Andorra national football team

Andorra
Nickname(s) Tricolors (The Tricolours)
Association Andorran Football Federation
(Federació Andorrana de Futbol)
Confederation UEFA (Europe)
Head coach Koldo Álvarez
Captain Ildefons Lima
Most caps Óscar Sonejee (106)[1]
Top scorer Ildefons Lima (10)
Home stadium Estadi Nacional, Andorra la Vella
FIFA code AND
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 202 Steady (May 2016)
Highest 125 (September 2005)
Lowest 206 (December 2011)
Elo ranking
Current 193 (9 September 2015)
Highest 171 (February 2005, September 2005)
Lowest 193 (2015)
First international
 Estonia 6–1 Andorra 
(Andorra la Vella, Andorra; 13 November 1996)
Biggest win
 Andorra 2–0 Belarus 
(Andorra la Vella, Andorra; 26 April 2000)
 Andorra 2–0 Albania 
(Andorra la Vella, Andorra; 17 April 2002)
Biggest defeat
 Czech Republic 8–1 Andorra 
(Liberec, Czech Republic; 4 June 2005)
 Croatia 7–0 Andorra 
(Zagreb, Croatia; 7 October 2006)

The Andorra national football team (Catalan: Selecció de futbol d'Andorra) represents Andorra in association football and is controlled by the Andorran Football Federation, the governing body for football in Andorra. The team has enjoyed very little success due to the Principality's tiny population, the fifth smallest of any UEFA country (only Liechtenstein, San Marino, Gibraltar and the Faroe Islands are smaller).

Andorra's first official game was a 6–1 defeat in a friendly match to Estonia in 1996. Since the qualifying rounds for the UEFA Euro 2000 tournament, Andorra have competed in qualifying for every European Championship and World Cup but have had very little success. They have only ever won three matches, all at home. They have one win in competitive matches, a 1–0 win against Macedonia in the 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying competition.

History

Though the Andorran Football Federation formed in 1994,[2] and the Andorra domestic league started in 1995, the national team could not participate in major championships until it gained affiliation with governing bodies FIFA and UEFA in 1996.[2][3] The national team played its first match against Estonia in Andorra La Vella and lost 6–1.[4]

Andorra's first match in a FIFA-sanctioned competition was a 3–1 loss to Armenia on 5 September 1998 in a qualifier for UEFA Euro 2000. Andorra lost all ten qualifiers for the tournament.[5] The team particularly struggled in away matches; each loss was by at least three goals.[5] Andorra scored only three goals, two of which were penalties,[5] and two of which were in the away matches.[5] Andorra conceded 28 goals,[5] and their biggest defeat of the qualifiers was a 6–1 away loss to Russia.[5]

For their first World Cup qualifying campaign, Andorra were drawn in a group with Cyprus, Estonia, Ireland, the Netherlands and Portugal.[6] They lost their opening match 1–0 loss to Estonia. In the next game, they lost 3–2 to Cyprus but scored their first World Cup qualifying goals.[6] They were again defeated by Estonia, this time 2–1.[6] They lost all their matches and their only away goal was in a 3–1 loss against Ireland.[6] Their worst defeat was 7–1 to Portugal on a neutral ground in Lleida, Spain.[6] Andorra finished the campaign with no points and conceded 36 goals in ten matches.[6]

In the team's qualification campaign for Euro 2004 they again lost every game. They scored their only goal in a 2–1 away loss to Bulgaria.[7] In this competition the scores were closer than before as they lost 3–0 to Bulgaria, Croatia and Belgium, 2–0 twice to Estonia, 2–0 to Croatia and 1–0 to Belgium.[7]

By Andorran standards, qualification for the 2006 World Cup was successful. They won their first competitive game 1–0 at home against Macedonia. Andorra midfielder Marc Bernaus, who played in the Spanish second division, received a long throw in off his chest and volleyed in a goal early in the second half.[8] After the game, Macedonia coach Dragan Kanatlarovski resigned and called the game "a shameful outcome, a humiliation."[9] Andorra also drew two matches, 0–0 in Macedonia and 0–0 at home against Finland.[10] This tournament has been the only one in which Andorra has scored points. In Euro 2008 qualifying, Andorra again lost every game.[11] The closest game was against Russia, a 1–0 defeat on 21 November 2007, which helped Russia qualify at the expense of England.[11] Their biggest defeat was a 7–0 loss to Croatia in Andorra La Vella, which is their worst defeat in UEFA competitions[12] and matched their loss to the Czech Republic as their largest losing deficit. Andorra scored only two goals and conceded 42 in a total of 12 games.[11]

