Belgium 9-0 San Marino: 5 Talking Points | Euro 2020 Qualifiers

#4 San Marino not good enough at this level and it shows

Games like these showcase the sheer gulf in quality between San Marino and their opponents

Seven games into their Euro 2020 qualifiers and San Marino are rooted to the bottom of Group I, have no points and more pressingly, no goals to show for their efforts. They have conceded 37, more than double that of Scotland who sit a place above them with six points from seven played.

If you consider their standing within the FIFA rankings, none of this will come as a surprise. They are ranked 210 - dead last - and haven't scored since September 2017, away against Azerbaijan in a World Cup qualifier they lost 5-1. Their defeats don't make for good reading but at least in the UEFA Nations League, opposition is fair and present a more competitive challenge.

Playing the likes of Belarus, Luxembourg and Moldova is more beneficial than being hammered against Belgium who in truth, could've easily scored double their nine-goal tally here. Eden Hazard came close twice, Dries Mertens hit the post, Lukaku and Benteke both squandered close-range opportunities. They had 79% possession and 45 attempts on goal, compared to San Marino's two. Thibaut Courtois did well to remain concentrated in his role as a bystander here.

You could argue the experience of playing teams and world-class players like these stands them in good stead, improving them for future matches, but it's just not competitive. These games resemble training exercises for their opposition, who can essentially score whenever they please.

Over the 90 minutes, Belgium completed 709 passes (782 attempted). San Marino didn't even register 100 - which speaks volumes for the gulf in quality between these two teams and rather felt like a case of deja vu. You can't help but feel for them in a qualifying format like this.