FIFA WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS (UEFA) : ENGLAND VS ANDORRA – 06/09/2025 (PHOTO – DECLAN RICE AND HARRY KANE CELEBRATE)

ANDORRA PUT ON A BRAVE PERFORMANCE AGAINST THE THREE LIONS LAST NIGHT, IN WHAT MUST HAVE SURELY BEEN AN ANXIOUS NIGHT FOR THEM (BEING RANKED 174TH IN THE WORLD ‘N’ALL.)  THEIR DEFENSE SEEMED HARD FOR THE THREE LIONS TO BREAK DOWN AT TIMES, AND IT WAS THEIR RUSH TO DEFEND WHICH DID, INDEED, PROVIDE ENGLAND WITH THEIR FIRST GOAL, AFTER NONI MADUEKE’S CROSS (BELOW)

ENDED UP IN THE BACK OF THE ANDORRA NET AT 25 MINS., BECAUSE OF CHRISTIAN GARCIA GONZALEZ’S ADMIRABLE EFFORT TO CLEAR IT, WHICH FLICKED OFF HIS HEAD AND WENT INTO HIS OWN GOAL, MEANING THAT ENGLAND WERE NOW 1 – 0 UP!

ANDORRA MADE 165 PASSES, WITH A 56% ACCURACY  AND HAD 2 SHOTS, BUT NOTHING ACTUALLY REACHED-THE-BACK-OF-THE-NET UNFORTUNATELY FOR THEM YESTERDAY.

ENGLAND MADE 787 PASSES, WITH A 90% PASS ACCURACY, (HAD 83% POSSESSION), AND 11 SHOTS WITH 7 ON-TARGET, INCLUDING DECLAN RICE’S STUNNER AT 67 MINS., (BELOW)

(WHEN THE THREE LIONS ‘WENT IN FOR THE KILL’) MEANING THAT THEY WERE NOW 2 – 0 UP AND BY THEN QUITE HARD FOR ANDORRA TO FIND A WAY BACK.

AND AS THERE WERE NO FURTHER GOALS AFTER THAT, THE MATCH DID, INDEED, END IN A 2 – 0 WIN TO ENGLAND!

ANDORRA SHOULD FEEL PROUD OF THEIR PERFORMANCE, AS THE SCORE MIGHT HAVE BEEN A LOT MORE PROFOUND IF THEY HADN’T BEEN SO WELL ORGANISED DEFENSIVELY, (AND THEIR GOALY IKER ALVAREZ WELL AND TRULY HAD HIS GLOVES ON) AND FROM ENGLAND’S POINT OF VIEW, IT WAS A COMFORTABLE WIN, WITH NO-ONE INJURED, WHICH IS JUST AS WELL, AS THEY ARE OFF TO PLAY SERBIA AT HOME NEXT TUESDAY, IN A FEBRILE ATMOSPHERE, AND, AS WE ALL KNOW, THEY ARE AN EXTREMELY TOUGH BUNCH OF PLAYERS!

AFTER THE MATCH THOMAS TUCHEL SAID 

“IT’S A VERY DIFFERENT CROWD TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE AND WE KNOW IT.  THE ENERGY WAS RIGHT, THE QUALITY WAS THERE, AND WE SHOULD’VE SCORED MORE.  AFTER THE FIRST GOAL WE HAD 10 OR 15 MINS. WITH TOO MANY BALL LOSSES.  WE LOST A BIT OF FOCUS AND CONCENTRATION BUT IN THE SECOND HALF, FOUND IT AGAIN AND CREATED A LOT OF CHANCES AND LIKE I SAID, SHOULD HAVE SCORED MORE.  I THINK WE MISSED A LITTLE BIT, THE LITTLE MOMENTS TO ACCELERATE THE GAME.  WE SHOULD HAVE SCORED MAYBE THE SECOND ONE EARLIER BECAUSE THE SECOND GOAL GAVE US A LOT OF FREEDOM AND PLAYERS MOVED MORE FREELY AND A BIT MORE CONFIDENTLY.” 

HE ALSO WENT ON TO PRAISE ELLIOT ANDERSON, SAYING HIS PLAY WAS “VERY, VERY GOOD”, (BELOW)

ADDING “THIS WAS A TEST, AND I THINK HE PASSED THE TEST SO WHY NOT?  THERE’S NO REASON WHY HE SHOULD NOT PLAY IN SERBIA IF WE DECIDE TO HAVE THE POSITION FOR HIM.  HE’S READY TO GO.”

BY AMANDA WATERS