San Marino Ends 20-Year Losing Streak with Historic Win Over Liechtenstein

San Marino, FIFA's lowest-ranked men’s football team, achieved a historic victory on Thursday, breaking a 20-year losing streak by defeating Liechtenstein 1-0 in their UEFA Nations League opener. This win marks San Marino's first competitive triumph in two decades, and their first-ever victory in an official tournament.

Nicko Sensoli was the hero for San Marino, scoring the decisive goal in the 53rd minute. Despite Liechtenstein holding a slight advantage in possession, the match remained closely contested. Liechtenstein, ranked 11 spots above San Marino at 199th in the world, managed eight shots but failed to register any on target. In contrast, San Marino had two shots on goal and made one count to secure the long-awaited victory.

This win is particularly significant as it ended San Marino's 176-match winless streak in competitive fixtures. Prior to this, the team had managed just five draws, losing 171 of those matches. Their last taste of success came in 2004, also against Liechtenstein, when they won 1-0 in a friendly match.

The win lifts San Marino to the top of Group 1 in League D of the UEFA Nations League, a competition where lower-ranked European teams can fight for promotion to higher tiers. While Gibraltar, the other team in the group, is yet to play, San Marino now has a golden opportunity to build on their success and aim for promotion to League C.

For a small nation of just 33,000 people, this victory is monumental. San Marino has long been regarded as one of Europe's weakest teams, suffering numerous heavy defeats, including a 13-0 loss to Germany in 2006. Their highest-ever FIFA ranking was 118 in 1993, but they have since slid down to their current rank of 210.

Looking ahead, San Marino will aim to build a winning streak when they face Moldova, ranked 152nd, in a friendly match on Tuesday. They will then resume their UEFA Nations League campaign on October 10 against 198th-ranked Gibraltar.