Futsal: Germany step up in race for top spot, San Marino beaten 5-0

Unlike in recent outings, both competitive and friendly, San Marino’s national futsal team are punished for a very slow, laboured start. A touch of complacency – perhaps the subconscious desire to conserve energy with a second match in twenty‑four hours to come – proves costly for the Titans against a Germany side that are at full throttle from the opening whistle. Loosveld’s men threaten first through Oliveira and then with Aghnima, who hits the post, before taking the lead from a low-driven corner to the far post finished off by Meyer. Protti has to literally put his face on the line to deny the giant Wittig, the two‑metre German captain, while Schulz somehow misses a sitter at the back post. Earlier, a couple of mix‑ups involving Moretti, Pasqualini and Protti had already raised alarm bells. Osimani demands more consistent pressing and a quicker reaction out of the blocks, to avoid being sliced open by Germany’s dynamic passing game. As the minutes tick by, San Marino take on board the head coach’s instructions and get their shape right, even though Schulz almost doubles the lead on a slide‑rule pass from Oliveira. Like Meyer and Wittig shortly afterwards, he has to bow to a sharp save from Protti. San Marino respond with a cross‑shot from Pasqualini out wide that forces Wiegels into action. The same Sammarinese all‑rounder had earlier freed himself to shoot with a nutmeg. San Marino also show through Busignani, who unleashes a right‑footer from a throw‑in routine, only to be denied by the home goalkeeper. Just when the Titans seemed to be back in the game, Sözer produces a moment of magic: drop of the shoulder to go past Felici and a thunderous left‑footer from a central position that even Protti cannot reach. The Sammarinese time‑out follows almost immediately, with Osimani trying to remedy a first half of real difficulty and, above all, muddled ideas. Germany almost make it three straight after the buzzer, with Protti and then Busignani producing two goal‑line clearances in quick succession. De Angelis tries to spark a reaction, bursting down the right and even bulldozing Meyer before shooting as he falls: a routine save for Wiegels. The Titans are now properly in the contest and appeal for a foul in attack on Busignani, fed in the final third by a brave header from Felici. On the break, the same universal player commits the foul that earns him a booking and gives Germany a scare‑inducing set piece: Sözer blasts wide. Standing ovation for Protti on 18 minutes: the Sammarinese goalkeeper is unlucky with a rebound that sends Matic through one‑on‑one, but then recovers to touch the ball onto the post. Felici completes the clearance. There is a neat move at the other end, where Toccaceli gets a shot away after an attack started by Moretti and polished by De Angelis: Wiegels is alert and has to stretch down to the corner. Protti is kept busy until the end of the half, blocking Wittig’s close‑range effort with his body and then denying Meyer from a corner routine. The number ten does, however, get another chance and this time makes no mistake to seal Germany’s 3-0 lead right on the half‑time buzzer. After the break San Marino come out with more aggression, but it is Germany who carve out the first clear chance, again through Matic. Picked out by a switch of play, his chest control and left‑footed finish are spot on, but Protti reacts superbly to shut the door. The Titans respond through the Belloni‑Mattioli axis, the latter winning a corner, and then through the San Marino captain himself, who unleashes a powerful right‑footer from a tight angle, opting against the forced pass to Busignani, who complains in the middle. At the other end Protti is sharp in closing down Meyer, who adds to his shot tally with a right‑footer from a wide area – an option the Germans repeatedly look for. This is a completely different San Marino in the second half, with Busignani trying his luck on 37 minutes from a free‑kick won by De Angelis: Wiegels does well on this occasion. The German keeper is also called into action by Toccaceli, this time without any real trouble. Shortly afterwards, Protti has to dive full length to stop Matic after Moretti loses possession. It is the prelude to 4-0, a textbook futsal goal: Matic waits for Sözer’s overlap and, once he plays him in, Sözer threads a nutmeg pass through Busignani’s legs to give Aghnima the simplest of finishes. Germany are now playing in cruise control and add another goal through Oliveira, who makes the most of Wittig’s classic pivot work. Loosveld’s men do not let up and go close to further goals on two more occasions from the runs of an irrepressible Oliveira. The German coach demands a high press to make the most of the game’s clear momentum. Busignani relieves the pressure with a thunderous set piece that Wiegels can only parry, before Pasqualini lays off for Belloni – his shot is blocked. Late on, Hadziavdic wastes a chance for a goal of his own and then curses his luck from a Wittig assist: his right‑footer strikes Pasqualini, then Belloni, then the angle of post and bar, before finally ending up in the arms of a prone Protti. There is work for Wiegels too before the final buzzer: the German keeper has to deny Belloni with his feet, while at the other end Protti’s full‑stretch block and subsequent fingertip save are pure class to deny Hadziavdic. Before the end Ak also has to bow to the reflexes of the outstanding Sammarinese goalkeeper. It finishes 5-0 to Germany: San Marino had not conceded this many goals in a single competitive match for more than four years. A story within the story, if measured against the clear quality of German futsal – where professionalism has arrived only recently, but already looks capable of bearing rich fruit if nurtured within such a vast potential player base. For the Titans, the target remains unchanged: to deliver the best possible performance every time they step on court. Today the first half did not go in that direction; on Saturday afternoon against Gibraltar (13:00 local time) Osimani’s players will have to show they have learned their lesson. The match will be streamed live on the official YouTube channel of the Gibraltar FA.  

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2024 Futsal World Cup qualifying | San Marino-Germany 0-5   SAN MARINO Protti, Mattioli, Busignani, Belloni, Felici Substitutes: Cecchetti, Cavalli, Zafferani, De Angelis, Pasqualini, Franciosi, Moretti, Toccaceli, Cecchini Head coach: Roberto Osimani   GERMANY Wiegels, Wittig, Oliveira, Meyer, Schulz Substitutes: Pless, Ak, Matic, Claus, Sözer, Saglam, Hadziavdic, Aghnima, Gecim Head coach: Marcel Loosveld   Referee 1: Manuel Wolf (AUT) Referee 2: Lars Van Leeuwen (NED) Referee 3: Ugur Cakmak (TUR) Timekeeper: Omar Amarkhel (GER) Scorers: 5:04, 19:31 Meyer, 12:59 Sözer, 28:52 Aghnima, 30:41 Oliveira Booked: Busignani

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