In the ever-changing world of soccer, the world's attention is often focused on the strongest teams with long histories, whose matches are like feasts, attracting countless eyeballs and becoming regulars in the trophies of major tournaments. However, on the other side of the arena, some seemingly insignificant underdogs are struggling to score goals and win matches. Despite the disparity in strength, victory seems to be out of reach for them, just like the brightest star in the night sky, which can only be looked up from afar.
On this national competitive stage, the San Marino national team, which is ranked at the bottom of the FIFA ranking, is on the road again. Although they know that there is no hope for the Euro ticket, they still fight for their dream. The first round of home games against Northern Ireland, the face of powerful opponents, San Marino did not show any advantage. Northern Ireland in the first and second half each scored a goal, with a score of 2-0 to win the opponent, for the qualifiers opened a bad innings, but also to San Marino brought the first loss.
In the second round, San Marino was in a more difficult situation when they challenged Slovenia on the road. In the whole match, Slovenia had 25 shots on goal, while San Marino only had one shot on goal. Nevertheless, with the tenacious defense, San Marino only let the opponent score two goals. In the end, they lost with a score of 0-2, but it was considered a proud moment for their defeat.
Going back to San Marino's last win, it was nine years ago. It was a long overdue taste of victory in a warm-up match where they beat Italian fourth-tier side Bellaria Igamarina 2-0. The main reason for the weakness of San Marino soccer is the sparse population. According to the latest figures, the total population of San Marino is around 34,000. This number may be a vague concept for many soccer fans. For example, in the recent Spanish national derby, the Camp Nou was flooded with 95,745 fans, a number that is several times larger than San Marino's population.
However, some fans think that San Marino has not won for many years, perhaps because they have not yet played against China. If they meet one day, perhaps San Marino's "undefeated myth" will come to an end! Looking back at the history of Chinese soccer, we really don't have the record of meeting with San Marino. This may be due to the limited strength of the San Marino team, difficult to become a warm-up match opponent. As for some fans who think that the national soccer team may lose to San Marino team, this is nothing but a fantasy. In the 2021 World Qualifying Tournament, China beat 205th-ranked Guam 7-0. Why not take Italy's experience as a lesson?
Of course, if the Chinese men's soccer team wants to return to the stage of the World Cup, it cannot only seek solace in these weak teams. Chinese soccer has many problems that need to be solved!
