Following their first-ever promotion to League C, La Serenissima were dealt a quick reality check, falling behind after five minutes. Leo Walta showed his quality to turn his man inside out before delivering a cross to Joel Pohjanpalo, whose volley went in via the underside of the bar, albeit with the aid of a huge Marco Pasolini deflection.
There was almost a response from the hosts following an outstanding driving run into the area from Nicolas Giacopetti, but his attempted cutback was blocked. Already in control, Finland doubled their lead shortly before the quarter-hour mark, with Walta instrumental in the build-up once again. This time, his delicate cross picked out the run of debutant Adrian Svanback, who planted a header past the helpless Edoardo Colombo.
A third goal arrived 15 minutes later as Svanback turned provider, teeing up Benjamin Kallman to crash a fine finish into the far corner.
If the hosts found the step up in quality too much in the first half, they were overwhelmed at the start of the second. Walta continued to show his quality with two quick-fire goals, which came either side of a straight red card for Alessandro Golinucci after a late challenge on Svanback. Walta’s first strike came courtesy of a rocket into the top corner from 25 yards, while his second was a classy, curled finish from just inside the box.
In complete control, the visitors added two more to the scoreline as Pohjanpalo completed his hat-trick, first producing an impressive outside-of-the-boot finish before burying a well-taken penalty, rounding off a 7-0 victory.
That proved to be the final moment of note on an enjoyable night for Finland against inferior opposition, and the result represents a morale-boosting win following their relegation from League B, when they lost all six games. The signs, though, are San Marino will struggle at this level, and they are now winless in fifteen internationals.
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