London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Tuesday, Sep 09, 2025

England scores double digits to thrash world's lowest-ranked team San Marino

England scores double digits to thrash world's lowest-ranked team San Marino

There's David against Goliath, and then there's this.

San Marino, officially the lowest-ranked football nation in the world, was thrashed 10-0 by a ruthless England side in a World Cup qualifying match on Monday.

The disparity between both sides was obvious even before a ball was kicked.

Gareth Southgate's England side was runner-up at Euro 2020 and boasts a side bulging with elite talent.

The host, meanwhile, has a population of fewer than 40,000 people and has won just once in its last 186 matches.

England needed only a point to secure a place at Qatar 2022, but handed its opponent a punching defeat which raises questions about the credibility of such a fixture.

"Rapidly falling out of love with watching international football barring the big tournaments," tweeted former England striker Michael Owen about the ridiculousness of the mismatch.

"I think a lot of people feel the same way. Half of these games are absolutely pointless. A restructure is needed."

Harry Kane celebrates as England thrashes San Marino.


Harry Kane, widely considered one of the best strikers in world football, scored four goals in the first half against defenders who play the game part-time.

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire, Bukayo Saka, Tyrone Mings and Tammy Abraham all got on the scoresheet; Emile Smith Rowe also scored on his full international debut as England set a record for its biggest win in a competitive match.

The night was made even worse for San Marino, which also scored an own goal, after Dante Rossi was sent off midway through the second half.

'We can't do anything about the opposition'


Despite yet another defeat, San Marino players will always remember sharing a pitch with some of the game's biggest stars, but questions may also be raised about the ease of England's victory.

In 2019, the USWNT was criticized for humiliating Thailand during a 13-0 win at the Women's World Cup.

"I love the motivation our players are giving every match, even though they know they're going to lose. I will support San Marino till the day that I die," said a San Marino Twitter account.

Despite the inevitability of the result, it capped off an impressive qualifying campaign for England, which tops Group I having scored 38 goals -- its highest goal tally in any European or World Cup qualifying campaign.

Kane scored four goals in the first half.


The game will give England's attacking players a confidence boost with Kane moving joint-third in the list of the country's all-time goalscorers on 48.

The 28-year-old also set a record for the most England goals in a calendar year with 16.

"I've got to credit all of our players on a really good year," Southgate said after the match.

"We can't do anything about the opposition, but the mentality of the way they played tonight was terrific."

On Kane's records, the England manager said: "He's a phenomenal goalscorer, but he's not had the opportunity in games where there have been lots of goals available.

"He took that chance tonight."

Italy in trouble


Elsewhere, Euro 2020 champion Italy failed to qualify automatically for the World Cup after a shock 0-0 draw against Northern Ireland.

On a frustrating evening for Roberto Mancini's side, Switzerland topped Group C with a 4-0 victory against Bulgaria.

Italy's hopes of being at next year's tournament now hinge on the playoffs, from which only three teams out of 12 will qualify.

The Azzurri failed to secure a place at the 2018 World Cup the last time they competed in the playoffs after losing to Sweden over two legs.

"We can't do anything about it now, we have this game in March and will try to give our best," Italy coach Roberto Mancini told RAI Sport.

"At the moment we are struggling to score goals, despite dominating possession. Northern Ireland put everyone in defense and we struggle to break sides like that down."

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Court Staff Cover Up Banksy Image of Judge Beating a Protester
Social Media Access Curtailed in Turkey After CHP Calls for Rallies Following Police Blockade of Istanbul Headquarters
Nayib Bukele Points Out Belgian Hypocrisy as Brussels Considers Sending Army into the Streets
Elon Musk Poised to Become First Trillionaire Under Ambitious Tesla Pay Plan
France, at an Impasse, Heads Toward Another Government Collapse
Burning the Minister’s House Helped Protesters to Win Justice: Prabowo Fires Finance Minister in Wake of Indonesia Protests
Brazil Braces for Fallout from Bolsonaro Trial by corrupted judge
The Country That Got Too Rich? Public Spending Dominates Norway Election
Nearly 40 Years Later: Nike Changes the Legendary Slogan Just Do It
Generations Born After 1939 Unlikely to Reach Age One Hundred, New Study Finds
End to a four-year manhunt in New Zealand: the father who abducted his children to the forests was killed, the three siblings were found
Germany Suspends Debt Rules, Funnels €500 Billion Toward Military and Proxy War Strategy
EU Prepares for War
BMW Eyes Growth in China with New All‑Electric Neue Klasse Lineup
Trump Threatens Retaliatory Tariffs After EU Imposes €2.95 Billion Fine on Google
Tesla Board Proposes Unprecedented One-Trillion-Dollar Performance Package for Elon Musk
US Justice Department Launches Criminal Mortgage-Fraud Probe into Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Escalating Drug Trafficking and Violence in Latin America: A Growing Crisis
US and Taiwanese Defence Officials Held Secret Talks in Alaska
Report: Secret SEAL Team 6 Mission in North Korea Ordered by Trump in 2019 Ended in Failure
Gold Could Reach Nearly $5,000 if Fed Independence Is Undermined, Goldman Sachs Warns
Uruguay, Colombia and Paraguay Secure Places at 2026 World Cup
Florida Murder Case: The Adelson Family, the Killing of Dan Markel, and the Trial of Donna Adelson
Trump Administration Advances Plans to Rebrand Pentagon as Department of War Instead of the Fake Term Department of Defense
Big Tech Executives Laud Trump at White House Dinner, Unveil Massive U.S. Investments
Tether Expands into Gold Sector with Profit-Driven Diversification
‘Looks Like a Wig’: Online Users Express Concern Over Kate Middleton
Brand-New $1 Million Yacht Sinks Just Fifteen Minutes After Maiden Launch in Turkey
Here’s What the FBI Seized in John Bolton Raid — and the Legal Risks He Faces
Florida’s Vaccine Revolution: DeSantis Declares War on Mandates
Trump’s New War – and the ‘Drug Tyrant’ Fearing Invasion: ‘1,200 Missiles Aimed at Us’
"The Situation Has Never Been This Bad": The Fall of PepsiCo
At the Parade in China: Laser Weapons, 'Eagle Strike,' and a Missile Capable of 'Striking Anywhere in the World'
The Fashion Designer Who Became an Italian Symbol: Giorgio Armani Has Died at 91
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
×