Very Small Countries 0 – 9 World Cup Finalists

September 3rd, 2010 | by: Ian Rose |

Sometimes, life just isn’t fair. Imagine for a moment that you are Liechtenstein. You’re all revved up for your first Euro 2012 qualifying match, and feeling confident. Sure, you’ve taken some beatings, but remember – in the Euro 2008 qualifiers, you beat both Latvia and Iceland. Not too shabby for a little guy. Then you look at your first opponent, and it’s World Cup champions Spain. That has to take a little wind out of your sails.

Or imagine for a moment you are the Most Serene Republic of San Marino. Due to your tiny size and ridiculously non-threatening name, you have been a UEFA punching bag for as long as anyone can remember. Your opponent, the first day out at qualifying? World Cup runners up Netherlands.

Video of the carnage below, including a hat trick from one Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, and a record-tying strike from David Villa:

Liechtenstein 0-4 Spain. Two from Torres and a goal from Villa that brings him even with Raul for Spain’s all-time top scorer:

San Marino 0-5 Netherlands, featuring three from the Hunter, and a cherry on top from Ruud van Nistelrooy:

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http://www.facebook.com/people/Tommy-Meskis-Wong/100001474481227 Tommy Meškis Wong

Belarus /did/ beat France 1-0.
WorldCupBlog

True, but after that World Cup, the current France team is not on par with Spain and Netherlands. And as small as Belarus is, it's no San Marino.
Nick

San Marino isn't even a “country” man, San Marino is IN italy, meaning that the people there support ITALY..

Small countries like Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia, Belarus, Armenia, Estonia, Lithuania, Cyprus — you should've mentioned them….

But I get your point, there should be alot of football schools in those countries mentioned to compete with the “big countries”.
WorldCupBlog

Since we think the world revolves around football on this site, and we have yet to be proven completely wrong, we generally use the word “country” to mean anyone who has a FIFA recognized team, including principalities and all that.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=757652833 Paul James McIntyre

Also France shouldn't have been a world cup finalist anyways, Ireland should have and they beat Armenia
Bense235

To be frank, 5 or 4 goals against the likes of San Marino or Liechtenstein aren't that impressive. But then again, these smaller nations can make it really, really hard to go double-digit against them. Which they perfected ever since the early 90's. Keep it 0:0 as long as possible and then simply defend the living shit out of these 400 qubic metres left. It's a very unthankful task to play against an opposition that obviousely plays a 7-2,5-0,5 tactic.
http://japan.worldcupblog.org/ Aidan

Yes it is a country … it's one of the world's oldest Republics, and existed as an independent state many centuries before Italy ever did.

Just because it happens to be surrounded by Italy doesn't make it IN Italy…I'm quite sure the locals do support Italy though since their own team is understandably hopeless and they have natural ties with Italy, but it is very much a country in it's own right.