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By HARRY BAMFORTH, LIVE SPORTS COVERAGE REPORTER and OLIVER HOLT, CHIEF SPORTS WRITER and JACK GAUGHAN, NORTH WEST SPORTS REPORTER and IAN LADYMAN, FOOTBALL EDITOR Updated: 02: 57 AEST, 7 September 2025 126 View comments Follow Daily Mail Sport's live blog for the latest score, team news and updates as England take on Andorra at Villa Park in one of their 2026 World Cup Qualifier game.    Want to see pretty much the only highlight of that first half? Well, here it is. The opener is one of those goals that you will watch once and probably never want to see again. It's good work from Noni Madueke down the right, in fairness, but it's hardly a goal Thomas Tuchel will be buzzing about. Madueke will try and claim it, but it's an own goal. Much was made about the tweaks Thomas Tuchel has made to make this England side more exciting in the build-up to this game. We are yet to see them make a difference. England started a little brighter than normal, but this has largely been a bore-fest at Villa Park. Not enjoyable. England only lead through an own goal. While many of this England side are not setting the world alight, one that does look bright is Noni Madueke. He has tried to leave his mark on this game, running at defenders, and he does so again down the right. He fires in a cross, but it's beaten away and Eberechi Eze can't turn home the rebound. I'm struggling here. This is a really tough watch. I think I would rather be at Welbley, with a bracelet on, listening to A Sky Full of Stars. But nope, I'm reporting on this dross. Slow, lethargic, and it makes me want to roll into bed and have a kip. Declan Rice and corners are a match made in heaven. We know what he is able to do for Arsenal, and well, he has just curled in an absolute pearler into the Andorra box. It deserved a finish, but Christian Garcia manages to put it behind for another corner. The second one ends in a little move that leads to Harry Kane heading at goal. But he is leading back, and the ball flies into the Holte End. Oh my word, Andorra actually have the ball. I repat, Abdorra have the ball. They have kept it for more than 30 seconds and are still passing it about as I type this. Oh, and they lose it. That was fun while it lasted. I don't think Andorra know the concept of pressing. Dan Burn has just been allowed to amble over to the ball, take his time, and pick out a pass. It shouldn't be that easy. The visitors just want to continue to sit back and not get battered. If they open up, they would get torn apart. Doesn't make for a fun watch, mind. That goal hasn't done much for the atmosphere. .. Villa Park is pretty much silent, I feel like I am watching a match during the pandemic. It could do with a song, or two, or three, or maybe even four. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. .. England does have their goal, but it's not one they will be the most proud of. They take the lead courtesy of Andorra centre-half Christian Garcia, who nods Noni Madueke's cross into his own net. It doesn't matter how they come, though, just that they do. How has that not gone in? England finally cause some chaos in the Andorra area, and Eberechi Eze looks set to score as he drills the ball toward the corner from eight yards out, but his effort is blocked. England, then recycle and go wide, where a ball is fired across the six-yard box with three players steaming in. Harry Kane is at the back post and really should score, but he can't get to it in time. Want to know what's happened in the last few minutes? Nothing. The positivity I had for this game is draining with every passing minute where nothing occurs. England are dominating the ball but have no tempo to their passing. I feel for Jordan Pickford, you know. He is contributing to this game as much as I am, and I'm currently sitting in my home in London. Andorra have barely stepped into England's half, let alone get near the goal to test Pickford. I'd be surprised if he is made to work at all today, which must be boring for him. OK, OK, that's a little bit better. Eberechi Eze nearly makes me look foolish as he has a pop from the edge of the area. It's a pretty decent drilled effort, low toward the bottom corner, but Iker Alvarez gets across to deny him. The effort wakes up the crowd, at least. I'd forgotten they were here. The positive, explosive start seems to have dwindled a little. England are struggling to break this Andorra side down, and I feel like we may be in for a long night. Get your pillows out, guys. Erm. .. was that not more than eight seconds? Does the referee know how to count? I'm not so sure. Iker Alvarez holds onto the ball for a lifetime, but isn't pulled up on it by the ref despite the new ruling. ITV say he held onto the ball for 14 