In 2010 World Cup qualifying they lost all ten matches.[13] For the tournament, they scored three goals, in defeats to Belarus and Kazakhstan, and conceded 39 goals, including six in a defeat to England, the largest margin in the group.[13] Qualifying for UEFA Euro 2012 ended in a similar way; they lost all ten matches, scoring only one goal and conceding 25; their best results were two one-goal losses to Slovakia and a 3–1 loss in Ireland.[14] The 2014 World Cup qualifying was even more disastrous, Andorra losing all the matches, conceding 25 goals and not scoring.

Andorra all-time record against all nations

As of 28 March 2016
Against Played Won Drawn Lost GF GA GD % Won
 Albania 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 33.33%
 Armenia 8 0 1 7 2 20 −18 0%
 Azerbaijan 4 0 3 1 1 2 −1 0%
 Belarus 4 1 0 3 4 11 −7 25%
 Belgium 4 0 0 4 1 14 −13 0%
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6 0%
 Brazil 1 0 0 1 0 3 −3 0%
 Bulgaria 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 0%
 China PR 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0%
 Croatia 6 0 0 6 0 24 −24 0%
 Cyprus 5 0 0 5 3 17 −14 0%
 Czech Republic 3 0 0 3 1 13 −12 0%
 England 4 0 0 4 0 16 −16 0%
 Equatorial Guinea 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 0%
 Estonia 11 0 0 11 5 26 −21 0%
 Faroe Islands 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0%
 Finland 2 0 1 1 0 3 −3 0%
 France 3 0 0 3 0 7 −7 0%
 Gabon 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 0%
 Hungary 2 0 0 2 0 7 −7 0%
 Iceland 5 0 0 5 0 14 −14 0%
 Indonesia 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 0%
 Israel 4 0 0 4 2 14 −12 0%
 Kazakhstan 2 0 0 2 1 6 −5 0%
 Latvia 3 0 0 3 1 9 −8 0%
 Liechtenstein 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 0%
 Lithuania 2 0 0 2 1 7 −6 0%
 Macedonia 6 1 1 4 1 9 −8 17%
 Malta 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 0%
 Moldova 4 0 1 3 2 7 −5 0%
 Netherlands 6 0 0 6 0 21 −21 0%
 Poland 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4 0%
 Portugal 3 0 0 3 1 14 −13 0%
 Republic of Ireland 4 0 0 4 2 11 −9 0%
 Romania 4 0 0 4 1 15 −14 0%
 Russia 6 0 0 6 2 21 −19 0%
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 0%
 Slovakia 2 0 0 2 0 2 −2 0%
 Spain 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4 0%
 Turkey 2 0 0 2 0 7 −7 0%
 Ukraine 4 0 0 4 0 17 −17 0%
 Wales 2 0 0 2 1 4 −3 0%
Total 133 3 11 119 37 371 −334 2.25%

° FIFA-unofficial match on February 19th 1998: Andorra – Czech Republic 0–1

Stadium

Andorra's former home stadium, Estadi Comunal d'Andorra la Vella.

From 1996 until 2014 Andorra played their home matches at the Comunal d'Andorra la Vella, in the capital city of Andorra la Vella. This stadium has a capacity of 1,800 and also hosts the matches of club sides FC Andorra and the Andorran Premier League.[15] On 9 September 2014, the national team began playing at the new Estadi Nacional with a capacity of 3,306.

Andorra have occasionally played "home" matches outside their borders. For example, Andorra hosted France and England in the 2000 European Championship, 2008 European Championship and 2010 World Cup qualifiers in the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys in Barcelona, which was the home of RCD Espanyol between 1997 and 2009.[16][17]

Kit suppliers

Kit provider Period
Germany Reusch 1996–2004
England Reebok 2000–2004
Italy Diadora 2004–2006
Spain Joma 2006–2008
Germany Adidas 2008 – present

Reputation

Andorra's dismal record gives them a lowly reputation in world football. The nation has only won one competitive fixture, a 1–0 World Cup qualifying win against Macedonia, and two exhibition games against Belarus (2–0) and Albania (2–0). All matches were played at home.

