“Thursday, September 5, 2024 will forever be etched in the history of football for a small country. We are talking about San Marino, which after twenty years of waiting and 139 matches without a win, could finally celebrate its triumph. In the Nations League Division D match, the San Marino team defeated Liechtenstein 1-0, winning for the second time in history and against the same opponent. There is a certain factor that makes this victory even more valuable” – this is what Sport.pl journalist Bartosz Królikowski wrote.
What a story. They waited nine years for this
It turns out that it's not just the San Marino people who have reason to celebrate during the September international break. American Samoa beat the Cook Islands 2-1 in a friendly match played on neutral ground.
The match in Apia, the capital and only city of Samoa, was exceptional. Goals from Ali'i Mitchel and Benjamin Stefanon secured a historic win. Siaosi Kaufononga scored the only consolation goal. The goals from this clash can be seen on the OFC's official YouTube channel.
Why is the victory of the American Samoa footballers so special? Because this is a special team. The last time they won a match was on September 4, 2015. They waited over nine years for a victory. Then they were better than Tonga (2:1) and also defeated the Cook Islands (2:0). The matches were played as part of the World Cup qualifiers in Russia.
The American Samoa national team is known as a shameful record holder. On April 11, 2001, in a qualifying match for the World Cup in South Korea and Japan, they lost to Australia by a score of… 0:31. To this day, it is the worst defeat in an international match. Archie Thompson scored 13 goals that time.
American Samoa's all-time leading scorer, Ramin Ott, has scored just three goals. The team has won just five times in 57 matches, with its biggest win coming on August 22, 1983, when it beat Wallis and Futuna 3-0.