Harry Kane rescued England’s pride with a second-half winner, securing a lackluster 1-0 victory over minnows Andorra in Saturday’s World Cup qualifier in Barcelona.
Thomas Tuchel’s side was booed by their own fans at the RCDE Stadium after a dull performance against the world’s 173rd-ranked team.
Kane’s 72nd international goal spared England the embarrassment of dropping points to such lowly opposition.
Tuchel became the first England manager to win his first three competitive matches without conceding a goal.
But with Andorra, Latvia and Albania offering little challenge in Group K, that stat feels hollow after this uninspiring display.
Tuchel had warned that England’s tired stars should not be expected to thrash Andorra after grueling domestic seasons.
The German cited the motivational difficulties posed by the summer international break, just before nine of his players jet off to the Club World Cup in the United States.
His fears proved prescient as England labored to establish any rhythm in a soporific match with the feel of a preseason friendly.
It was a far cry from the pulsating drama produced by Spain and France in their recent Nations League semifinal, underlining the task facing Tuchel as he builds toward the 2026 World Cup.
Tuchel didn’t help England’s cause by fielding an experimental side.
Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones started at right-back, and Chelsea right-back Reece James featured at left-back.
With Declan Rice rested, Ajax midfielder Jordan Henderson, 34, made his first England start since 2023, becoming the Three Lions’ oldest player since Frank Lampard 11 years ago.
Arsenal forward Bukayo Saka was left out after only completing one training session this week, leaving Noni Madueke, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer to line up behind striker Harry Kane.
Bereft of ideas
Chelsea winger Madueke impressed but Palmer and Rogers were underwhelming.
Andorra hadn’t scored an international goal for more than two years, and they quickly settled into a defensive formation that allowed England to monopolize possession.
As Tuchel had predicted, England didn’t find it easy to prise open a massed Andorra defense featuring nine men behind the ball at all times.
Madueke’s drive from the edge of the area was pushed away by Andorra keeper Iker Álvarez.
Kane should have broken the deadlock with a close-range chance from Jones’ cutback, but the England captain prodded wastefully wide.
Biel Borra fired over from distance in a rare Andorran venture into the England half, which ranked as an improvement on a defeat without mustering a single shot against Albania in March.
Given Tuchel’s desire to see his players perform in the warm Catalan temperatures ahead of the World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada, it was instructive to see England struggle to find the energy and purpose required to make Andorra uncomfortable.
They moved the ball too slowly and were reduced to hopeful efforts from distance, with Jude Bellingham’s 25-yard shot comfortably saved by Álvarez.
By the time Bellingham’s header failed to beat Álvarez on the stroke of halftime, England looked bereft of ideas and the fans were beginning to grumble.
Kane eased the mounting pressure when the Bayern Munich striker made the breakthrough five minutes after the interval.
After Kane’s initial shot was saved, Madueke alertly guided a low cross back into the six-yard box for the England captain to tap into the empty net.
It was a modest way to reach a milestone for Kane, who has a remarkable 450 career goals for club and country in 697 games.
England still couldn’t find any momentum and were nearly punished in the closing stages when Guillaume Lopez’s shot was blocked by Ezri Konsa.
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