In Barcelona, Spain, England clinched a narrow 1-0 victory against Andorra thanks to a second-half goal from Harry Kane, maintaining their flawless streak under coach Thomas Tuchel in this World Cup qualifying session. The match on Saturday saw England struggling to break through the defenses of Andorra, a team holding a low global ranking of 173, until Kane managed to convert a pass from Noni Madueke in the 50th minute. Initially, Bayern Munich striker Kane’s shot was thwarted by goalkeeper Iker Álvarez, but he persisted and guided the ball into the top corner.
Kane, reflecting on the game, remarked, “We need to be better for sure. It’s not one that many will remember, and we had good spells, but we take the three points and move on.” This marked his 72nd goal for England in his 106th international appearance. Tuchel’s England retains the lead in Europe’s Group K with nine points, following victories over Albania and Latvia, and remarkably, they have yet to concede a goal under their German coach.
Despite their unbeaten record, Tuchel wasn’t entirely satisfied with the team’s narrow win over the tiny principality of Andorra, which has a population of about 80,000. “At the end of it, it was absolutely not OK because we lost focus and we lost the urgency that is needed,” he stated.
Andorra, although still winless, succeeded in frustrating England’s players throughout much of the game employing a five-man defense. Ezri Konsa made a crucial block to stop a late attempt by Andorra’s Guillaume Lopez from finding an equalizer. Kane commented, “We kept giving it away and that gave them a bit of confidence and energy. At 1-0 with five to 10 minutes to go, you have to be careful.”
England dominated the match in terms of possession and came close to securing a second goal when Eberechi Eze forced Álvarez to tip his header over the bar. Historically, England has dominated Andorra, winning their last six meetings by an aggregate score of 25-0. Andorra’s coach, Koldo Álvarez, praised his team saying, “In terms of effort, I think I couldn’t be prouder of my team and how they carried it out.”
Concerns over unfinished work on Andorra’s home stadium relocated the game to Espanyol’s stadium in Barcelona, nearly three hours away from the Pyrenees principality. As the qualification process progresses, only the group champions automatically qualify for next year’s World Cup in North America. Those who finish in second place will have to navigate through playoffs. The ongoing European qualifiers will determine 16 teams to fill the expanded 48-team World Cup field, with the group stage continuing until November.
In a friendly on Tuesday, England is set to face Senegal. Meanwhile, a charged match between Albania and Serbia ended in a 0-0 draw amidst heavy security, a reflection of historically rooted tensions between the two. A missed penalty by Albania’s Rey Manaj was the game’s best opportunity missed due to a save by Serbian keeper Dorde Petrovic. The UEFA imposed a ban on Serbian fans’ attendance, citing security concerns. Albania currently sits second in Group K with four points.
Back in Albania, tension lingered as Serbian players faced a hostile crowd, with more than 2,000 policemen present to secure the venue. Historical tensions were evident as fans expressed discontent during Serbia’s national anthem and yelled expressions supporting Kosovo. Previous encounters have seen significant incidents, such as the abandoned match in Belgrade in 2014 due to inflamed tensions from the appearance of a drone carrying an Albanian flag.
From elsewhere in Europe, Bosnia and Herzegovina managed a 1-0 victory against San Marino, led by a 39-year-old Edin Dzeko’s goal. This victory places Bosnia at the helm of Group H with three victories, while San Marino lags with no points. In the same group, Austria overcame Romania with a 2-1 score as Michael Gregoritsch and Marcel Sabitzer ensured the win for Austria. In Group G, the Netherlands began their campaign with a 2-0 victory in Finland, courtesy of goals from Memphis Depay and Denzel Dumfries. Lithuania played to a scoreless draw against Malta, rounding off the European qualifying rounds of the day.