San Marino's soccer team have finally tasted success after 20 long years without one! I visited them to witness this first win since 1988!

Michael Battistini plays on the San Marino national team by day while working as a metal mechanic, dreaming of winning with San Marino one day. Clara Vannucci for ESPN This piece originally published Oct 11, 2023 after reporting extensively on their attempt at breaking their all-time winless streak. Republishing this on Thursday night as they finally managed a win, with Thursday night’s 1-0 triumph against Liechtenstein in UEFA Nations League Group D play. Serravalle, San Marino — As “Highway to Hell” plays at San Marino Stadium for San Marino Football Club as they prepare to meet Slovenia in an Euro 2024 qualifying matchup on Friday afternoon, “Highway to Hell” rings around San Marino stadium with anticipation. The stadium DJ shows his sense of humor through their selection of music at San Marino Stadium – or perhaps they had other plans in mind? San Marino currently sits 207th out of 207 in FIFA men’s rankings after rising up one spot due to Eritrea being removed due to four years without playing and have since then seen their fortunes plummet dramatically since November 2018. Slovenia fears being one of only a few teams which have yet to beat San Marino since Andy Selva scored the only ever victory 20 years earlier during a friendly against Liechtenstein with just 200 supporters present at home stadium, on April 20,24. San Marino may seem an unfair critic to make of themselves but, let us face facts: their football team are indeed amongst the worst worldwide. With 11 minutes and 48 seconds free on your schedule, watch every goal San Marino have scored since 1990 on YouTube in one convenient package! At present, this city lacks both an airport and train station, and has no professional football team of its own – consisting of part-timers with day jobs such as mechanic, delivery driver or even working for a jewellery factory! However, its football club remains strong. It regularly draws talent such as Lionel Messi. Fabrizio Costantini of San Marino works in a furniture warehouse. When flying to Belfast for another qualifier on Saturday against Northern Ireland, Costantini will have to take Friday off work in order to travel there and back safely. Losses hurt, yet this squad takes great pride in representing their nation despite not being professionals; “it doesn’t feel the same for us since we aren’t professionals”, according to San Marino captain Matteo Vitaioli who works in graphic design. “Work is something my teammates and I do each day; that is normal for us. What matters most to us is having the heart and passion necessary to meet any challenges along our path to victory and closing any gaps we discover along our journey.” It may be challenging, yet we remain proud despite being at the bottom of FIFA ranking list. San Marino stands proudly: we may be one of the smallest countries on Earth, yet we play 100% with no players from outside countries playing for us – something even Italy relies upon other nationalities for. That makes us very proud indeed! “San Marino players and coach, photographed after their match against Slovenia. From left: Matteo Vitaioli (centre), Coach Fabrizio Costantini and Battistini; Second row from left – Lorenzo Lazzari, Luca Ceccaroli and Roberto Di Maio.” Clara Vannucci for ESPNAs the Slovenia team bus departed San Marino, it rolled through Italy before stopping near Rimini where players will fly back home via Rimini International Airport to Ljubljana via flight. San Marino players headed directly for their cars. On a late Sunday evening, many workers are due to begin work the next morning. 16 year-old Tristan Ceselfowskiski sits with his father Boris on Via della Fratta wearing full San Marino kit on a bench nearby. On a matchday in San Marino, Tristan stands out as being the sole supporter wearing his team’s colors – making him instantly noticeable among tourists come for amazing views from Monte Titano or visits to 14th century Church of San Francesco. But Tristan is no ordinary fan – his supporter status goes deeper. Boris and his father have just arrived in San Marino after driving the 8 1/2-hour trip from Vienna. “My son loves San Marino so it is what it must be done!” Boris tells ESPN with a smile and shrug of his shoulders. Tristan has always found San Marino to be his team of choice; even when they lose, Tristan finds inspiration in watching how passionate their players remain as players never give up, playing each game with great spirit and passion – something Tristan always wanted to witness first-hand. “San Marino team members are an oddity.” Finding supporters in San Marino can be difficult due to a general disassociation from local residents with those representing their small nation on the field of play. Birrificio Abusivo bar serves the only beer produced within San Marino micronation and Matteo is told that no San Marino fans exist there – you only know they’re playing when fans of opposing teams come into town to drink! ” “San Marino had an intense fight on their hands against Slovenia in their latest visitors’ matchup but ultimately fell 4-2. Clara Vannucci for ESPNSan Marino — or, officially known as, the Most Serene Republic of San Marino — stands out among similar city-states on Italy’s peninsula for being distinct and serene rather than calm and stable, although both characteristics exist here too. Since it first emerged back in 301 A.D. But while larger city-states, including Venice and Genoa, were all involved in Italy’s unification in 1861, San Marino managed to remain independent due to legend. According to this belief, San Marino provided refuge to Giuseppe Garibaldi during their battles against Austria and Papal States. Garibaldi’s unification of Italy resulted in San Marino receiving independence through an 1862 treaty; they have maintained it ever since despite remaining neutral during World War II. San Marino retained its own currency until 2002 when the euro replaced it; Italian is its sole language spoken due to being completely surrounded by Italy on all sides; for this reason alone San Marino boasts Rimini as an idyllic five-star resort on Adriatic Coast as its nearest neighbor. Imagine Helena having its own team playing games against America or Mexico… You get the picture. STREAM ESPN FC DAILY ON ESPN+Dan Thomas joins Craig Burley and Shaka Hislop to provide daily coverage and discuss key storylines – streaming only within U.S. markets).
