England continued their flawless run under head coach Thomas Tuchel with a narrow 1-0 win over Andorra in World Cup qualifying on Saturday, thanks to a second-half goal from Harry Kane.
The Three Lions struggled to break down the team ranked 173rd in the world until Kane converted a pass from Noni Madueke in the 50th minute. The Bayern Munich striker scored on the rebound after his initial shot was stopped by goalkeeper Iker Álvarez.
“We have to improve, definitely,” Kane said post-match. “Not a game many will remember, but we had some strong moments and in the end, the three points matter.”
The goal was Kane’s 72nd in his 106th appearance for England.
England remain atop Group K with nine points, having previously defeated Albania and Latvia. Tuchel’s team has yet to concede a goal in qualifying. Still, the German coach expressed disappointment with the performance.
“It wasn’t acceptable by the end,” Tuchel said. “We lost our focus and didn’t show the urgency we needed.”
Andorra, a nation of around 80,000 people, remains winless but managed to frustrate England for much of the match with a deep five-man defense. England defender Ezri Konsa was forced to make a key block late in the match to deny Guillaume Lopez an equalizer.
“We kept giving the ball away and let them build some momentum,” Kane added. “At 1-0 with only a few minutes left, anything can happen.”
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England dominated the ball throughout and nearly added a second when Eberechi Eze forced Álvarez into tipping his header off the crossbar. Historically, England had won all six of their previous matches against Andorra by a combined score of 25-0.
“In terms of effort and execution, I couldn’t be prouder,” said Andorra coach Koldo Álvarez.
Due to incomplete renovations at Andorra’s home stadium, the match was played at Espanyol’s stadium in Barcelona, roughly three hours away from the principality.
Only the top team in each group qualifies directly for next year’s World Cup in North America. Runners-up enter a playoff. Europe will send 16 teams to the expanded 48-team tournament, with group qualifying continuing through November.
England’s next match is a friendly against Senegal on Tuesday.
Albania and Serbia Play to Tense 0-0 Draw Amid Heavy Security
A highly sensitive match between Albania and Serbia ended in a scoreless draw, with Rey Manaj missing a penalty in what was the game’s best opportunity. Serbian fans were barred from attending due to security risks, a decision made by UEFA.
Albania sits second in Group K behind England with four points after three games.
Security was tight in the Albanian capital, with more than 2,000 police deployed. Albanian fans whistled during Serbia’s national anthem and chanted “Kosovo,” referencing the ethnic-Albanian majority territory that declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Some fans also threw beer cups at Serbian players despite calls to refrain.
Tensions between the nations remain high. A 2014 game in Belgrade was abandoned after a drone carrying an Albanian flag triggered a brawl. Their last meeting in Albania occurred in 2015.
Dzeko Scores as Bosnia Beat San Marino, Netherlands and Austria Also Win
Veteran striker Edin Dzeko, 39, netted the only goal in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 1-0 win over San Marino, keeping them at the top of Group H with three wins. San Marino remains at the bottom without a point.
Austria claimed a 2-1 win over Romania in the same group. Michael Gregoritsch and Marcel Sabitzer scored for the home side, while Denis Alibec pulled one back in injury time.
In Group G, the Netherlands began their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win in Finland, with goals from Memphis Depay and Denzel Dumfries. Lithuania and Malta drew 0-0 in the group’s other match.
Source: With input from agency