San Marino win AGAIN! World No 210-ranked facet earn Nations League promotion after beating Liechtenstein 3-1 to report their first ever away victory

For only the second time in 38 years, San Marino tasted the glories of victory in a competitive game, their 3-1 victory over Liechtenstein earning an unprecedented Nations League promotion. 

Where before only two names – Andy Selva and Nicko Sensoli – stood, three more have joined the annals of San Marino history. Lorenzo Lazzari. Nicola Nanni. Alessandro Golinucci. 

What do they have in common? Rewriting the history books for one. However, all five national heroes have the distinct honour – distinct in their scarcity – of scoring in San Marino victories. 

The only difference, that this time it came on the road, San Marino securing a first ever away win in their entire history. Three goals on the night, too, ensured multiple records were broken as the Titani found the back of the net on three occasions for the first time in any game, competitive or otherwise.  

Prior to Monday night, and the history created therein, FIFA’s 210-ranked team had won only two games, of which only one was competitive. Both came against Liechtenstein. 

On a night when only victory would do for the scarcely imaginable to become reality, those three Titani Lazzari, Nanni and Golinucci brought just that to a nation to whom victory tastes sweeter than any. 

San Marino secured promotion in the Nations League after a stunning comeback win over Liechtenstein

Nicola Nanni (pictured on Friday) scored for the second game in a row to take his tally to three

Gibraltar, comparative giants in the group of three, held the keys to the kingdom heading into this final matchday, and after a 1-1 draw back in Serravalle on Friday, they could only watch on as Roberto Cevoli’s Sammarinese heroes proved the world wrong once again.

San Marino’s hopes of usurping Gibraltar at the top of Group D 1 took an early hit after Aron Sele’s stunner towards the end of the first half. 

Shrugging off the challenge of Giacomo Valentino in the 40th minute, the midfielder let fly with a right-footed thunderbolt that soared past Edoardo Colombo and into the roof of the net from 25 yards. Sometimes fate crushes dreams, but rarely in such stunning fashion. 

San Marino were the better side on the night; Cevoli’s side and their comparatively vibrant approach saw plenty of the ball in attacking areas, even if they were shaded in terms of overall possession.

It is a cliche that conceding just before the break can be one of the cruelest blows a side can suffer. Striking back within a minute of the restart is about as well as any team could hope to respond.

Lazzari beat the offside trap with the echoes of Jeremie Pignard’s whistle still reverberating through the hosts. Andrea Contadini’s ball over the top was latched onto and the San Marino midfielder did the rest. Level again.

Within 20 minutes of pressure, history repeated itself. Just as he had scored San Marino’s first ever goal against Gibraltar on Friday evening from the spot, Nanni stepped up to bury a second for his side, their first ever competitive game with more than one goal.

Surely tonight was the night. San Marino had won two games in their entire history – can you guess the opponents on both occasions?

Make that three – quite literally. The captain on that night of nights back in September, who wept with his brother on the bench at the final whistle back in San Marino, who else could make sure of the result.

Roberto Cevoli’s side earned themselves a second win in six games to seal promotion 

Alessandro Tosi broke into the penalty area as San Marino looked to press the boot down further, and cut the ball back to the edge of the six-yard box, and the defensive midfielder raced onto it, finishing cutely into the bottom corner for San Marino’s record-breaking third. 

You can imagine the scenes. On rushed the substitutes to join Golinucci and let out all those years of pain and frustration, while Cevoli and his staff embraced on the touchline. It was a night of high emotion. 

This, of course, was no stroke of luck, but the culmination of planning and squad building, Cevoli’s side placing a heavy emphasis on developing the next generation of Sammarinese starts to be able to compete on the European stage. 

It has paid dividends, too. This was a second win in six, with only three losses in that spell in a previously unmatched run of form for FIFA’s lowest-ranked nation. 

San Marino deserved their victory on the night, in what was a truly entertaining clash. Five shots on target for the visitors to the hosts’ three, plus another 15 off target between the two sides makes for much more than the stagnant, skill-bereft encounter many might have erroneously expected.

The Nations League is often the much-maligned third competition in Europe, without the glitz or glamour of the European Championship and global attention of the World Cup. 

But on a cold night in Liechtenstein, of all places, we saw just how important it truly is, allowing even the must spotlight-deprived nations their time in the sun.