With the fourth smallest population of any UEFA country,[18] until the admission of Gibraltar, the talent pool is small. Also Andorra is one of the youngest UEFA member association along with Kazakhastan, both founded in 1994. Players are predominantly amateurs because the Andorra domestic league is only part-time. Although, since Andorra began playing in 1996 their average FIFA ranking is 163.[19]

Players and managers

Ildefons Lima is the only Andorran player to have scored more than three career goals for the team; he has nine goals. Lima is also the second-most capped player with 96 appearances. Óscar Sonejee's 105 appearances are the most for the Andorra national team. Koldo has the second-most with 78 caps between 1998 and 2009.[20]

Manuel Miluir was the first coach of the team and managed their first three matches of European Championship qualifying. He departed in 1999 to make way for David Rodrigo, whose first competitive match was a 2–0 European Championship qualifying defeat at home to Iceland on 27 March of that year. Rodrigo had been in charge of the team until February 2010, when it was announced that Koldo took over this role.[21]

In January 2006, the Andorran Football Association named Koldo, their goalkeeper from 1998 to 2009, as their greatest ever player.[22]

Manager history

Player history

Most capped players

Rank Player Caps Goals Years
1 Óscar Sonejee 106 4 1997–2015
2 Ildefons Lima 98 10 1997–
3 Josep Ayala 82 1 2002–
4 Manolo Jiménez 79 1 1998–2012
5 Koldo Álvarez de Eulate 78 0 1998–2009
6 Txema Garcia 71 0 1997–2009
7 Justo Ruiz 67 2 1998–2008
Marc Pujol 67 2 2000–
9 Juli Sánchez 66 1 1996–
10 Jordi Escura 65 0 1998–2011

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Caps Goals Years
1 Ildefons Lima 98 10 1997–
2 Óscar Sonejee 106 4 1997–2015
3 Emiliano González 37 3 1998–2003
Jesús Lucendo 29 3 1996–2003
5 Justo Ruiz 67 2 1998–2008
Marc Pujol 67 2 2000–
Fernando Silva 51 2 2002–2013

Recent results and fixtures

2014

2015

2016

2017

World Cup record

FIFA World Cup record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1930 to 1998Did not enter-------------
South Korea Japan 2002Did not qualify-------100010536
Germany 2006Did not qualify-------12129434
South Africa 2010Did not qualify-------100010339
Brazil 2014Did not qualify-------100010030
Russia 2018 To be determined-------------
Qatar 2022To be determined-------------
Total0/2042123912139

European Championship record

European Championship record Qualification record
Year Round Position Pld W D L GF GA Pld W D L GF GA
1960 to 1996Did not enter-------------
BelgiumNetherlands 2000Did not qualify-------100010328
Portugal 2004Did not qualify-------8008118
AustriaSwitzerland 2008Did not qualify-------120012242
PolandUkraine 2012Did not qualify-------100010125
France 2016Did not qualify-------100010436
Total0/1550005011149

