clear their lines from a corner.
Any hopes of San Marino mounting a comeback were crushed shortly after the break when Harry Panayiotou scored a third in the 49th minute.
The match would end 3-1, meaning San Marino is now without a win in 137 games.
And it means Liechtenstein and Anguilla can both breathe a sigh of relief that their own joint record of 35 games without a win would not become the new holder.
Liechtenstein is the only team to beat San Marino in its history, with a 1-0 win in 2004 thanks to a goal from Andy Selva, the country’s all-time top scorer with eight goals.
San Marino captain Matteo Vitaioli made his debut some 17 years ago but is yet to win.
However, all is not lost.
The match will be repeated on Sunday, which means Vitaioli and Co will have the chance to make amends.
As quoted by the BBC ahead of the first match of the double-header on the possibility of a victory, the 34-year-old said: “It would mean that I am part of the history of the national team of my home country, so it is final goal.
“It represents an opportunity to leave a mark, something that cannot be lost. It would be something that would be remembered in 2050 and beyond because there have been so few victories.”