National Team: a single goal sinks the Titans in friendly against Iceland

A single goal decides the first ever historic meeting between the National Teams of San Marino and Iceland. The friendly at the Stadium also marks the return to the starting XI of Aldo Junior Simoncini: the Tre Fiori goalkeeper had not guarded the Biancazzurri goal since 19 November 2019, the day of San Marino v Russia. The other changes compared to the starting eleven that faced Malta on Sunday are almost all in midfield, which is completely revamped: Zafferani and Grandoni operate on the flanks, with Censoni, Mularoni and Enrico Golinucci in the middle of the park. Up front, Vitaioli returns to the starting line-up: the captain, who moves on to 75 caps for the National Team, partners Danilo Rinaldi on the front line of the 3-5-2. The match is refereed by Michael Fabbri from Ravenna. On Iceland’s first attacking foray, which comes after 3 minutes, it takes Mularoni’s positional sense to block Ellertsson’s shot, struck from the heart of the box. San Marino try to respond immediately with a prolonged attacking move that ends with a cross from Grandoni, too slow to trouble Gunnarsson. Iceland keep their foot on the accelerator, finding the breakthrough on 11 minutes with a precise effort from captain Thórdarson, who collects a defensive clearance from a cross from the left and, with his right foot – helped by a deflection – picks out the bottom corner. Danilo Rinaldi battles hard up front among the powerful Icelandic defenders, winning a free-kick on the quarter hour that he himself floats into the area: the visiting defence concedes a corner, which comes to nothing. Iceland also exploit the counter-attack: it is on the break that the visitors go close to doubling their lead on 24 minutes, when it takes a miraculous save from Simoncini on Anderson’s close-range strike; the post then helps the Sammarinese goalkeeper complete a superb intervention. Just after the half-hour, Iceland threaten from a corner: Leifsson finds space well at the far post but heads wide. The same fate befalls Gudmundsson’s header a few minutes later: the Genoa midfielder looks certain to score on Ellertsson’s cross, which Aldo Simoncini manages to get a touch on, but the header is off target. In the meantime, Thórdarson has another go on the break, sending a right-footed effort from the edge just over. At the other end, Golinucci attempts to turn a poor horizontal pass from Leifsson into a wonder goal: the idea from the Folgore midfielder is good, but his left-footed chip is misjudged. San Marino are back under real pressure on 39 minutes, when it takes a second super save from Simoncini to prevent Anderson making it 2-0 from point-blank range. The last thrill of the half comes from Anderson’s left foot, as he whips in a perfect cross for Ellertsson: the number 21 for Iceland is guilty of not believing in it enough, as his team-mate makes abundantly clear to him. At the start of the second half Costantini replaces the Golinucci brothers; Michael Battistini also comes on for Censoni. Huge chance for Grandoni on 57 minutes after isolated, tireless pressing from Alessandro Golinucci: the number 17 weaves through the white shirts of the visiting defence, rounds the goalkeeper and lays the ball off to Grandoni, giving him the chance to finish into an empty net, but the left-footed effort from La Fiorita’s player agonisingly drifts wide. San Marino, however, draw energy from this opportunity: Rinaldi battles and wins the ball high up the pitch, Grandoni lays it off for Michael Battistini, whose long-range effort – certainly bold – fails to find the target. Meanwhile, Costantini injects fresh legs into the forward line; Vitaioli makes way for Fabio Tomassini. It is a very good spell for San Marino, who on 64 minutes win a corner thanks to a coast-to-coast run from Alessandro Golinucci, who has come into the game superbly. It is again he who closes the move after the corner is taken, but his right-footed shot from the edge is too central to trouble Gunnarsson. Another change, this time a double substitution, comes on 67 minutes: Cesarini replaces Dante Rossi, while D'Addario comes on for Zafferani. Immediately afterwards, Tomassini bursts away down the left and earns another corner. Michael Battistini takes it, looking for Palazzi at the near post, but he is beaten to the ball. The number 3, now captain after Vitaioli’s withdrawal, then leads another attack which goes through Tomassini and, after the number 10’s dribble and cross, into the penalty area, where Danilo Rinaldi is denied at the last moment by Bjarnason. Shortly afterwards, only a matter of centimetres saves Simoncini’s goal from Anderson’s attempted sliding touch on a powerful, driven cross from Svanthorsson, one of the new arrivals from the bench. As for changes, in the closing stages Costantini also plays the Ceccaroli card, bringing him on for Rinaldi. In the meantime Iceland have just threatened through Barkarson, but his attempted close-range touch, to the Titans’ relief, does not come off. There is no luck involved but all the experience and skill of Aldo Simoncini in preventing a second Iceland goal on 89 minutes, when Thórdarson charges into open field towards the Sammarinese goal, only to see his run halted by the goalkeeper’s impeccable rush off his line – the home custodian’s third outstanding, result-saving intervention of the evening. The final opportunity comes in the fourth minute of added time: Anderson takes responsibility for a free-kick from just inside the Sammarinese half, sending the ball over the crossbar. There are embraces between the players at the end of a match with a truly historic flavour, which also serves as a warm-up for the Titans’ final assignment in this intense month of June: the away Nations League fixture next Sunday, away to Malta.

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International Friendly | San Marino 0-1 Iceland SAN MARINO A. Simoncini; Cevoli, Rossi (from 67' Cesarini), Palazzi; Zafferani (from 67' D'Addario), Mularoni, Censoni (from 46' Mi. Battistini), E. Golinucci (from 46' A. Golinucci), Grandoni; Vitaioli (from 60' F. Tomassini), Rinaldi (from 84' Ceccaroli) Substitutes: S. Benedettini, E. Benedettini, Nanni, D. Tomassini, Hirsch, Lunadei Head coach: Fabrizio Costantini   ICELAND Gunnarsson; Fridriksson, Leifsson, Bjarnason (from 87' Muminović), Barkarson; Thórdarson, Thrándarson (from 87' Magnusson), Gundmundsson (from 87' Gunnlaugsson); Ellertsson (from 70' Svanthorsson), S. Gudjohnsen (from 70' A. Gudjohnsen), Anderson Substitutes: Rúnarsson, Jónsson, Johannesson, Thorstelnsson, Haraldsson, Ólafsson, Helgason Head coach: Arnar Thór Fidarono   Referee: Michael Fabbri (ITA) Assistant referees: Giovanni Baccini and Marco Bresmes (ITA) Fourth official: Luca Zani (ITA) Booked: Palazzi, Zafferani, D'Addario Scorer: 11' Thrándarson Attendance: 293

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