In the world of soccer, most eyes are drawn to the traditional powerhouses. Their games tend to garner a higher level of attention and they have been strong competitors for major trophies. However, there are also underdogs who are fighting for a goal and a match win. However, facing the absolute power gap, sometimes goals and victories are their unattainable dreams!
On this national team match day, San Marino, who are ranked at the bottom of the FIFA rankings, are once again on the road. Although they know they can't get a ticket to the Euro Cup at all, they are still fighting for it. In the first round, San Marino welcomed Northern Ireland at home. In the whole game, Northern Ireland didn't give San Marino any chance. This soccer powerhouse scored a goal in the first half and one in the second half, and easily beat their opponents with a score of 2-0, making a good start and giving San Marino their first defeat in this qualifying tournament.
In the second round, San Marino went to challenge Slovenia on the road, and San Marino was even more overwhelmed. In the whole match, Slovenia took 25 shots on goal, while San Marino only had one poor shot on goal. However, with the united defense, San Marino only let their goal be pierced twice. In the end, they lost the match with a score of 0-2, which was considered a defeat they were proud of.
Recall that San Marino last won nine years ago. They tasted victory after a long time when they beat Italian fourth division side Bellaria Igamarina 2-0 in a warm-up match. The main reason why San Marino soccer is so weak is because their population is so small. According to the latest statistics, the total population of San Marino is about 34,000. Maybe everyone doesn't know this number. For example, in the latest Spanish national derby, 95,745 fans came to Camp Nou to watch the game. That's several times as many fans as there were in the Norno for this match.
However, some fans believe that San Marino's failure to win in so many years is mainly due to the fact that they didn't meet the Chinese team. If they had played a game against the national soccer team, they might have ended their embarrassing record of being unbeatable! Looking back at the history of Chinese soccer, it is true that we have no record of playing against San Marino. The main reason may be that the San Marino team has limited strength and is difficult to warm up. As for many fans' belief that the national soccer team might not be able to beat San Marino, that's pure nonsense.In the 2021 World Qualifier, the Chinese team bloodied the 205th-ranked Guam team 7-0. Why not roll over like Italy?
Of course, if the Chinese men's soccer team wants to return to the World Cup, it must not just find a presence in these weak teams. Chinese soccer still has a lot of homework to do!
