Harry Kane netted a 50th-minute winner as England stayed top of 2026 FIFA World Cup’s UEFA Qualifying Group K with a 1-0 win over Andorra in Barcelona, Spain.
Kane turned in Noni Madueke’s 50th-minute low cross to settle a tepid contest of little quality which England dominated, whilst Iker Alvarez stood out for Andorra with numerous saves.
The result kept England top of Qualifying Group K, whilst Andorra remain rock bottom.
With 17 goals conceded and just two goals scored in their last ten matches, Andorra quickly found their backs to the wall as Alvarez saved Jude Bellingham’s shot after just 54 seconds as England quickly got on the attacking front foot.
England however lacked a sharp final touch to their end product amidst several corners, whilst Ezri Konsa’s volley on the half-turn was blocked in the 18th minute.
Kane also endured frustration after he turned Curtis Jones’ cutback pass into Alverez’s arms, with Jones having pounced on Madueke’s low cross across the box.
Madueke and Bellingham proved to be England’s best attacking players in the first half and the pair combined through a 34th-minute cutback cross from Madueke, which Bellingham met with a powerful strike which found the arms of Alvarez.
Andorra however proved their worth defensively in the first half for a clean sheet at half-time, although Biel Borra curled their sole opening-half shot over the bar in a brave 23rd-minute attempt to break the deadlock.
England’s class soon showed five minutes into the second half from a through ball which Kane blasted towards Alvarez, only for the Andorra goalkeeper to deflect away for Madueke to play low across for Kane to flick in from close range amidst unenthusiastic applause from the away crowd.
Alvarez however continued to prove a nightmare for England to beat as he blocked strikes from Kane and Madueke plus a header from substitute, Eberechi Eze.
England ultimately toiled to an uninspiring victory which kept them on course for automatic qualification, whilst Andorra’s slump extended to just one win in their last 25 matches stretching back to September 2022.
In a post-match interview with ITV, Kane blamed the weak performance on being played at the end of a “long” season.
“We need to be better for sure. June is never an easy camp and we have people coming in after long seasons.”
What’s Next?
Andorra turn their attention to another qualifier on Tuesday 10 June as they visit Serbia in Leskovac.
England host Senegal in a friendly at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground on Tuesday 10 June at 7:45pm BST, before they resume their World Cup Qualifying campaign with a home clash against Andorra on 6 September at 5pm.
Teams
Andorra: Iker Alvarez, Biel B0rra (Rubio 75′), Max Llovera, Marc Garcia, Ian Olivera, Moises San Nicolas, Aron Rodrigo (M.Garcia 65′), Pau Babot (Vales 75′), Joel Guillen (Izquierdo 83′), Joan Cervos, Cucu (Lopez 65′)
Substitutes: Christian Garcia, Josep Gomes, Guillaume Lopez, Alex Martinez, Xisco Pires, Marc Rebes, Chus Rubio, Eric Vales, Marc Vales, Dacu, Joao Teixeira, Eric Izquierdo
England: Jordan Pickford, Curtis Jones (Rice 81′), Ezri Konsa, Dan Burn, Reece James, Jude Bellingham (Gibbs-White 91′), Jordan Henderson (Alexander-Arnold 64′), Noni Madueke, Cole Palmer (Eze 65′), Morgan Rogers (Gordon 81′), Harry Kane
Substitutes: Kyle Walker, Declan Rice, Levi Colwill, Morgan Gibbs-White, Anthony Gordon, Dean Henderson, Ivan Toney, Eberechi Eze, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Myles Lewis-Skelly, James Trafford, Trevoh Chalobah
Referee – Igor Pajac
