Nicko Sensoli has become a national hero by firing San Marino to their first international victory in 20 years. FIFA’s bottom-ranked side edged out Liechtenstein 1-0 in the Nations League on Thursday evening thanks to Sensoli’s 53rd-minute strike, with jubilant scenes erupting at full-time.
Prior to Thursday’s showdown at the 6,600-capacity San Marino Stadium, the Titani had only ever won a single match on the international stage – a friendly against Liechtenstein back in 2004.
Coming up against the only opponents they had ever beaten, San Marino spied an opportunity to end their miserable 140-match winless streak stretching back two decades, and they grasped it with both hands.
The game’s deciding moment came eight minutes into the second half, when Liechtenstein centre-back Sandro Wieser failed to clear the danger and Sensoli ghosted in behind the defence to poke in a clumsy finish.
It certainly wasn’t easy on the eye from the 19-year-old, but neither he nor his team-mates cared as they wheeled away in jubilant celebration and piled on top of one another.
San Marino – the fifth-smallest nation on earth with a population of just 33,000 – grafted through a painful final 40 minutes to see the game out. Liechtenstein had more of the ball and registered eight shots, but none of them found the target and the side ranked 210th out of 210 nations by FIFA sealed their first ever competitive win.
The result means San Marino start their Nations League campaign with maximum spoils, leaving them top of League D Group 1 with three points from a possible three. They finished their last Nations League bid rock bottom with no points and no goals scored.
Ecstacy for San Marino also spells despair for Liechtenstein, who themselves have not won a game since edging out Luxembourg in 2020. Speaking ahead of this week’s contest, San Marino star Matteo Vitaioli shed light on life playing for a team which, so often, is on the wrong end of heavy defeats.
“I have been part of the national team for almost 20 years,” he told BBC Sport. “Fundamental in every group was the team spirit, the capacity of the players to make a team.
“When you are playing tough matches, they can become complicated, and if you cannot rely on a solid group those games can hurt badly. We are friends sharing the same honour – but also the same burden.”
