National Team: San Marino-Andorra ends goalless

The second home friendly after the one against the Faroe Islands is preceded by a highly emotional moment. Matteo Vitaioli is honoured for the historic milestone of one hundred caps with the National Team. In front of a crowd generous with its applause, the white-and-blue “centurion” – accompanied by his family – receives UEFA gifts (the iconic cap and the medal for 100 caps) from the hands of the Football Federation’s top officials: President Tura and Secretary General Luigi Zafferani. Then comes a commemorative plaque – presented by the Secretary of State for Sport, Hon. Rossano Fabbri. Finally, a special Andorra national team shirt – with the number 100 clearly visible – sent to him directly by the president of the Pyrenean federation, Félix Álvarez, who was also present at the small ceremony immediately before the national anthems. With this intense pre-match over, it is time to focus on San Marino v Andorra. There are three changes to the starting XI compared with the friendly against the Faroe Islands. Pasolini comes in for Rossi at centre-back, Benvenuti operates out wide instead of Fabbri and Berardi slots in as playmaker in place of Lazzari, who drops back into midfield – where Pancotti had featured on Saturday. Otherwise, the system is unchanged, with a diamond midfield behind the strike partnership of Giacopetti and Nanni.

The game struggles to catch fire. Andorra see slightly more of the ball in the final third than San Marino, but in the opening quarter of an hour they create only a hopeful free-kick from Marc Garcia, dealt with comfortably by Colombo, and a long-range effort from Babot at the end of a persistent move down the right: the ball flies well over. On 19 minutes Rosas causes some alarm in the San Marino box. The Andorran forward turns quickly onto his right and gets a shot away that is blocked by Berardi’s back, with the playmaker doing excellent work tracking back. Shortly afterwards, the number 10 begins to light things up at the other end too. After a powerful but central low drive by Capicchioni from a free-kick around 20 metres out, safely held by Álex Ruiz, Berardi robs the ball in midfield and bursts down the flank before cutting into the area, slipping between two defenders. The home number 10 goes down but the referee sees no foul. The ball then rolls through the six-yard box, where Álex Ruiz looks uncertain but is bailed out by Llovera. More protests on 36 minutes. Capicchioni’s free-kick travels through a crowd of shirts and the Titans appeal for a handball: once again, their penalty claims fall on deaf ears. In the closing stages of the half, both sides create their best chance so far. A deep free-kick from Marc Garcia is glanced by Rosas just enough to make it potentially lethal, but Colombo’s touch is vital in clawing the ball away from the top corner. At the other end, Tosi breaks down the flank and delivers a superb cross that Nanni meets with a header at the back post. Álex Ruiz is beaten and it looks certain to be 1-0 to San Marino, only for Olivera to produce a magnificent goal-line clearance.

The second half also begins with a huge opportunity for Nanni. Capicchioni leads a Titans counter-attack with his head up and then threads a perfect pass for the San Marino centre-forward, who races in on goal but cannot get enough angle on his shot: the Andorran goalkeeper blocks with his foot. Andorra then reproduce the same scene at the other end. This time Lopez releases Rosas, who goes one-on-one with Colombo but is denied by the keeper, who times his low save to perfection. Colombo also does well when Fernández, clearly mishitting a cross, ends up sending a looping, venomous ball towards goal: the San Marino goalkeeper makes the decisive step and tips it behind for a corner. Something similar happens at the other end. Tosi, after a wonderful first touch on the left flank, swings in a very dangerous cross towards Nanni, lurking at the back post but beaten to it at the last by Álex Ruiz’s outstretched glove. By then head coach Roberto Cevoli had already made his first – triple – substitution, sending on Fabbri, Valli Casadei and Gabriel Capicchioni. Michele Cevoli has a good chance from a free-kick taken by Tosi. The centre-back loses his marker well but fails to make clean contact. At the other end of the spectrum is Llovera’s contact with Nanni’s audacious back-heel: the ball hits his arm and this time the referee points to the spot. Nicola Nanni steps up but drives his shot too far across goal and hits the post. The defence then just about does enough to put Lazzari off so that the number 21 cannot make the most of the rebound. Nanni immediately looks to make amends with a shot from distance, but again his effort is sliced. Andorra react with a Rosas breakaway sparked by a long pass from Lopez. The Andorran number 11 is forced wide but still manages to shoot: Colombo guards his near post well. The action then switches again and San Marino create another major chance. Tosi picks out Nanni, who wisely chooses to lay the ball off to the better-placed Gabriel Capicchioni: his finish – under virtually no pressure – shaves the post. Less dangerous is Fernández’s right-footed effort from outside the area after being found by Rosas: it goes a few centimetres wide. Giocondi and Salicioni come on for San Marino. The striker immediately tests his understanding with Nanni, collecting his team-mate’s pass and unleashing a right-footer that is too central. Between the 79th and 84th minutes, San Marino pass up two more great chances. The first falls to Nanni, who latches onto a back-heel from Lazzari and works space for a left-footed drive that flies over. The second is for Lorenzo Capicchioni from a Nanni knockdown: the midfielder reaches the edge of the box with the goal gaping, but his diagonal effort is too close to the keeper. In the dying minutes Andorra push forward again, but Colombo is never seriously threatened. In stoppage time, coach Cevoli uses his final window to hand a debut to Mattia Sancisi. The referee blows for full-time a few moments later, confirming a 0-0 draw that will feel far more bitter to the Titans than to their guests.

International Friendly | San Marino – Andorra 0-0

SAN MARINO (4-3-1-2)

Colombo; G. Benvenuti (62’ Fabbri), Cevoli (74’ Giocondi), Pasolini (90+2’ M. Sancisi), Tosi; Golinucci (62’ Valli Casadei), L. Capicchioni, Lazzari; Berardi (74’ Salicioni); Giacopetti (62’ G. Capicchioni), Nanni

Substitutes: De Angelis, Hoel, Zavoli, Rossi, Pancotti, Riggioni, Mularoni

Head coach: Roberto Cevoli

ANDORRA (4-4-2)

Álex Ruiz; San Nicolás, Llovera, Olivera, Marc Garcia (58’ Da Cunha); Àlexandre Martínez (58’ R. Fernández), Babot (78’ Joao Da Silva), De Las Heras (58’ Ferreira), Remolins (89’ Marc Pujol); Lopez (78’ Aláez), Rosas

Substitutes: Gómes, Rabelo, M. Vales, Garcia, Jesus Rubio, Guillén,

Head coach: Koldo Álvarez

Referee: Kyriakos Athanasiou (CYP)

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

Fourth official: Alessandro Vandi (ITA)

Booked: Babot, Nanni, De Las Heras, G. Benvenuti, Rosas, Colombo

Notes: 361 spectators; on 68’ Nanni misses a penalty