SAN MARINO ARE READY TO WIN. Twenty years without a victory is an unwanted milestone that is fast approaching, but the team is improving -- Costantini's side has conceded just 21 goals in six Euro 2024 qualifiers -- and they can see light at the end of a long, dark tunnel. When the UEFA Nations League resumes in 2024, San Marino will be in League D alongside fellow minnows Andorra, Gibraltar and Liechtenstein, the only team they've ever beaten. The emotion was indescribable," Selva says. "We felt something different on the pitch during that game. We were very focused, there was an electricity in the air. We felt that sooner or later the result would come, and that maybe that was the right time. For a team used to always losing, getting a win, even in a friendly, is something so beautiful. Those moments will remain in history for every player."

Imagine Helena having its own team, playing games against the U.S. or Mexico, and you get the picture. STREAM ESPN FC DAILY ON ESPN+ His workmates are still impressed -- "He knows how to do everything -- both to play soccer and being a great designer" -- but Vitaioli has a more grounded perspective.

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When they fly to Belfast to face Northern Ireland in another qualifier this Saturday, Costantini and his players will be forced to take Friday off work so they can travel. All this losing hurts, but there is also a deep sense of pride within the squad that they're able to represent their country. These are just normal guys living a dream. San Marino do have a small and loyal fanbase, but the emphasis is on the word "small." Inside the stadium, Tristan and Boris have met up with a tiny group of San Marino's most ardent supporters: Josef Junker, Nicolo Vallone and Daniele Dei. Playing against San Marino is not easy either, despite the reality that it usually results in three points for the opposition. Germany inflicted San Marino's heaviest defeat with a 13-0 win in September 2006, while England recorded a 10-0 victory in November 2021. Yet San Marino famously scored the then-fastest-ever international goal when Davide Gualtieri put the team ahead after just seven seconds against England in November 1993. That game still ended in a 7-1 defeat. A unique jersey from the colours used, taken from the first historical flag of San Marino (from 1465 to 1797) to the graphic details that refer to the national identity.

Selva remains the only player to have scored a winning goal for San Marino. He is the country's all-time top scorer with eight international goals during an 18-year career and speaking to The Times (UK) in 2021, he recalled the feeling of beating Liechtenstein in 2004. SAN MARINO PLAYED THEIR LAST HOME GAME, against Kazakhstan in June, 200 miles away in Parma, Italy, to upgrade the playing surface at San Marino Stadium so it met UEFA standards. There are so many players here who, tomorrow, will go to work, but they have a job and we have to applaud these guys because they are perfect." The San Marino team is a strange phenomenon. Walking around San Marino in search of supporters is no easy task because, for locals at least, there is simply no sense of connection to the players who represent their tiny country. "You won't find any San Marino fans here," a waiter named Matteo at Birrificio Abusivo, the bar that sells the only beer brewed in the micronation, tells ESPN. "You only know that San Marino are playing because the fans of the other team come into town to drink." San Marino fought hard vs. their latest visitors, Slovenia, but ultimately lost 4-0. Clara Vannucci for ESPNTRISTAN CESELKOVSKI IS 16 YEARS OLD and is sitting on a bench on Via della Fratta with his father, Boris. Tristan is wearing a full San Marino kit. It's matchday in San Marino, but Tristan is the only person wearing the team's colours, making him stand out immediately among the tourists who have come to take in the stunning views of the Adriatic coast from the top of Monte Titano or visit the 14th century Church of San Francesco.

When told of Lescott's admission that even England players worry about facing San Marino, defender Simone Franciosi, a student by day, smiles. "If great players from England are maybe, I would say, a little bit stressed about facing San Marino, it's good news," he says. "It's great news. Thank you! Sometimes it's good when we're facing not-so-good teams. Others, like for example Denmark, whom we faced in September, they're very tough to play. You have to stay focused all the time. No mistakes." It also managed to retain its own currency, the Sammarinese lira, until it was replaced by the euro in 2002, and Italian is the only language spoken, which is useful considering San Marino is surrounded by Italy on all sides and neighbours Rimini, the five-star resort on the Adriatic Coast. It's also small, covering just 24 square miles, and has the same population as Helena, the capital of Montana.

Why are San Marino wearing an orange kit against England?

Lorenzo Lazzari, San Marino's centre-forward and a full-time student, dreams of emulating Selva and scoring his country's first winning goal for two decades. The 20-year-old was born two months after that solitary victory, but he already holds the distinction of being the last player to score for San Marino, seven games ago, in a 1-1 draw against St. Lucia in November 2022. San Marino are my favourite team," Tristan says. "I know they don't win, but it's the way the players never give up. They always play with passion and I have always wanted to watch them play." I know it's difficult," he says. "But it's always a good feeling to play in a San Marino shirt, no matter the results. It's a dream to play in these matches, even though it's tough. I think it is a beautiful experience and all of our opponents, even the big stars, treat us with respect." San Marino midfielder Alessandro Golinucci works by day at a toy company's distribution factory. Clara Vannucci for ESPN