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In the middle of a neat parade of shops in the heart of San Marino, you’ll find Micronics, a computer shop that, at first glance, appears entirely unremarkable. Step inside and you might catch a glimpse of football memorabilia, and a familiar face behind the counter. The shop is owned by 52-year-old Davide Gualtieri, who scored the most famous goal in his national team’s history against England after just 8.3 seconds in 1993. England went on to win 7-1 but the opening act proved a perfect punchline for the Graham Taylor era – and Gualtieri still gets Scotland fans calling in to say thanks. “For San Marino, that goal was like winning the World Cup,” Gualtieri said earlier this year. For this team, every goal is precious – they have only scored 31 in their entire history. Between September 2021 and October 2023, the team still reliably glued to the bottom of the world rankings scored one competitive goal. They lost 5-0 to Albania, 10-0 to England, 1-0 to 10-man Saint Lucia, 2-0 at home to Malta, 6-0 to Finland, and even shipped five (in two games) to Northern Ireland.
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