Current squad

Andorra manager Koldo Álvarez named a 18-man squad for the Friendly Match against Moldova on March 28, 2016.
Caps and goals correct as of March 28, 2016, after the match against Moldova.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Josep Gómes (1985-12-03) 3 December 1985 34 0 Spain Illescas
1GK Ferran Pol (1983-02-28) 28 February 1983 22 0 Andorra Andorra
2DF Ildefons Lima (1979-12-10) 10 December 1979 98 10 Andorra FC Santa Coloma
2DF Cristian Martínez (1989-08-23) 23 August 1989 36 1 Andorra FC Santa Coloma
2DF Emili García (1989-01-11) 11 January 1989 31 0 Andorra Andorra
2DF Marc García (1988-03-21) 21 March 1988 29 0 Spain Rubí
2DF Moisés San Nicolás (1993-09-17) 17 September 1993 18 0 Andorra Lusitans
2DF Adri Rodrigues (1988-08-14) 14 August 1988 15 0 Spain Villarrobledo
3MF Josep Ayala (1980-04-08) 8 April 1980 82 1 Andorra Andorra
3MF Marc Pujol (1982-08-21) 21 August 1982 67 2 Andorra FC Santa Coloma
3MF Márcio Vieira (1984-10-10) 10 October 1984 65 0 Spain Atlético Monzón
3MF Marc Vales (1990-04-04) 4 April 1990 39 0 Spain L'Hospitalet
3MF Iván Lorenzo (1986-04-15) 15 April 1986 27 0 Spain Fraga
3MF Carlos Peppe (1983-01-28) 28 January 1983 23 0 Andorra Sant Julià
3MF Víctor Moreira (1982-10-05) 5 October 1982 16 0 Andorra Andorra
3MF Víctor Rodríguez (1987-09-07) 7 September 1987 11 0 Andorra FC Santa Coloma
4FW Ludovic Clemente (1986-05-09) 9 May 1986 13 0 Andorra Andorra
4FW Carlos Gomes (1993-10-18) 18 October 1993 1 0 Andorra Sant Julià

Recent call-ups

The following players have been called up to the Andorra squad in the last 12 months.

Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club Latest call-up
DF Óscar Sonejee (1976-03-26) 26 March 1976 106 4 Andorra Lusitans v.  Saint Kitts and Nevis, 12 November 2015 RET
DF Jordi Rubio (1987-11-01) 1 November 1987 30 0 Andorra UE Santa Coloma v.  Saint Kitts and Nevis, 12 November 2015
DF Marc Rebés (1994-07-03) 3 July 1994 6 0 Andorra FC Santa Coloma v.  Saint Kitts and Nevis, 12 November 2015
DF Jesús Rubio (1994-09-09) 9 September 1994 1 0 Andorra UE Santa Coloma v.  Saint Kitts and Nevis, 12 November 2015
DF Max Llovera (1997-01-08) 8 January 1997 3 0 Spain Lleida Esportiu B v.  Wales, 13 October 2015
FW Juli Sánchez (1978-06-20) 20 June 1978 66 2 Andorra Andorra v.  Saint Kitts and Nevis, 12 November 2015
FW Gabi Riera (1985-06-05) 5 June 1985 34 1 Andorra FC Santa Coloma v.  Saint Kitts and Nevis, 12 November 2015
FW Sebastián Gómez (1983-11-01) 1 November 1983 27 0 Andorra Andorra v.  Saint Kitts and Nevis, 12 November 2015
FW Aarón Sánchez (1996-06-05) 5 June 1996 6 0 Spain Lleida Esportiu B v.  Wales, 13 October 2015
FW Sergi Moreno (1987-11-25) 25 November 1987 54 0 Spain Yeclano v.  Israel, 3 September 2015

RET: player retired from international football
INJ: player withdrewed due to injury

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1  Portugal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Qualification to 2018 FIFA World Cup
1   Switzerland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Possible second round[lower-alpha 1]
1  Hungary 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1  Faroe Islands 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1  Latvia 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
1  Andorra 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
First match(es) will be played on 6 September 2016. Source: FIFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers
Notes:
  1. ↑ The eight best runners-up across all groups will advance to the second round (play-offs). The ninth-ranked runners-up will be eliminated.
  Team has qualified
  Team is assured of at least a play-off spot
  Team is assured of at least second place
  Team cannot qualify directly
  Team has no chance of qualifying

UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification Belgium Wales Bosnia and Herzegovina Israel Cyprus Andorra
1  Belgium 10 7 2 1 24 5 +19 23 Qualify for final tournament — 0–0 3–1 3–1 5–0 6–0
2  Wales 10 6 3 1 11 4 +7 21 1–0 — 0–0 0–0 2–1 2–0
3  Bosnia and Herzegovina 10 5 2 3 17 12 +5 17 Advance to play-offs 1–1 2–0 — 3–1 1–2 3–0
4  Israel 10 4 1 5 16 14 +2 13 0–1 0–3 3–0 — 1–2 4–0
5  Cyprus 10 4 0 6 16 17 −1 12 0–1 0–1 2–3 1–2 — 5–0
6  Andorra 10 0 0 10 4 36 −32 0 1–4 1–2 0–3 1–4 1–3 —
Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers

International goals

Andorra has scored very few goals in competitive internationals (UEFA European Football Championship or FIFA World Cup matches); the list below is comprehensive.

