Futsal, San Marino close to a famous result: 2-1 defeat to Albania

San Marino welcome back Protti between the posts, after he served the suspension handed down for the red card received two years ago in Austria, on the final matchday of 2026 European Qualifying against Bulgaria. Albania, for their part, have to do without Bakia – as in their opening match, drawn with Cyprus (2-2), who today were overwhelmed by Latvia (1-12).

The Biancazzurri step onto the court with the right attitude, eager to make amends for the opening defeat against a team who had shown they can play futsal at a very high level. Spared by Selmanaj early on, Osimani’s men go close through Moretti – denied by a stunning reflex save from Misini. Sadly, the Sammarinese winger is also involved in the mistake that breaks the deadlock: his pass towards Limani is intercepted and Albania strike through Shkodra. Today, the opposition appear far more within reach and Chezzi will be kicking himself when, on 5 minutes, he hits the outside of the post on a tap-in with Misini already out of the picture. The home keeper then produces heroics again when he dives bravely at the feet of De Angelis, who was already savouring the equaliser from close range a minute later. The game swings from end to end without pause and Ceccoli is decisive in the Sammarinese area, clearing almost on the goal-line to deny yet another effort from Shkodra. It feels like the 1-0 cannot last much longer and midway through the half Albania become dangerous twice more. On 13 minutes De Angelis intercepts and races away on his own, only to lose his momentum at the key moment. Shortly afterwards comes a huge chance at either end: the crossbar comes to San Marino’s rescue on Tafa’s point-blank attempt, while Misini pulls off a superb save to keep out Limani’s misdirected clearance. From the resulting corner, Chezzi spins and shoots from the heart of the area but once more finds the keeper in the way. On the quarter-hour mark Maiani also joins the list of players denied by Misini, redirecting Belloni’s ball in from the flank towards goal. A few seconds later, San Marino reach the foul bonus – something they will have to manage for over four minutes. It is instead the 17th minute when Protti does well to smother Shkodra’s venomous angled strike. At the other end, the goal seems bewitched as De Angelis and Ceccoli both fail to turn in the rebound from Misini to make it 1-1. Adding insult to injury, in the opening seconds of the 20th minute, Albania double their lead with a left-footed strike from Selmanaj. The hosts head to the dressing room two goals to the good, fully aware – as San Marino are – that a draw would probably have been a fairer reflection of the play. This is the point Osimani hammers home at half-time, setting up a second period in which his side can continue to harbour ambitious plans.

As expected, the game stays wide open and entertaining after the restart. The first big chance of the half falls to Albania: Protti produces an extraordinary reflex save to deny Tahiri a third. The Titans are fully in the contest, looking for the spark that could truly ignite it. Matching – and even exceeding – their first-half levels of aggression and intensity, the opening stages of the second half do not bring as many clear-cut chances as the first period. On exactly 30 minutes, Pasqualini wins the ball back in a very advanced area, but cannot get his shot away before a superb recovery from the red-and-black defence. San Marino deserve credit for always staying in the game, and they are rewarded for this attitude with eight and a half minutes remaining: Chezzi, on just his second cap, pulls one back. He steals in ahead of his marker on the wing and unleashes a right-footed rocket to make it 2-1. With everything still to play for, Osimani opts for the flying goalkeeper – sending Ercolani to don the outfield bib – when the countdown to the final buzzer reads 1’50”. The ploy does in fact create a shooting chance for Belloni, whose left foot, however, cannot find a way through the Albanian wall. The match therefore ends with a narrow home win, despite the many opportunities – especially in the first half – that fell San Marino’s way. The Biancazzurri will be back in action on Sunday, rounding off the group with a clash against Cyprus.

FIFA Futsal World Cup 2028 – Preliminary Round, Matchday 2 | Albania-San Marino 2-1

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ALBANIA

Misini, Shkodra, Selmanaj, Kryeziu, Limani

Substitutes: Mjeku, Tafa, Pishtani, Kaca, Tahiri, S. Brahimi, Jonuzi, A. Brahimi

Head coach: Erind Resuli

SAN MARINO

Protti, Maiani, Moretti, Pasqualini, Ercolani

Substitutes: Pazzini, Chiaruzzi, Ceccoli, Zafferani, De Angelis, Belloni, Verri, Chezzi, Toccaceli

Head coach: Roberto Osimani

Referee 1: Antonios Adamopoulos (GRE)

Referee 2: Daniel Matkovic (SUI)

Referee 3: Mariia Myslovska (UKR)

Timekeeper: Arlind Subashi (ALB)

Scorers: 2’55” Shkodra, 19’11” Selmanaj, 31’28” Chezzi

Booked: Selmanaj, De Angelis, Moretti, Ibishi

Attendance: 70