National Team: Belarus prevail with two first-half goals

Giacopetti is unavailable through suspension, but Roberto Cevoli still opts for a two-man attack for the clash with Belarus, the last home match of 2026. Partnering Nicola Nanni up front is Gabriel Capicchioni, with Lazzari playing in behind them. Belarus are determined not to lose ground in the race for top spot, while the Titans want to bid farewell to their fans with a positive, front-foot performance. The game, however, takes a while to open up. The first warning sign comes from San Marino, as Lorenzo Capicchioni’s corner clips the near post. The ball comes back into play and Zannoni lays it off to Fabbri, who climbs highest but heads just over – though from a position eventually flagged offside. Belarus threaten Colombo through Ebong, picked out by Kalinin: the San Marino goalkeeper stretches full length to repel the forward’s header, conceding only a corner. Gromyko swings it in and finds Gomanov with pinpoint accuracy, the defender ruthless with his header from the heart of the box: Belarus take the lead. San Marino respond through the Zannoni-Nanni axis: the No.10 drives forward and slides in the No.9, who hesitates at the key moment and is eventually denied by Lapoukhov rushing off his line. Within two minutes Belarus double their advantage: Simanenka brings down a ball delivered from the left and tees up Kontsevoi, who controls and lashes it in off the underside of the bar. It is now a strong spell for the visitors. Ebong surges into the box from the left and fires hard at the near post, but Colombo holds on. Shortly afterwards Ebong again threatens with a powerful run: the Belarusian No.9 wriggles free from a crowd of blue shirts but then overruns the ball, allowing Colombo to smother. Otherwise, he would have had better than a simple shot on the move. Even so, San Marino do not drop out of the game. On the contrary, on 28 minutes they create a gilt‑edged chance. Giocondi’s cross is cleverly flicked on by Gabriel Capicchioni, turning it into a perfect delivery for Nanni’s run, but he fires over from a hugely promising position – and virtually unmarked. Belarus keep pressing before the break in search of a third. A couple of top‑class interventions from Lorenzo Capicchioni, Pasolini and Giacomo Benvenuti avert danger before the visiting forwards can get clean through on Colombo, who also does well to organise vocally in some tangled situations. At the other end, Nanni releases Gabriel Capicchioni into the area, and his effort forces Lapoukhov into a save from a tight angle – though the move is later ruled offside. All this preserves the 2-0 scoreline at half-time.

The second half begins with Belarus immediately on the front foot. Gromyko makes a complete air shot when trying to meet Pechenin’s low cross, then, as the move continues thanks to Kontsevoi, Bocharov unleashes a fierce left‑footer from outside the box that seriously tests Colombo. The visitors keep hammering away according to their attacking game plan, repeatedly running into a disciplined, well‑organised defence. Just before the hour mark Cevoli makes his first changes: on come Pancotti and Contadini – the latter returning after a long injury lay‑off. Making way are Della Balda and Gabriel Capicchioni. A few minutes later, Belarus go very close to a third on the break. Melnichenko drives forward and feeds Gromyko, who has the goal gaping but gets his finish all wrong, blasting over the bar. Melnichenko, by contrast, hits the target from a well‑measured cross by Kontsevoi: Colombo’s punched clearance spares San Marino a third Belarus goal. At the end of the same move Roberto Cevoli uses his second substitution window, sending on Golinucci for Lorenzo Capicchioni. The third and final batch of changes follows soon after, involving Fabbri and Lazzari, replaced by Tosi and Salicioni. Fabbri had, in any case, been booked moments earlier while already on a caution list: he will therefore miss the final Nations League match away to Finland. During the same stoppage the Belarus coach also makes a change, albeit forced: Kalinin leaves the field on a stretcher and is replaced by Lukashov. Once play resumes, Giacomo Benvenuti gets a crucial touch to block Kontsevoi’s curling attempt, while Svirepa’s header, supplied right on the edge of the six‑yard box by Kovalev, luckily flies over. Shortly before that, Ebong had also gone very close with a shot‑cross that no one managed to get on the end of. In the closing stages a good chance falls to Contadini’s left foot, as he collects directly from a corner and drives powerfully towards Lapoukhov’s goal, the keeper holding firmly. San Marino continue to push, buoyed as well by the numerical advantage they have enjoyed since the 93rd minute following Svirepa’s second yellow card. The scoreline, however, remains unchanged. The final Nations League appointment for Roberto Cevoli and his players is set for Sunday, away to Finland.

UEFA Nations League, Group C1 | San Marino – Belarus 0-2

SAN MARINO (4-3-1-2)

Colombo; G. Benvenuti, Fabbri (73’ Tosi), Pasolini, Giocondi; Della Balda (59’ Pancotti), L. Capicchioni (67’ Golinucci), Zannoni; Lazzari (73’ Salicioni); Nanni, G. Capicchioni (59’ Contadini)

Subs: Amici, De Angelis, T. Benvenuti, Rossi, Meloni, Marinucci, Mularoni

Head coach: Roberto Cevoli

BELARUS (4-2-3-1)

Lapoukhov; Kalinin (76’ Lukashov), Volkov, Gomanov, Pechenin; Selyava (63’ Svirepa), Bocharov; Kontsevoi, Ebong (86’ Zinovich), Gromyko (63’ Kovalev); Simanenka (46’ Melnichenko)

Subs: Pavlyuchenko, Kudravets, Tsikhamirau, Begunov, Vardanyan, Morozov, Shevchenko

Head coach: Viktar Hancharenka

Referee: Goga Kikacheishvili (GEO)

Assistants: David Akhvlediani (GEO), Davit Gabisonia (GEO)

Fourth official: Irakli Kherkhadze (GEO)

VAR: Koba Revazashvili (GEO)

AVAR: Angelos Evangelou (GRE)

Booked: G. Capicchioni, Zannoni, Fabbri, Svirepa

Sent off: Svirepa (second yellow card)

Scorers: 13’ Gomanov, 17’ Kontsevoi

Attendance: 365