It was, to be honest, an uneven match-up, but in the qualifying rounds for the Euro 2012 finals, San Marino were unlucky to have been grouped with the Netherlands, who drubbed them 11–0 on Friday in Eindhoven. This is the biggest win for the Netherlands since beating Norway 9–0 in 1972 and before that, beating Finland 9–0 in 1912. The Dutch can’t stop scoring sometimes.
For Dutch striker Robin Van Persie, who plays for English side Arsenal, this surely had to have been a relief, since only the previous Sunday saw him miss a penalty against Manchester United and his team beaten 8-2, his late consolation goal being only that.
San Marino’s national team has never qualified for a European championship nor a World Cup and it is a young side, the national team established only in 1986, although the federation was formed in 1931. Call me cynical, but I can’t think they must have gone into the game with high expectations of winning, yet were hoping the Dutch would go easy on them.