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San Marino end 20-year winless run against Liechtenstein

Two decades and 141 matches since their last win, San Marino finally broke their streak to record their first-ever competitive victory when beating Liechtenstein in the Nations League.

The lowest-ranked football nation in the world, San Marino's previous victory came in a friendly against Liechtenstein way back in April 2004, with a free-kick from defender Roberto Selva enough to seal a famous 1-0 triumph.

One of the world's smallest countries with a reported population of just over 30,000, San Marino's first competitive victory came against a Liechtenstein team who are currently ranked 199th in the world.

Regularly handed out heavy beatings by European opposition, San Marino have maintained a level of respectability in their recent outings - losing 2-1, 3-1 and 2-1 against Denmark, Kazakhstan and Finland respectively to close out their Euro 2024 Qualifying campaign.

Have San Marino ever won a game?

In 210 international matches played since 1986, San Marino have now won two matches - a 1-0 victory in a friendly at home to Liechtenstein in April 2004 and another 1-0 win at home to Liechtenstein in 2024.

The lowest-ranked FIFA nation in the world have drawn on nine occasions - against Lebanon, Turkey, Latvia, Liechtenstein (twice), Estonia, Gibraltar, Seychelles and St Lucia.

Have San Marino ever scored a goal?

In their 211 internationals played, San Marino have scored 34 goals and conceded a whopping 845.

The most famous goal in the history of the San Marino national team arrived back in December 1994, when Davide Gualtieri opened the scoring against England after just 8.33 seconds in a World Cup Qualifier, before the Three Lions eventually prevailed 7-1.

This early opener, which saw Gualtieri take advantage of a poor pass-back from Stuart Pearce, held the record as the fastest World Cup Qualifying goal ever for 15 years before Christian Benteke struck after 8.1 seconds against Gibraltar in March 2017.

Are San Marino professional?

The San Marino men's national team is typically predominantly made up of amateur players, although there have been Sammarinese internationalists over the years who have played professionally.

Some professional footballers to have represented San Marino include Massimo Bonini, who turned out for Juventus and Bologna, and Andy Selva, who plied his trade at Italian sides including Sassuolo and Verona.

San Marino overall international record:

Total Matches

211

Wins

2

Draws

10

Losses

199

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