National team: Giacopetti scores again and raises hopes, Faroe Islands come from behind to win

San Marino’s National Team opens its 2026 by renewing the sequence of meetings with the Faroe Islands, begun and then interrupted a full 31 years ago. In October of that year it was Mauro Valentini who scored in the 3-1 win in Serravalle. Today it was Nicolas Giacopetti’s turn to update the now long list of scorers for the Titano. The 2006-born centre-forward lifts home hopes, but the hosts concede the equaliser at the end of the first half in a move tainted by offside and are then struck a second time midway through the second half. The 3-4-3 listed on the right-hand side of the official team-sheets is largely theoretical. The Faroe Islands opt for a cautious approach, lining up with a back five and four across midfield. Klakstein’s side sits deep, leaving Knudsen alone to lead the line, with Sørensen and Frederiksberg ready to break from midfield to support him on the counter. Indeed, the visitors’ game plan appears clear: sit back and break forward. San Marino dictate play and, with their quality on the deck, the Titans try to find a way through. However, very little happens in the early stages. Nanni shows all his desire, pressing Vatnhamar on his own; despite his advantage over the forward, the defender struggles and is bailed out by Lamhauge’s sweeping intervention. It is not the only moment in which the Faroese show their limits once their ball-carriers are put under real pressure. There are many errors in possession and this too helps San Marino’s National Team to keep a consistently high line of engagement. On 10 minutes the visitors stir and produce the first effort on target. Sørensen curls a right-footed side-footed shot from the edge of the box, Colombo stretches and concedes the first corner. Klakstein’s men’s initiative quickly runs out of steam. San Marino go back to diligently applying their attacking plan, which on 21 minutes yields the goal of a deserved lead. Capicchioni exchanges passes on the flank with Tosi, who returns a fine ball to his team-mate. Capicchioni bursts away and delivers a wicked low cross, which the Faroe Islands defence deals with very poorly. Giacopetti pounces on the ball like a hawk and lashes it powerfully past Lamhauge. It is a second goal in as many games for the number 19 in light blue and white, who in this particular statistic joins Andy Selva, Filippo Berardi and Nicola Nanni. The Faroe Islands’ instinctive reaction produces two efforts that shave the post: Danielsen’s in the 23rd minute and Sørensen’s in the 25th. San Marino’s National Team remain composed and quickly reassert control over their opponents. They give nothing away until stoppage time is indicated. Then comes the sting of the equaliser by Andreasen (a precise header to Colombo’s right) in a move spoiled by Knudsen’s offside position, he being the player whose lay-off created the conditions for Danielsen’s inch-perfect assist. With no VAR available, the protests of the Biancoazzurri are in vain.

That unexpected equaliser injects new energy into the visitors, who start the second half in a much more daring fashion. San Marino restart with Berardi on in place of Pancotti. The Faroese flurries in the opening stages force the Titano side to sit deeper than in most of the first half. But the defence holds firm without real alarms. All they allow in the first ten minutes is a long-range effort from Frederiksberg, which flies wide. Knudsen is much more dangerous on Danielsen’s whipped cross. The centre-forward wriggles free of Rossi’s marking and tries to finish at the near post, but fails to hit the target. On 59 minutes comes the first raft of substitutions: on in one go are Giacomo Benvenuti, Gabriel Capicchioni and Mularoni. Among those to make way is the goal-scorer, Giacopetti. Just a few minutes later the Faroe Islands overtake. An unerring first-time strike from Frederiksberg meets Sørensen’s perfectly weighted pass. San Marino push up again and become very dangerous from a set piece. Golinucci swings in from the left, Rossi attempts a spectacular overhead kick and in doing so effectively lays on a fine assist for Fabbri, who brings it down and shoots across goal: the ball whistles just wide. A minute later, another dead ball leads to Nanni’s header from Berardi’s cross. Again, the shot finishes no more than a fraction wide of Lamhauge’s goal. Immediately afterwards three more substitutions are made at once: Giocondi, Valli Casadei and Riccardi come on. The latter will pick up an injury within a few minutes and will, unwillingly, be part of the third substitution window used by coach Cevoli, the one reserved for Riggioni’s debut, along with the introductions of Pasolini and Salicioni. In the meantime Colombo has a major scare – from a team-mate. The Titans’ goalkeeper has to sprint back many, many metres to clear off the line Valli Casadei’s disastrous back-pass. In its own way, it is a piece of brilliance from the home number 1, swiftly followed by another on Andreasen, picked out by Benjaminsen with a pass that seems to invite a near-certain goal. No save is needed, however, on Klettskarð’s left-footed effort from the edge of the area, which sails just over. That is effectively the last noteworthy action of a match whose scoreline neither Golinucci (a volley well off target) nor Johannesen (two shots sliced too much) manage to change. The next fixture on the National Team’s schedule is Tuesday 31 March’s friendly against Andorra. Kick-off is at 18:00, once again at the San Marino Stadium.

International friendly | San Marino – Faroe Islands 1-2

SAN MARINO (4-3-1-2)

Colombo; Fabbri (70’ Giocondi), Cevoli (59’ G. Benvenuti), Rossi (79’ Riggioni), Tosi (70’ Riccardi (79’ Pasolini)); Golinucci, L. Capicchioni (70’ Valli Casadei), Pancotti (46’ Berardi); Lazzari (59’ Mularoni); Giacopetti (59’ G. Capicchioni), Nanni (79’ Salicioni)

Substitutes: De Angelis, Hoël, Zavoli, M. Sancisi

Head coach: Roberto Cevoli

FAROE ISLANDS (3-4-3)

Lamhauge; Chukwudi (59’ Vatnsdal), Vatnhamar, Davidsen; Danielsen (59’ Benjaminsen), Turi (90’ Mneney), Andreasen, Agnarsson (79’ Dam); Frederiksberg (90’ Kallsberg), Knudsen (79’ Johannesen), Sørensen (79’ Klettskarð)

Substitutes: Mørk, Reynatrøð, J. Nielsen, Svensson, Joensen

Head coach: Eyðun Klakstein

Referee: Kyriakos Athanasiou (CYP)

Assistant referees: Nikos Egglezou (CYP), Kyriakos Sokratous (CYP)

Fourth official: Andrea Righi (SMR)

Booked: Nanni, Capicchioni, G. Benvenuti, Turi, Berardi

Scorers: 21’ Giacopetti, 45+1’ Andreasen, 64’ Frederiksberg

Attendance: 320