Finding a San Marino shirt among all of the shops selling clothing, fragrances and weapons (there are multiple places selling firearms in San Marino) can be challenging; only two shops stock this pale blue home shirt – Roberto tells ESPN “we don’t sell many”. “Usually it is visiting fans that request one; however this morning it was the Ukrainian match officials that specifically came looking for it at another sportswear shop.” At another sportswear shop they even sell San Marino’s dark blue away kit! Michele says she sees business pick up when big teams visit San Marino; during MotoGP weekends in particular. Michele sold many Ducati and Yamaha merchandise to bikers visiting for San Marino MotoGP this past weekend; selling lots of merchandise to English, Spanish and German fans was particularly busy for her! ESPN quotes Michele: San Marino shirts are quite an oddity: no local residents buy them; instead they seem popular among foreign visitors since San Marino doesn’t field such an impressive team.” “Martina and Francesco from the San Marino Football Federation operate a souvenir stand at the stadium but with some comedy as they attempt to sell T-shirts, scarves and pendants to supporters.” At first sight, their wooden cabin appears isolated from both stadium and coach park used by Slovenia fans, due to no electricity; everything remains dark until Francesco uses his phone flashlight to illuminate merchandise on sale in front of him. Martina says she normally serves as team liaison officer but assists at games with running the store – something which was necessary after England played here last month due to long lines. Linea Sport San Marino is one of only two stores providing official national team gear. Store owner Clara Vannucci for ESPN reported: ‘Nobody from San Marino buys these shirts; however, foreign visitors seem interested due to San Marino being such an unsuccessful team’ Inside the stadium, Tristan and Boris have met some of San Marino’s staunchest supporters: Josef Junker, Nicolo Vallone and Daniele Dei from Modena 150 miles away – especially Daniele who knows about them from being their longtime customer. Josef travels from Bavaria every home game since 1994 – both as spectators and as avid supporters – as his first match was 20 years prior; “my first game was 20 years ago; however I am no fan of Germany as they are too arrogant for my taste,” Josef tells ESPN. “Why I watch San Marino: the honesty and amateurism. Real football. My main reason for coming is so I can witness San Marino draw and score; those moments of celebration make coming here worth my while – hopefully some day soon they may achieve victory!” Josef, one of San Marino’s greatest fans, wasn’t among the 200 who saw them defeat Liechtenstein in 2004. San Marino hosted their last home match – against Kazakhstan – 200 miles away in Parma to improve the playing surface to meet UEFA standards at San Marino Stadium. “It’s too good now,” an official from San Marino tells ESPN, adding it makes it even harder for its players to compete against top teams. To illustrate his point he points to an overgrown field near the stadium car park before telling ESPN “we prefer it this way. ” San Marino is an idyllic micronation within Italy’s borders with stunning hillsides. Clara Vannucci for ESPNThe main issue for San Marino has been their struggle against lower tier teams such as Cape Verde, Malta twice and St Lucia over the course of last year – not necessarily those considered top teams.” Asked whether they grew tired of experiencing defeat in virtually every game, players responded without signs of fatigue. Perhaps this can be explained by how these men live their daily lives: working men living out a fantasy by competing alongside some of the world’s best players before returning back into reality the following day. There were no hardened professional egos among them. No matter their opponents, these enthusiasts simply wish to do their best in every match they play. Roberto di Maio became Europe’s oldest footballer at 40 in March when making his international debut and acknowledges every game is an opportunity for physical and mental testing. “Obviously it can be complicated when faced with such skilled nations,” Di Maio tells ESPN. “Every match lasts 90 minutes-plus under pressure so staying focused all of the time requires great concentration. Sometimes when playing lesser opponents is can help.” Other teams like Denmark were equally challenging: you need to stay focused all of the time without making mistakes.” San Marino goalkeeper Elia Benedettini works at his family-owned transport company while simultaneously protecting San Marino on international competitions, making his role one of the toughest jobs in sport. He usually allows goals in his games — only managing two shutouts