Andorra U21s Stun England with 1-1 Draw in Euro Qualifier, Deny Late Winner

Andorra's under-21 football team held England to a 1-1 draw in their Euro qualifying Group D match at Estadi Nacional on Friday, repeating a strong performance from the 2021 qualifiers that also ended level.

Gerard Solà opened the scoring in the 52nd minute, volleying in a cross from Yedid Santaella at the far post after Hugo Ferreira started the sequence from midfield. Rico Lewis levelled from the penalty spot in the 89th minute, awarded after Ian Olivera fouled Jobe Bellingham. Marc de Castro then denied England a winner in added time.

Andorra created the first chance in the third minute when Santaella's cross evaded Solà. Ot Remolins came closest before the break, curling a shot from the edge of the box just wide after a long ball to Solà. The hosts dominated around the 20-minute mark, pinning England back despite the visitors' possession. England's clearest first-half opportunities saw Josh Acheampong head wide from an Ethan Nwaneri corner, Divin Mubama fail to connect with a cross, and Myles Lewis-Skelly shoot over.

England ramped up pressure after halftime with long-range efforts from Bellingham and Tyler Dibling, both comfortably held by De Castro. Andorra's defence repelled sustained attacks and nearly doubled their lead when Nil Boutarfas headed over from a corner.

Coach Eloy Casals praised the display post-match, noting the team came close to a historic win against the two-time European champions. "We were very close to beating them and it slipped away at the end," he said, adding pride in competing so strongly. The result leaves Andorra fourth in the six-team group with seven points from eight games—their best qualifying campaign to date—despite more fixtures played than some rivals. England lead unbeaten, having won their previous five matches without conceding, including a 1-0 victory over Andorra in Derby last October through Tyrique George's goal.

Andorra wrap up qualifiers with home games against Moldova and Slovakia in October. The senior side lost 2-0 to Montenegro in a friendly that day, conceding Stefan Mugoša's late first-half penalty and Milutin Osmajić's 80th-minute strike. They host San Marino on Tuesday ahead of their UEFA Nations League debut next month.

Free entry drew 1,007 spectators to the 19:30 kick-off. Yellow cards were shown to Iván Domínguez and Ot Remolins for Andorra.