England secured a 2-0 win over Andorra in their latest World Cup qualifying match at Villa Park—but if you’re expecting fireworks, think again. This was more of a relief than a celebration as the Three Lions laboured against a team ranked 174th in the world.
An own goal from Andorra’s Christian García, forced by a clever Noni Madueke cross, gave England the lead around the 25-minute mark. The second goal came in the 67th minute when Reece James delivered a pinpoint cross that Declan Rice headed home.
Despite dominating possession with 83%, England rarely troubled the resolute Andorran defence, which sat back in a rigid 5-4-1 block and stifled creativity. Manager Thomas Tuchel admitted the performance lacked urgency, even though he welcomed the regularity of winning.
Still, there were silver linings. Midfielder Elliot Anderson, making his debut, caught the eye with intelligent distribution and energy in midfield.Noni Madueke, too, was a consistent threat down the flank and played a key role in creating the opening.
However, Harry Kane and Eberechi Eze struggled to make an impact. Kane was virtually anonymous, and Eze missed several decent opportunities to influence the game in the final third.
In total, while it was England’s fourth consecutive win under Tuchel and stretched their unbeaten run in World Cup qualifiers to 35 matches, the overall display was underwhelming.
The Three Lions remain top of Group K with a perfect 12 points from four games and have yet to concede a goal in the qualifiers.
Tuchel now turns his attention to a much tougher test on the road: a trip to Belgrade to face Serbia later this week. That match promises to be a far sterner exam of England’s resolve and attacking creativity.