against Seychelles and Gibraltar out of 45 matches played — yet Slovenia scored within four minutes to open scoring here. But 28-year-old Michael, who has reached as high as Serie B in Italy, does not regard his role as thankless: “I know it can be challenging; however it always gives me pleasure when playing for San Marino no matter the results; playing these matches truly fulfills a dream for me even though sometimes they may prove trying. “Playing for San Marino has been an absolutely wonderful experience and all our opponents, even big names such as Christian Eriksson or Ronaldinho, treat us with dignity,” stated San Marino midfielder Alessandro Golinucci who works daily at a toy company’s distribution factory during his day job. Clara Vannucci for ESPNGoing up against San Marino can be challenging, even though most matches end up resulting in three points being awarded to your opponents. Germany held San Marino to their largest loss ever with an 13-0 triumph against them back in September 2006 while England claimed one-hundred-and-ten in November 2021. Yet San Marino achieved international goal history when Davide Gualtieri put them ahead after just seven seconds against England in November 1993. That game still ended 7-1 against them; former Manchester City and England defender Joleon Lescott played in an 8-0 win in San Marino back in March 2013 for Manchester City; Lescott told ESPN that facing them presents its own special set of challenges. “To beat San Marino effectively and swiftly, all it is necessary is for teams to quickly advance past two goals,” according to him. “Nothing worse would occur than for them scoring and making things difficult for you. If you give away points against them or lose, or fail to win, it will forever remain part of history and the lessons will never leave their memory. When approaching every game with full concentration and the intention of scoring as quickly as possible. “Upon hearing of Lescott’s admission that England players feel anxious when facing San Marino, Simone Franciosi-a student at night-reacted enthusiastically. If great English players like Lescott are worried about facing San Marino it must be good news! Thank you very much!” ” “Our objective remains the same – keeping the score even for as long as possible to increase pressure. However, this goal may prove challenging; after all we don’t play to lose; instead we always want victory!” “Since just beginning my international career it has proven challenging, however. “Despite what might appear as futility for San Marino matches, both fans and team still exude passion and pride. Many at the San Marino Stadium attempted to secure mementoes from goalkeeper Elia Benedettini following Slovenia game.” Clara Vannucci for ESPNRegardless of their results in each match they play, none of San Marino’s players has suggested that representing their nation is anything other than fulfilling. Di Maio serves as an excellent illustration of this joy. Born in Naples, Costantini’s squad only contains non-Sammarinese. He patiently waited 13 years until becoming one. Now making amends for lost time he says there are unique laws in San Marino so he married into their nation to receive nationality: “After what feels like forever, I finally managed to accomplish my goal of playing again and again for fun. If my mind is good and body follows suit, of course I can continue. Even having four goals to zero goals scored against me makes playing enjoyable; competition between us all remains key.” “So many players here will return to work tomorrow; but their jobs must not go undone; therefore we must recognize these guys because they do what is expected. Battistini’s colleagues — including mechanics like him who could keep up” – all acknowledged Battistini’s incredible achievement as they watched him keep pace. Vitaioli wears the captain’s armband against Slovenia and returns to his studio as a designer by 9 am the following morning, which is what this group of players has become used to: it is considered normal by them all. “He never stays at work; always out playing! However, we need him here too because of how good he is!” “Vitaioli often plays while being absent at work – yet they still depend on him!” “This group accepts Vitaioli as their leader because his performances speak volumes!” Vitaioli then notes: “This group accepts this arrangement as normal! ” “All of us play semi-professional clubs in San Marino or Italy; when at work though we’re just ordinary guys working an office or factory. His workmates remain impressed with him — “he can do everything from soccer to being an incredible designer” — but Vitaioli remains grounded, insisting no one sees them as stars. In turn, 20-year-old Lorenzo Lazzari recently entered university. Clara Vannucci of ESPNSAN MARINO IS PREPARED