San Marino just won football. In general.
As the people of Ireland still continue to finish off that sigh of relief from back in 2007, most of us were looking on at the 0-0 draw between San Marino and Estonia tonight thinking, ‘that could’ve been us’.
When Stephen Ireland of all people saved Steve Staunton’s neck with a 95th minute winner seven years ago, the minnows might not have thought they were too far away from earning their first ever European Championships qualifying point.
But they had to wait.
And yet, after 61 games of straight defeats, after year upon year of pointless competing (literally), San Marino – the 208th ranked last country in the world – held Estonia for their fourth ever clean sheet and their first ever Euro qualifying point.
Success is all relative. And these scenes certainly show that after the game.
And maybe now we can look back at that night and smile for once… maybe.
