San Marino end 20-year wait by beating Liechtenstein for first ever competitive victory | OneFootball

Both of San Marino’s wins have now come against Liechtenstein

At the 177th time of asking, San Marino made history as they secured their first ever victory in a competitive match.

The minnows had, until Thursday night, five draws and 171 defeats to show for their decades of competing in UEFA and FIFA tournaments, but the long, long wait has come to an end.

Nicko Sensoli, a 19-year-old who spent last season on loan in Serie D in Italy, scored early in the second-half as San Marino held on for a famous 1-0 win over Liechtenstein in the Nations League.

There have been signs of San Marino, the world’s fifth-smallest country with a population of around 33,000, becoming more competitive, with Denmark only beating them 2-1 in a Euro 2024 qualifier last year.

That formed part of a record-breaking run, as goals in defeats to Kazakhstan and Finland meant San Marino scored in three consecutive games for the first time.

Victory over Liechtenstein raises the prospect of San Marino at least qualifying for promotion play-offs in the Nations League.

They now sit top of Group D1, with back-to-back fixtures against Gibraltar to come before a trip to Liechtenstein in their final match.

The country finishing top of the three-team group will be promoted to League C, with second enough for a play-off spot.