TO WIN! Twenty years without victory is an unfortunate milestone that’s fast approaching, yet Costantini’s side have shown promise as they conceded only 21 goals across six Euro 2024 qualifiers and can see light at the end of a long and dark tunnel. As soon as the 2024-2025 UEFA Nations League resumes, San Marino will join other minnow nations Andorra, Gibraltar and Liechtenstein (which they once defeated), all within League D. Losses were expected in their Euro 2024 group but by becoming better organised defensively there’s hope their tactics might pay dividends when playing against teams of similar quality. “The Nations League offers San Marino Football Federation president Marco Tura an invaluable chance,” according to ESPN. “It gives us an opportunity to challenge for victory or even draw level – it feels as if this competition has been tailored specifically for us!” At practice and performance level, our aim is for every player on the pitch to feel relaxed and engaged; then perhaps that would help lead us closer to reaching our ultimate goal of drawing or winning games on our first attempt! “Costantini, who took control in November 2021, believes the Nations League offers San Marino their greatest chance for success over two decades. According to him, preparation should focus on maximising any opportunities presented by this year’s competitions.” “That tournament gives us an opportunity to meet teams which don’t surpass us physically or technically; those teams closer to our level give us more chance at getting results. Matteo Vitaioli works as a part-time graphic designer but doesn’t mind being seen as part of an underclass compared with full-timers; when at work they just seem like normal guys in an office or factory. Nobody sees us as stars!” he noted with a smile. Clara Vannucci of ESPNSelva stands alone as the only player ever to score a winning goal for San Marino and remains its all-time leading goal scorer with eight international goals scored across 18 years he was professional football player, according to The Times (UK) 2021 interview, recalling beating Liechtenstein 3-1 during 2004 matchup as being memorable experience. Selva recalls, “the emotions were truly indescribable”. We felt something different on the pitch during that game; everyone was highly focused and there was an electric feel throughout; we thought sooner or later the result would come, maybe now was just the right moment! Experienced teams know the joy and exultation that come from winning; even in a friendly match it will remain unforgettable memories for every member of their squad. “Lorenzo Lazzari, San Marino’s centre forward and full-time student, dreams of following in Selva’s footsteps by scoring his country’s first winning goal since 20 years. Lazzari made his San Marino debut two months after that sole victory and immediately established himself as one of its finest scorers, scoring in their 1-1 draw against St Lucia seven games ago – as an instant hero by scoring equalising goal in fourth minute stoppage time! Lazzari started out life at San Marino before moving onto St. Lucia where he made another unforgettable mark by scoring seven consecutive goals against them both as second half substitute in 2022 game against them where Lazzari scored and made history by being last player to score on their side; seven consecutive scorer. Lazzari told ESPN it was “an unforgettable feeling”, unsurpassable despite not expecting it and truly unique for him. Playing as a striker for San Marino can be tough at times but scoring goals remains my ultimate dream; one day my dream may even surpass St Lucia if I can score one more winning goal here than on St. Lucia! Midfielder Luca Ceccaroli works at a jewelry factory when not representing San Marino on the pitch, according to Clara Vannucci of ESPN. When leaving their last match against Slovenia and walking off their new stadium after defeat, however, San Marino players and supporters formed an instantaneous bond which showed itself on both sides. Members of the team look out for young fans in the crowd who might need their kit, including shorts and socks, which is handed out free to young supporters by players like Benedettini who is determined to win; fans equally as eager to witness it all unfolding as Benedettini says, adding: “It is incredible having supporters from everywhere around the globe who share in our success!” “Social media gives us messages from Argentina and Brazil which is amazing; but the fans who support the team are also here.” “Even though they may be few in number, San Marino residents know we appreciate and value all their support; perhaps next year we can dedicate something special and personal for each one. Sooner or later, San Marino residents are sure to celebrate. Why not invite some locals as well?”