England 2-0 Andorra: Rice strikes to maintain perfect qualifying record
England defeated Andorra 2-0 at Villa Park in a 2026 World Cup qualifier, though Thomas Tuchel's side were left frustrated by the visitors.
England continued their perfect start to their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign with a 2-0 win over Andorra at Villa Park.
After an uninspiring start to proceedings, England took the lead in the 25th minute as a Noni Madueke cross was inadvertently turned into his own net by Christian Garcia to break the deadlock.
Boasting 83% possession, England had spent much of the second half camped on the edge of Andorra's box, and Declan Rice made it count when he headed home in the 67th minute from a pinpoint Reece James cross.
Elliot Anderson's Three Lions debut was marked with a starting berth in what was a frustrating game for England, who were unable to translate their dominance and territory into many meaningful chances.
Moments after coming on, Anderson's former Newcastle United team-mate Anthony Gordon missed a golden opportunity to make it three after skewering a goal-bound header off his shoulder.
England sit top of Group K with a 100% record, ahead of their game away against Serbia next Tuesday, while Andorra remain bottom of the group.
Data Debrief: England maintain strong qualifier record
England are now unbeaten in their last 35 World Cup qualifying matches, accumulating 27 wins and eight draws since their 1-0 defeat to Ukraine in October 2009.
When playing at home, they have not lost in their last 31 qualifiers, with 28 wins and three draws, dating back to a 1-0 loss against Germany in their final game at the old Wembley Stadium in October 2000.
The Three Lions have now won all eight of their encounters against Andorra without conceding a goal, equalling their record against San Marino. The only team they have faced more times while maintaining a perfect winning record are Luxembourg (9/9).
Despite there being 170 places separating the two sides in the FIFA rankings (England fourth and Andorra 174th), Tuchel's side posted just seven shots on target, finishing the game with 2.21 expected goals (xG) to Andorra's 0.1.
