Thomas Tuchel’s England maintained their 100 per cent record in World Cup qualifying with a drab 1-0 victory over lowly Andorra. It wasn’t as stylish as the Three Lions would’ve hoped for, with Harry Kane‘s second-half goal all that separated the two sides.
Boos greeted the England players at the half-time whistle, following a dismal first-half showing from the European Championship runners-up. Big-hitters like Kane, Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham had disappointed during the opening 45 minutes against the side ranked 173rd in the world, with England managing just four shots on target.
It felt like Kane’s goal would open the floodgates a little, but it didn’t prove the case. A leggy England team continued to knock the ball about without much intent, and other than a mistimed Eberechi Eze header that was saved by Iker Alvarez, as well as a late Madueke miss, the visitors failed to threaten Andorra’s goal.
Express Sport hand out player ratings following England’s 1-0 win over Andorra…
Jordan Pickford – 5
Tuchel could’ve probably started himself between the sticks and it wouldn’t have mattered much. Jordan Pickford’s biggest takeaway from this match will likely be the tan he picked up while standing about without much to do in the Barcelona sunshine.
Curtis Jones – 7
Ought to have picked up an assist when Kane spurned a first-half effort wide of the far post, but Curtis Jones was involved in the move that led to the breakthrough. Picking out Madueke inside the box, Jones showed plenty of industry playing out of position in the right wing-back position.
Ezri Konsa – 6
Spared his England team-mates from potential embarrassment with a last-ditch block to deny Andorra’s only real opportunity of the second half. He’ll have tougher assessments to come on the international stage, but his on-the-ball ability will appeal to Tuchel, especially given England’s shortages in that centre-back area.
Dan Burn – 5
Only really had one piece of defending to do throughout the 90 minutes, and he was left on his backside for it after flying into a tackle he was never going to win. He had centre-back partner Konsa to thank for it not resulting in a goal.
Reece James – 6
Enjoying his best run of fitness for some time, it’s been clear in the early days of Tuchel’s tenure that the ex-Chelsea boss intends to use the full-back heavily in his plans. Playing on the opposite side to his usual right-back spot, James had some tidy touches and was heavily involved in their build-up play.
Jude Bellingham – 6
In need of an improvement following his first-half showings, Bellingham came out with a point to prove in the second. While it wasn’t show-stopping by any means, the Real Madrid man was livelier and much more of a threat in the final third. His best moment came when he picked out substitute Eberechi Eze with a delightful dinked cross.
Jordan Henderson – 5
The sight of Jordan Henderson in the starting line-up for an England match in 2025 did raise some eyebrows before kick-off, but the midfielder didn’t do too much wrong in the centre of the park. The truth is though, he didn’t really have to against mediocre opposition.
Cole Palmer – 4
Without Phil Foden in the squad, it was a real chance for Cole Palmer to leave a mark against Andorra. While he saw plenty of the ball, the attacking midfielder wasn’t able to do much with it. Carless in possession at times, Palmer was one of several England players who looked as if they needed a long break after an arduous campaign. The good news for him, it’s just nine days until Chelsea‘s first match in the Club World Cup.
Noni Madueke – 8
The only bright spark from a terrible first half for England. Madueke stung the goalkeeper’s palms with an effort from range early doors, before crossing a tempting ball into the box, with a statue-esque Kane nowhere to be seen. It was only right that the Chelsea man was rewarded with an assist for the opening goal four minutes after the restart.
Harry Kane – 6
The history books will show Kane as the man who bailed Tuchel and England out, and while that’s the case, the striker should’ve really had more than one goal to show for his efforts. A statute at times in the first half, moments before breaking the deadlock, Kane fired a lazy effort into the midriff of Andorra’s goalkeeper. Is age starting to catch up to England’s record goalscorer?
Morgan Rogers – 6
While he would’ve been disappointed not to get his name on the scoresheet against the minnows, there were moments of trickery from Morgan Rogers.
Substitutes:
Introduced off the bench, Trent Alexander-Arnold sent a couple of teasing crosses into the box, but there weren’t any takers.
Eberechi Eze – 5
Ought to have done much better after being picked out by Bellingham six yards out from goal, but Eze rushed his header and missed the target completely.
Declan Rice – N/A
Antony Gordon – N/A
Morgan Gibbs-White – N/A
Content Source: www.express.co.uk