San Marino’s Under 21 side return to action on Thursday, 1 October at 8.15pm at the San Marino Stadium, facing the strongest team in their European Championship qualifying group: Spain, the group leaders, who thrashed San Marino 7-0 in the first leg at Lugo.
The Spaniards arrive on the Titano nursing a fresh wound. Their 2-1 defeat in the head-to-head clash with Finland has thrown their direct qualification back into doubt: a win would have already sealed their pass, and now they cannot afford another slip-up against San Marino and Romania. David Gordo’s squad boasts players of the highest calibre, starting with the Como trio of Valle, Ramon and Rodriguez.
San Marino, by contrast, arrive off the back of an encouraging performance against Kosovo, in which they showed greater boldness, determined not only to limit the damage but also to push forward in search of the goal that has so far eluded them. Head coach Matteo Cecchetti is adamant that the name on the opposing shirts should not change his side’s approach. “As I always tell the boys, the name of the opponent shouldn’t change how we play,” he explained on the eve of the match. “I’ve told the lads I want further confirmation of our progress, especially against such a strong opponent, because we’re coming off a really good spell, full of confidence and awareness — and managing to perform well even against Spain would carry even greater value.”
This week’s training has focused on a specific issue: second-half fade-outs. “In that first half we expended a huge amount of energy, and then in the second half, from the 60th minute onward, we found ourselves a bit short on legs and lungs,” Cecchetti said. “So we’ve restructured and organised our defensive phase so that the overall effort is spread more evenly among the players.” The same thing happened in the first leg: a solid first half, followed by conceding 2-0 right before the break, which opened the door to a second-half rout.
As for how the visitors might approach the game, the coach expects no surprises. “I expect a Spain much like the one we faced in the first leg at Lugo — a side that wants to play its own game. They’re a team that still holds its destiny in its own hands. We mustn’t make the mistake of being intimidated by the name of our opponent.”
