Match Report : San Marino 0-2 Andorra
Andorra have claimed their first victory since 2004, winning out away to San Marino in a friendly played in tricky weather conditions under poor visibility at what became a very foggy Stadio Olimpico in Serravalle.
Goals from an Ildefons Lima first half penalty and Cristian Martinez after the break helped Andorra win against San Marino in a very accomplished 2-0 victory, ending a streak of 86 win-less games. This dates back to a world cup qualifier in October 2004, at home to Macedonia, with Marc Pujol and current coach Koldo surviving from that lineup to celebrate this latest victory in San Marino. Lima had added cause for celebration, with his goal extending his own record as Andorra’s record goal scorer to 11 on the occasion of his 104th international cap.
Andorra Clinical in Front of Goal
There could have been potential for more than the two goals from this game, though an extremely thick fog descended down over the stadium as the match progressed making visibility conditions difficult for players and spectators alike. The clinching second goal stemmed from San Marino struggling to play out from the back in this poor visibility, with Martinez taking advantage of a moments hesitation from the centre back on the ball to steal possession before lifting the ball past Simoncini in the San Marino goal.
Chances were few and far between, mostly consisting of lofted crosses and hopeful balls from set pieces though San Marino did perhaps have, though rare, the better of the opportunities carving out a couple of long range efforts in the second half, though none to trouble the Andorran goal. Though let that not distract from the Andorran performance, who dominated possession throughout, and perhaps under better conditions may have been better able to extend their lead further.
Manzaroli : San Marino Look to the Future
Though San Marino coach Manzaroli was disappointed after the game, he spoke of using this result as a learning experience for his players, in a game where both teams used their full allotted six substitutions, going on to say of his team…
“betrayed by the level of desire to get a result..We have to grow a lot”
Thus San Marino continue to seek their first win since a 1-0 friendly victory over Liechtenstein in 2004. However for Andorra football, the future holds promise as they now move ahead of San Marino in the world rankings, and can now look to their next competitive fixture, a world cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands, with a degree of confidence. This follows on from a friendly draw away to Azerbaijan last summer, so this latest Andorran win can only boost their hopes of picking up a first competitive point of this campaign.
Andorra are next in action on March 25th at home to the Faroe Islands in a World Cup qualifying fixture, while San Marino host the Czech Republic, also in a qualifier on the following day, March 26th in Serravalle.
San Marino – Andorra : Match Stats
Result – 🇸🇲 San Marino 0-2 Andorra 🇦🇩 (Lima ’27, Martinez ’65)
Cards – ♦ —- ♦ 🇦🇩 – Vieira ’39
Referee:🇮🇹 Irrati
🇸🇲 San Marino (4-4-2) Benedettini (Simoncini ’45), D’Addario (72 Rinaldi), Della Valle, Simoncini (Hirsch ’85), Palazzi, Lunadei (Tosi ’45), Golinucci (Golinucci A. ’45), Domeniconi, Zafferani (Tomassini ’63), Vitaioli, Stefanelli.
Subs not used: Muraccini, Cesarini, Brolli, Bonini, Selva, Battistini.
Coach – Pier Angelo Manzaroli.
🇦🇩 Andorra (4-4-2) Pol, Martinez (Clemente ’78), Vales, Lima, Pujol (Josep Garcia ’82), Viera, Martinez (Alaez ’57), Llovera (Rodriguez ’89), Renom (San Nicolas ’67), Rodriguez (Moreno ’75), Rubio.
Sub not used: Gomez
Coach – De Eulate