seconds. .. Harry Kane has his first sight of goal, and well, it's harmless. Elliot Anderson fashions the opening by attempting to split the defence and find Noni Madueke. He doesn't find his target, but the ball does end up popping up for Kane to hit, which he does. The captain slips as he pulls the trigger, though, and it's comfortable for Iker Alvarez. Marcus Rashford has started pretty well here. He swazzes a long ball over to Noni Madueke, and ooft, it's just lovely. The ball is quickly shifted back over to the left, and Myles Lewis-Skelly whips one in, but Harry Kane couldn't quite react to head home. England are probing early on. I still can't get over that nutmeg from Marcus Rashford, it was lovely. There I was, just typing away, and then he pulls that out and I audibly go 'ooooo'. Meanwhile, Babot is booked for Andorra after he hacks down Noni Madueke, who looks bright. Oh, stop that! Marcus Rashford, that is filthy. I was just about to say how England will need to be patient trying to break Andorra down, and then Rashford nutmegs one of their defenders and drives into the area. He is bundled over in the end, and his cries for a penalty are ignored, but my word, that was a lovely bit of skill. Cheeky, very cheeky. Villa Park currently has 41, 000 people inside of it, which is roughly half the population of Andorra. Mental, I know. They all seem to cheer in unison as the whistle blows and we get underway. Villa Park loves a bit of pyro. Aston Villa players are always greeted by fireworks in home matches, whether that be in the Premier League or Europe, and well, they have just welcomed England with the same treatment. I mean, I quite like it, but it does look a bit odd in the sun and not at night. Under the lights, it makes more sense. Anyway, tangent over. The two teams are out and are currently singing their national anthems as I type this. The speakers are strangely low while Andorra belt out their anthem - I can barely hear it. Roy Keane, former Republic of Ireland midfielder, speaking on ITV Sport: Are we excited? I know, I know, it's only Andorra. .. but come on, this could still be fun. I say 'could' because I don't want to promise anything after the game we got served the last time these two teams met. Anyway, kick-off is just 10 minutes away. I thought I'd give this a little plug before kick-off. Everybody knows how big a part Jude Bellingham's dad, Mark, plays in his career. he is right at the centre of it all. Now, that's not always a good thing. My colleague Oliver Holt has explained how Bellingham's father's involvement has split the England dressing room: Read more: Roy Keane, former Republic of Ireland midfielder, speaking about Elliot Anderson on ITV Sport: It's not often we see a Catalonian playing for the England national team. Well, adopted Catalonian. .. Marcus Rashford is just the second ever player to feature for the England men's team while playing his club football for Barcelona, after Gary Lineker from 1986 to 1989. Can he bring some of that Spanish flair with him onto the pitch tonight? There is a real buzz around Villa Park right now. The Birmingham locals don't get too many opportunities to see England live given Wembley hosts these matches more often, so I bet they are gassed to have this game on their doorstep. There are, of course, a lot of kids with face paint on, that's a given for international matches. Can't knock it. Hopefully they have a great day out! Freddy Adu, speaking exclusively to Daily Mail via British Gambler: I would be stunned if there was anything other than an England win tonight, I really would. I'm pretty sure Thomas Tuchel would be pushed out the door by fans themselves if the Three Lions lost tonight, honestly. Why do I say that? Well, England are unbeaten in their last 34 World Cup qualifiers (W26 D8) since a 1-0 loss at Ukraine in October 2009. At home, that unbeaten run is currently 30 games long (W27 D3), last losing 1-0 to Germany in their final game at the old Wembley in October 2000. So yeah, if that run was to end against Andorra, Tuchel would have to go. I'm pretty damn certain it won't, though. .. Here is how the visitors will line up. Can I claim to know who any of these players are? Sadly not. But you never know, they could spring a shock. I doubt it, but nothing is impossible. How England could do with a result like this today. When they faced Andorra 16 years ago, they knocked six past the mountainous minnows. Just look at some of the names playing that day: Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney. Ballers. Andorra have lost their three away matches against England by an aggregate score of 15-0. In fact, they are without a goal in seven games against the Three Lions. So, another battering is pretty darn likely to happen. Alan