Minnows have one victory in 206 internationals but Wednesday’s fixture, and recent goals, offer hope of a second
“I remember it so clearly. What made it really special was that we hadn’t expected it to happen. But there was no big celebration – the simple fact that we got to walk off the pitch after 90 minutes as winners, for the first time, that was the greatest celebration we could have had,” says Simone Bacchiocchi . “We didn’t need to have a party. That was more than a football team, not just a group of football players. It was a group of friends, a group of people who had made sacrifices, who had struggled, and had fought together to reach an objective. And that was to play one great game. To have one good result.”
Bacchiocchi was 27 when San Marino beat Liechtenstein 1-0 in April 2004, his nation’s first victory in a full international. One month shy of two decades later the Sammarinese are still waiting for their second win. Since the final whistle blew in Serravalle that night San Marino have played 137 games and been ahead for just six minutes, against Malta in August 2012.
