'Dream with no limits' - world's worst team bid to make history

It is 17 years since San Marino skipper Matteo Vitaioli, nan subordinate pinch nan astir appearances successful nan country's history, first represented his nationalist team. He is yet to observe a victory.

Two decades and 140 games interspersed pinch crushing defeats and nan overseas near-miss person passed since San Marino, nan world's fifth-smallest country, recorded nan only triumph successful nan team's history - a 1-0 friends triumph against Liechtenstein.

But Vitaioli and his team-mates person nan chance to constitute a caller section for their state connected Thursday erstwhile they look to declare their first ever competitory triumph against nan only force they person ever beaten - pinch Liechtenstein visiting successful their Nations League opener.

Only 11 spots presently abstracted nan 2 teams successful nan Fifa world rankings, pinch Liechtenstein 199th connected that database and presently connected a 40-match winless streak.

Surrounded by Italy and overlooked by nan spectacular Mount Titano, San Marino has a organization of conscionable 33,000 and covers a specified 61 quadrate kilometres - astir half nan size of Manchester.

According to Fifa's calculations, it is location to nan world's worst nationalist shot squad - a broadside classed 210th who person mislaid 196 of nan 205 fixtures they person contested.

"The worst representation was nan lucifer distant to nan Netherlands successful 2011, which ended 11-0," Vitaioli tells BBC Sport. "It was already 8 aliases 9 pinch a batch of clip near and I retrieve nan supporters cheering connected nan Netherlands to spot much goals."

San Marino's sole triumph remains that 1-0 friends triumph complete Liechtenstein successful April 2004, erstwhile an early extremity from Andy Selva, nan nation's all-time starring scorer pinch 8 goals, sealed a infinitesimal that would spell down successful folklore.

The hold since has not been for a want of trying by San Marino's predominantly amateur group of players who, sloppy of nan scoreline, return immense pridefulness successful wearing nan nation's entity bluish kit.

Vitaioli, a schematic designer by day, precocious celebrated nan commencement of his girl and is good rehearsed successful balancing world shot pinch nan demands of mundane life, fitting successful training successful nan evenings aft work.

"It is complicated," Vitaioli says. "But nan emotion for nan nationalist squad of your location state and nan opportunity that playing world shot represents - location are galore professionals who ne'er get nan opportunity and honour to play nan games we do - that makes nan sacrifices worthwhile."

Amid winless decades, achy double-figure defeats - nan biggest a 13-0 thrashing by Germany successful 2006 - and pinch nary dream of qualifying for a awesome tourney immoderate clip soon, nan humble backgrounds of nan San Marino players has helped them instrumentality together.

It besides intends those seemingly mini moments - scoring an inconsequential extremity successful a dense conclusion aliases moreover securing a goalless tie - are made each nan sweeter.

"I person been portion of nan nationalist squad for almost 20 years. Fundamental successful each group was nan squad spirit, nan capacity of nan players to make a team," Vitaioli adds.

"When you are playing reliable matches, they tin go complicated, and if you cannot trust connected a coagulated group those games tin wounded badly.

"We are friends sharing nan aforesaid honour - but besides nan aforesaid burden."

There person been signs of progress. San Marino ended a two-year hold for a competitory extremity to equalise against Euro 2020 semi-finalists Denmark successful October, triggering scenes of jubilation connected nan pitch.

La Serenissima - 'the Most Serene' - fell to a 2-1 conclusion successful that Euro 2024 qualifying lucifer but nan scoreline appeared a specified footnote to those successful entity blue, who had taken nan first measurement of a grounds streak.

They past made it goals successful back-to-back games for nan first clip successful 18 years by besides netting successful a 3-1 nonaccomplishment to Kazakhstan and made history 4 days later, scoring successful a 3rd consecutive lucifer for nan first clip erstwhile Filippo Berardi converted a 97th-minute punishment successful a 2-1 conclusion by Finland.

"If personification had told maine years agone that I would people a mates of goals connected nan world shape successful a San Marino garment I would person taken them for a fool, I would not person believed them," says Berardi, now his nation's joint-second highest scorer pinch 2 goals.

"To people connected nan world shape pinch San Marino, pinch each nan issues nan squad must overcome, drives moreover much feelings than scoring pinch different squad would.

"You only person to look astatine nan very first extremity I scored, against Kazakhstan successful 2019. The crippled was adjacent to nan last whistle and we were losing 3-0 but nan players went crazy for a extremity that apparently was useless."

San Marino were yet incapable to amended their wide grounds of conscionable 1 constituent - a goalless tie pinch Estonia successful 2014 which remains Vitaioli's happiest representation pinch nan squad - from nan 86 European Championship qualifiers they person contested.

But, while it is surely not each astir results for San Marino's players, location is simply a consciousness a 2nd triumph whitethorn beryllium getting closer.

"I person felt thing alteration successful our minds," says Berardi. "Our self-esteem has improved and I consciousness we are truthful adjacent to getting a affirmative consequence again, whether that is simply a tie aliases yet a win.

"It would beryllium nan eventual dream to beryllium portion of nan adjacent San Marino squad to observe a victory. Probably it would correspond nan champion restitution that I person ever felt - and not only for maine but nan coach, my team-mates and nan group successful San Marino."

That consciousness of momentum is thing head Roberto Cevoli, appointed successful January, hopes to build connected arsenic San Marino purpose to alteration nan narrative.

Proud to lead his location country, Cevoli says he is driven to springiness thing backmost to shot successful San Marino aft opening his playing and managerial careers there.

There would beryllium nary amended measurement than to extremity that 20-year wait.

"I want to dream pinch nary limits," says Cevoli.

"I americium afloat alert of nan troubles nan nationalist squad has to flooded otherwise from different nationalist teams, but I dream to proceed nan advancement nan squad has shown."