Shearer, former England captain, speaking to Betfair: Elliot Anderson doesn't look like he is messing about; that is a mean stare and a half. I wonder how the young lad is feeling? I mean, if it were me, I would be bricking it knowing that I was set to make my international debut in just over an hour. But then again, that's why I am a journalist. Anyway, the Three Lions have arrived at Villa Park, and they seem like a bunch of focused lads. Well, you didn't have to wait long for the team news to be confirmed. The leaked team was bang on. .. Elliot Anderson does indeed make his England bow under Thomas Tuchel - I am really excited to see this lad in international action. Djed Spence has to wait a little longer for his debut; he is on the bench. It wouldn't be an England blog without a post about the leaked team news. Every. Single. Time. I've told you about Elliot Anderson, and now it's only fair I share a few more of the predicted starters. What kind of bloke would I be if I didn't? The big news is that Marcus Rashford is believed to be getting a go on the left despite his tough start to life in Barcelona. Arsenal's Noni Madueke and new boy Eberechi Eze are also said to be starting in an attacking front line with the Barca loanee, and I bet you can guess who is up top with them. That's all I will give you in this post, but if you want to see the full team, then you know what to do. Click below: Well, well, well. .. It appears the team news has been leaked, as it always is, and reports suggest that Elliot Anderson is in line for his first England start. What a moment it would be for the Nottingham Forest midfielder, who was only handed his maiden call-up by Thomas Tuchel last week. His decision to switch allegiances from Scotland has paid off. .. If he is to start, it's fully deserved. It may only be three games into the new Premier League season, but boy, has he been a delight to watch. That pass for Chris Wood against Brentford. .. mwahhhh. Thomas Tuchel, England manager, speaking ahead of the match: I can still recall the chorus of boos from the City Ground in June. They were loud, very loud. It may be only early days in the Thomas Tuchel era, and the loss to Senegal was just his first defeat as boss, but the football on display was so utterly abject that fans felt the need to let him know how they felt. They certainly weren't happy with the England boss. .. There was no personality that day, no zip, no energy, it was turgid football to watch. I wish I could wipe that performance from my memory, but sadly, I haven't been able to during the three months that have passed. Anyway, that game is now history. Tuchel isn't silly, he knows how bad that day, and the game against Andorra before that, was. Their German wasn't exactly chipper after those games, either. He has made it clear in the last few days that he has been reflecting on the early days of his reign and has brought in some changes that will hopefully turn things around. You feel he needs his side to thump Andorra tonight in order to get fans back on side. Can his players help him out? I bet many of you are wondering why this game isn't at Wembley, right? It's because of a certain Chris Martin and his band Coldplay. .. The musicians are on a quite remarkable run of concerts at the national stadium this summer that just seems endless. I mean, I saw Coldplay at Glastonbury last year and it's fair to say it's understandable why they are able to keep selling out Wembley. The show is just magical. Anyway, because of those concerts, England have opted to play this qualifier at Villa Park. Isn't it nice to be seeing England play at a different venue for once? This is how it should be. The Three Lions always used to tour the country, playing games in various grounds, but we rarely see that now. Villa Park is the perfect ground for these kinds of games. 88 days. That's how long it has been since we last saw Thomas Tuchel's England in action. Do you remember the game? I mean, I'd be surprised if you didn't. It's hard to forget the Three Lions' disastrous defeat to Senegal in June. It may have only been a friendly, but both the result and performance left fans questioning whether Tuchel was the right man for the job. It was an embarrassing day for England. Well, a summer has now passed (I'm gutted too), and Tuchel has had some time to sit down and think about how he can turn his reign around. Tonight the German has the chance to show why he was hired by the FA in the first place as England host Andorra in a World Cup qualifying match at Villa Park. I'm hoping that the Three Lions show us a little more than they did in the reverse fixture because boy, that was dull. Fingers and toes are crossed. Rashford, you gotta be kidding me

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