San Marino's first goal in nearly a year costs punter 14-fold accumulator | OneFootball

Highlights

Losing a 14-fold accumulator by one goal is every bettor’s worst nightmare. But in the case of Twitter user @lucajoe0, that quickly became a reality on Tuesday night as his hopes of winning bid came crashing down right at the final hurdle.

The international break is an absolute minefield when it comes to betting, with unexpected results flying here, there and everywhere. And this one punter found that out himself all because of one unlikely event that happened between San Marino and Denmark in Serravelle.

The keen bettor lost out on his 14-fold all because San Marino – who hadn’t scored in almost a year – managed to secure a goal, albeit a consolation, against Kasper Hjulmand's side. Ouch. One would assume that betting against FIFA’s lowest-ranked team, who are 207th, would be a sure thing in your extensive 14-game list. But not for this unlucky punter.

Unlikely San Marino goal haunts hopeful punter

The man in question placed £20 on 14 games over the international break with some selections being outright wins, while some included the losing team not even scoring a goal – and it was going all so well. 13 of those 14 results managed to come in, which included wins for Greece, Italy, Portugal, Norway and Spain last week.

Things were starting to look bright, especially considering Portugal and the Republic of Ireland both scooped up wins on Monday. Just San Marino vs Denmark was left on his bet, with his selection being a win for the latter with the former not scoring. Given San Marino's record in front of goal, the keen bettor must have been thinking that he was going to be walking away a much richer man.

Goal for San Marino send players into ecstacy

But not on Alessandro Golinucci’s watch. The San Marino midfielder was left unmarked at a failed-to-be-cleared corner, and he thumped the ball past Kasper Schmeichel, who has left hapless. Players and fans alike were sent into raptures given it was their first strike to hit the back of the net since a 1-1 draw with Saint Lucia back in November 2022.

And while the players were wheeling off in jubilation as they achieved what – in their eyes, at least - was unthinkable, the bettor would have been left staring at his TV in disarray that he could be so unfortunate. Danish duo Rasmus Hojlund and Yussuf Poulsen both struck home either side of the unforeseen goal from La Serenissima; which, in turn, means that it was solely Golicunni's goal that prevented the bettor from winning big.

Punter misses out on thousands of pounds

So, San Marino scored. The punter’s bet fell through. The big question: how much did he lose? Just the mere £3,056.28.

His £20 stake would’ve won him just north of £3000 if San Marino’s near year-long goal drought could’ve continued. A video of the man’s bet slip has been posted by himself on social media with the caption ‘I’m cursed’ and, well, it’s hard to disagree

The minnows of international football had failed to score in eight consecutive outings leading up to their clash with Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark. In that sequence, they had conceded 25 goals; but remember, all it takes is one stroke of luck – or lack thereof – for thousands of pounds to be taken before your eyes.