What have we just seen? San Marino has won a football game?! I swear you’ll never see anything like this ever again! So watch it, drink it in!
San Marino just edged past Liechtenstein in Matchday 1 of Group M in the UEFA Nations League, winning by a single goal scored by 19-year-old Nicko Sensoli. This sent the team’s (un)official Twitter account and popular fan account into hysterics:
FINAL DEL PARTIDO.
SAN MARINO 1-0 LIECHTENSTEIN
FINALMENTE LLEGÓ ESE DÍA QUE TODO EL PLANETA LO PUEDE DECIR:
¡GANÓ SAN MARINO!
DESPUÉS 20 AÑOS, 4 MESES Y 8 DÍAS, HEMOS VUELVO AL TRIUNFO.
TE AMO SAN MARINO DE MI VIDA, YO VI GANAR UN PARTIDO. GRACIAS MUCHACHOS. pic.twitter.com/yzTxIY0D0F
— San Marino Fútbol (@SanMarinoTeam) September 5, 2024
For the longest time, San Marino have been the quintessential whipping boys of the international football scene. They have played 210 games since 28 March 1986 (one day after Manuel Neuer’s birth). Their first five games were unofficial matches, with the November 1990 match against Switzerland in the qualifying phase of EURO 1992 being the first official match. Since then, they have lost 193 and drew 12, their last win being against fellow minnow Liechtenstein in a friendly match on 28 April 2004. For context, that occurred a full year-and-a-half before Sensoli was born.
To quote Jose Mourinho: This is football heritage.
Looking for more thoughts and analysis on the current state of Bayern Munich under Vincent Kompany? What about four key storylines to follow after international break? Or…what about why Jamal Musiala snubbing by the Ballon d’Or committee might create some longer-term issues for the Bavarians? Great, then we have you covered with this latest edition of the Bavarian Podcast Works — Weekend Warm-up Show! You can get the podcast on Patreon, Spotify, or below:
