San Marino was my destiny, says manager after famous win

San Marino finally enjoyed their first ever competitive win by defeating Liechtenstein 20 years after their only other victory came against the same opposition, and managing the country was always in his destiny, Roberto Cevoli told Reuters on Friday.

That 1-0 win in the Nations League on Thursday ended a 140-game winless streak since their previous friendly success, and the man who led them to victory, although Italian-born, has strong links with the tiny republic landlocked within Italy.

"San Marino has given me so much in professional terms and, after many years spent here and marrying a San Marino girl, I also chose San Marino citizenship," Cevoli told Reuters.

"San Marino was in my destiny. As a young player, one year I played in a club in San Marino where I was noticed and called up by a professional club.

"It all started from there, up to Serie A with Modena and my subsequent career as a coach."

Cevoli was appointed manager of San Marino at the end of last year and in his first five games in charge has given debuts to 13 players, including Nicko Sensoli who scored the goal against Liechtenstein.

Despite their lack of success, even the more experienced players in a side ranked lowest in the world never gave up in the search for that elusive win.

"Staying motivated is in the nature of each of us. We can't lose heart when we don't win games, it's part of football and we have to be aware of that," Cevoli said.

"The important thing is to have the right determination to always want to improve and look for a cue to grow in every training, every day."

It may be fitting that until now one of San Marino's most famous moments ended in yet another heavy defeat. In a World Cup qualifier with England in 1993, San Marino scored after