Euro 2016: San Marino Back In Action

European Championships Qualifiers

England v. San Marino
Thursday 9th October 2014
European Championships Qualifying Group E
Wembley Stadium, London, England

San Marino continue their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign with the latest edition of what is becoming something of a regular fixture in European qualifying.  Having met in the last round of qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup, the two sides had also previously met famously in 1994 World Cup qualifying.

On those occasions, England won by six goals in both matches but of course it was San Marino’s goal through David Gualtieri which has remained in everyone’s memories; the fastest ever goal in World Cup football.  Here it is again for your enjoyment/amusement/embarrassment:

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San Marino back into the firing line

This week sees San Marino’s hapless heroes entering the World Cup fray again with a double header of fixtures.  A trip to Lviv in Ukraine is first up on Friday night for the first of two meetings with Ukraine in the next few weeks.  Then on Tuesday it’s back home to entertain Poland.  Hopes are not high.

This will be the first ever meeting between Ukraine and San Marino, but the nation ranked 28^thin the world are unlikely to be worried about this one.

By contrast Tuesday sees the 8^th meeting between Poland and San Marino, with the Sammarinese yet to find the net in the previous 7 defeats, with 28 goals finding the San Marino net.

Things have actually got worse over the years, after the first meeting in 1993 in a World Cup qualifier saw a mere 1-0 win for Poland in Lodz.  But a 2010 World Cup qualifier in Kielce in 2009 saw a whopping 10-0 win for the Poles.

An interesting nugget of trivia?  Poland have never qualified for a tournament when San Marino have been in their qualifying group.  This is the fourth time they’ve been drawn together, and Poland’s qualification hopes are on a knife edge.  History to repeat itself?  You read it here first.

Most recently the teams meet back in march when Poland won 5-0 in Warsaw, but San Marino came damn close to scoring with a one-on-one breakaway sadly being saved.

Previous meetings:

28thApril 1993	World Cup Qualifier	Lodz	Poland 1-0 San Marino
19thMay 2003	World Cup Qualifier	Serravalle	San Marino 0-3 Poland
7thSept 2002	Euro Qualifier	Serravalle	San Marino 0-2 Poland
2ndApril 2003	Euro Qualifier	Ostrowiec	Poland 5-0 San Marino
10thSept 2008	World Cup Qualifier	Serravalle	San Marino 0-2 Poland
1stApril 2009	World Cup Qualifier	Kielce	Poland 10-0 San Marino
26thMarch 2013	World Cup Qualifier	Warsaw	Poland 5-0 San Marino	Report

Poland v. San Marino Preview

26th March 2013
Stadion Narodowy, Warsaw
World Cup Qualifier

Poland v. San Marino

Next in line to give San Marino a tonking is a Poland team reeling from a disappointing home defeat to Ukraine last Friday which saw them drop to fourth place in the table and leaves their hopes of reaching the World Cup teetering on the brink.

So no doubt they will be looking for a confidence booster against San Marino and three points to make their position in the table look slightly rosier.

A Good Old-Fashioned Thrashing – San Marino 0-8 England

22^nd March 2013
World Cup Qualifier
Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle

San Marino 0-8 England

Let’s just say that San Marino were lucky that England didn’t score more than eight.  To say that this could easily have been ten or more is quite an understatement.  Thankfully for San Marino, England had half an eye on the job they need to do in Montenegro on Tuesday; various changes through the second half to rest players for that game easing things off somewhat.

San Marino back in action against England

22nd March 2013
World Cup Qualifier
Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle

San Marino v. England

It’s time for more World Cup qualifiers in Europe and that means San Marino are back in action again, hosting England in Serravalle on Friday before a trip to Poland next week.  For England it’s a guaranteed three points ahead of their big match with Montenegro next Tuesday, but for San Marino it’s a chance to be noticed on the big stage, and to do all they can to avoid a huge score.

World Cup Qualifier: San Marino 0-2 Moldova

16th October 2012
World Cup Qualifier
Stadio Olimpico, Serravalle

San Marino 0-2 Moldova

Ah the agony!  With 20 minutes remaining, San Marino were well and truly in this one with the scores still at 0-0.  A famous draw was so close you could almost touch it.

But the final twenty minutes told a familiar tale.  As with the England match last week it took a penalty to break the deadlock, on this occasion substitute Serghei Dadu scored within a minute of coming on the pitch.

World Cup Qualifying: San Marino v. Moldova Preview

No rest for the wicked as San Marino are playing again on Tuesday in a home tie against Moldova.  On paper this represents San Marino’s best prospect of avoiding defeat in this campaign, Moldova being significantly weaker than any of the other countries in the group.

Weak they may be, but they are still vastly superior to San Marino sadly, so when I say “best prospect” it needs to be taken with a pinch of salt.  It’s all relative.  Moldova are currently 141^st in the world which makes them one of Europe’s weakest, but still quite a bit higher up than San Marino.