San Marino Beats Liechtenstein for First Away Win

San Marino made history by securing their first-ever away win in the Nations League, defeating Liechtenstein 3-1 to achieve promotion to the third tier. This victory also marked several milestones for the world’s lowest-ranked team, who had never scored more than once in a competitive match and had never netted three goals in a single game before. Ranked 210th in the FIFA standings, San Marino had won only two games prior both 1-0 victories over Liechtenstein in 2004 and earlier this year.

Despite losing 199 of their 211 matches, the team managed to make a remarkable comeback. Liechtenstein ranked 200th took the lead with Aron Sele’s powerful shot from outside the box. However, San Marino quickly responded after the break with Lorenzo Lazzari scoring the equalizer. Nicola Nanni then calmly converted a penalty to put San Marino ahead before Alessandro Golinucci sealed the win with a first-time strike from 10 yards.

San Marino’s manager, Roberto Cevoli expressed his pride, praising the players for their resilience. This win was especially significant as it marked San Marino’s first-ever comeback victory. Nanni, who scored the penalty is now tied as the country’s second-highest scorer while Lazzari and Golinucci joined an exclusive group of players who have scored multiple goals for San Marino.

San Marino’s victory placed them one point ahead of Gibraltar in their group, securing promotion to the third tier of the Nations League. The win in Vaduz sparked jubilant celebrations on the pitch with the San Marino bench joining the small group of traveling supporters in a historic moment. Marco Tura, the president of San Marino’s Football Federation was emotional, saying the players had shown their true worth.