No. Comp.[a] Date Opponent Scorer(s) Final Score[b]
1 ECQ 5 September 1998  Armenia Jesús Lucendo (pen) 1–3
2 ECQ 31 March 1999  Russia Emiliano González 1–6
3 ECQ 8 September 1999  Russia Justo Ruiz 1–2
4 WCQ 2 September 2000  Cyprus Emiliano González 2–3[c]
5 Ildefons Lima
6 WCQ 7 October 2000  Estonia Justo Ruiz 1–2
7 WCQ 25 April 2001  Republic of Ireland Ildefons Lima 1–3
8 WCQ 1 September 2001  Portugal Roberto Jonas 1–7
9 ECQ 16 October 2002  Bulgaria Antoni Lima 1–2
10 WCQ 8 September 2004  Romania Marc Pujol 1–5
11 WCQ 13 October 2004  Macedonia Marc Bernaus 1–0[d]
12 WCQ 26 March 2005  Armenia Fernando Silva 1–2
13 WCQ 4 June 2005  Czech Republic Gabriel Riera 1–8
14 ECQ 6 September 2006  Israel Juli Fernández 1–4
15 ECQ 22 August 2007  Estonia Fernando Silva 1–2
16 WCQ 10 September 2008  Belarus Marc Pujol (pen) 1–3
17 WCQ 6 June 2009  Belarus Ildefons Lima (pen) 1–5
18 WCQ 9 September 2009  Kazakhstan Óscar Sonejee 1–3
19 ECQ 7 September 2010  Republic of Ireland Cristian Martínez 1–3
20 ECQ 9 September 2014  Wales Ildefons Lima (pen) 1–2
21 ECQ 13 October 2014  Israel Ildefons Lima (pen) 1–4
22 ECQ 12 June 2015  Cyprus Dossa Júnior (o.g.) 1–3
23 ECQ 10 October 2015  Belgium Ildefons Lima (pen) 1–2

a ECQ = UEFA European Football Championship qualification match, WCQ = FIFA World Cup qualification match
b The Andorra score is always listed first.
c The Andorra-Cyprus match in 2000 is the only game Andorra has scored two goals in any competitive match.
d The Andorra-Macedonia match in 2004 is the only competitive match Andorra has won.

Notes

  1. ↑ Andorra Players → most appearances
  2. 1 2 "Association information – Andorra". FIFA. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  3. ↑ "The Association – Andorra". UEFA. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  4. ↑ "Andorra – List of International Matches 1996–2002". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "European Championship 2000". RSSSF. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "World Cup 2002 qualifications". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
  7. 1 2 "European Championship 2004". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 25 June 2010. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
  8. ↑ "Soccer: Andorra scores its first World Cup victory". The New York Times. 14 October 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  9. ↑ "Macedonia's coach offers resignation". Associated Press (Sports Illustrated). 14 October 2004. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  10. ↑ "World Cup 2006 qualifications". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
  11. 1 2 3 "European Championship 2008". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
  12. ↑ "General info – Andorra". UEFA. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  13. 1 2 "World Cup 2010 qualifications". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
  14. ↑ "Euro 2012 qualifying tables". BBC. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  15. ↑ "Estadi Comunal d Aixovall". Football-Lineups.com. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  16. ↑ "European Championship 2008 detailed information". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
  17. ↑ "World Cup 2010 qualifications detailed information". RSSSF. Retrieved 2010-07-21.
  18. ↑ James Appell (8 September 2010). "It's raining… apples?". The Football Ramble. Retrieved 21 July 2011.
  19. ↑ "FIFA Rankings – Andorra". FIFA. Retrieved 2011-07-20.
  20. ↑ "Andorra – Record International Players". RSSSF. Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 2011-07-21.
  21. ↑ "Álvarez assumes Andorra mantle". UEFA.com. 2010-02-02. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
  22. ↑ "The UEFA Jubilee 52 Golden Players". rsssf. 2006-12-21. Retrieved 2011-10-04.

References

External links

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