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 Ildefonso Lima (10)
Home stadium Estadi Nacional, Andorra la Vella
FIFA code AND
First colours
Second colours
FIFA ranking
Current 203 Steady (24 November 2016)
Highest 125 (September 2005)
Lowest 206 (December 2011)
Elo ranking
Current 193 (12 October 2016)
Highest 171 (February 2005, September 2005)
Lowest 193 (September 2015 – present)
First international
 Andorra 1–6 Estonia 
(Andorra la Vella, Andorra; 13 November 1996)
Biggest win
 Andorra 2–0 Belarus 
(Aixovall, 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]

Match against Ukraine in 2009.

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]

Against Israel in 2015.

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 30 goals and not scoring.

At 2016 UEFA Euro qualifying, Andorra lost again all its ten games but scored four goals, its record in a qualifying group for a European Championship.

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
United States 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 and Óscar Sonejee are the only Andorran players to have scored more than three career goals for the team; Lima has ten goals and Sonejee 4. Lima is also the second-most capped player with 101 appearances. Óscar Sonejee's 106 appearances are the most for the Andorra national team.

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.[20]

In January 2006, the Andorran Football Association named Koldo, their goalkeeper from 1998 to 2009, as their greatest ever player.[21]

Manager history

Player history

Most capped players

Rank Player Caps Goals Years
1 Óscar Sonejee 106 4 1997–2015
2 Ildefons Lima 103 10 1997–
3 Josep Ayala 83 1 2002–
4 Manolo Jiménez 79 1 1998–2012
5 Koldo Álvarez de Eulate 78 0 1998–2009
6 Marc Pujol 72 2 2000–
7 Márcio Vieira 71 0 2005–
7 Txema Garcia 71 0 1997–2009
9 Juli Sánchez 67 1 1996–
9 Justo Ruiz 67 2 1998–2008

Top goalscorers

Rank Player Caps Goals Years
1 Ildefons Lima 103 10 1997–
2 Óscar Sonejee 106 4 1997–2015
3 Emiliano González 37 3 1998–2003
Jesús Lucendo 29 3 1996–2003
5 Marc Pujol 72 2 2000–
Justo Ruiz 67 2 1998–2008
Fernando Silva 51 2 2002–2013

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-------300319
Qatar 2022To be determined-------------
Total0/2045124213148

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

2018 FIFA World Cup qualification

{{2018 FIFA World Cup qualification – UEFA Group B table | expanded =yes | fixtures =yes }}

  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


Recent results and fixtures

2015

2016

2017

Andorra all-time record against all nations

As of 8 October 2016
Against P W D L GF GA GD Win %
 Albania 3 1 0 2 2 4 −2 .333
 Armenia 8 0 1 7 2 20 −18 .000
 Azerbaijan 5 0 4 1 1 2 −1 .000
 Belarus 4 1 0 3 4 11 −7 .250
 Belgium 4 0 0 4 1 14 −13 .000
 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2 0 0 2 0 6 −6 .000
 Brazil 1 0 0 1 0 3 −3 .000
 Bulgaria 2 0 0 2 1 5 −4 .000
 China PR 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .000
 Croatia 6 0 0 6 0 24 −24 .000
 Cyprus 5 0 0 5 3 17 −14 .000
 Czech Republic 2 0 0 2 1 12 −11 .000
 England 4 0 0 4 0 16 −16 .000
 Equatorial Guinea 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 .000
 Estonia 12 0 0 12 5 28 −23 .000
 Faroe Islands 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 .000
 Finland 2 0 1 1 0 3 −3 .000
 France 3 0 0 3 0 7 −7 .000
 Gabon 1 0 0 1 0 2 −2 .000
 Hungary 2 0 0 2 0 7 −7 .000
 Iceland 5 0 0 5 0 14 −14 .000
 Indonesia 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 .000
 Israel 4 0 0 4 2 14 −12 .000
 Kazakhstan 2 0 0 2 1 6 −5 .000
 Latvia 4 0 0 4 1 10 −9 .000
 Liechtenstein 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 .000
 Lithuania 2 0 0 2 1 7 −6 .000
 Macedonia 6 1 1 4 1 9 −8 .167
 Malta 2 0 2 0 2 2 0 .000
 Moldova 4 0 1 3 2 7 −5 .000
 Netherlands 6 0 0 6 0 21 −21 .000
 Poland 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4 .000
 Portugal 4 0 0 4 1 20 −19 .000
 Republic of Ireland 4 0 0 4 2 11 −9 .000
 Romania 4 0 0 4 1 15 −14 .000
 Russia 6 0 0 6 2 21 −19 .000
 Saint Kitts and Nevis 1 0 0 1 0 1 −1 .000
 Slovakia 2 0 0 2 0 2 −2 .000
 Spain 1 0 0 1 0 4 −4 .000
  Switzerland 1 0 0 1 1 2 −1 .000
 Turkey 2 0 0 2 0 7 −7 .000
 Ukraine 4 0 0 4 0 17 −17 .000
 Wales 2 0 0 2 1 4 −3 .000
Total 138 3 12 123 38 382 −344 .022

° FIFA-unofficial match on February 19, 1998 between Andorra – Czech Republic (0–1) is not included.

Current squad

Andorra manager Koldo Álvarez named a 24-man squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup qualification matches against Hungary on November 13, 2016.
Caps and goals correct as of November 13, 2016, after the match against Hungary.

0#0 Pos. Player Date of birth (age) Caps Goals Club
1 1GK Josep Gómes (1985-12-03) 3 December 1985 38 0 Spain Illescas
13 1GK Ferran Pol (1983-02-28) 28 February 1983 24 0 Andorra Andorra
5 2DF Emili García (1989-01-11) 11 January 1989 35 0 Andorra Andorra
23 2DF Jordi Rubio (1987-11-01) 1 November 1987 34 0 Andorra UE Santa Coloma
21 2DF Marc García (1988-03-21) 21 March 1988 33 0 Spain Manlleu
15 2DF Moisés San Nicolás (1993-09-17) 17 September 1993 23 0 Andorra Lusitans
4 2DF Adri Rodrigues (1988-08-14) 14 August 1988 15 0 Spain Quintanar del Rey
20 2DF Max Llovera (1997-01-08) 8 January 1997 9 0 Spain Lleida Esportiu
19 2DF Jesús Rubio (1994-09-09) 9 September 1994 3 0 Andorra UE Santa Coloma
7 3MF Marc Pujol (1982-08-21) 21 August 1982 72 2 Andorra Andorra
8 3MF Márcio Vieira (1984-10-10) 10 October 1984 71 0 Spain Atlético Monzón
3 3MF Marc Vales (1990-04-04) 4 April 1990 45 0 Finland SJK
2 3MF Cristian Martínez (1989-08-23) 23 August 1989 42 1 Andorra Andorra
17 3MF Víctor Moreira (1982-10-05) 5 October 1982 18 0 Andorra Andorra
22 3MF Víctor Rodríguez (1987-09-07) 7 September 1987 15 0 Andorra FC Santa Coloma
11 3MF Jordi Aláez (1998-01-23) 23 January 1998 5 0 Andorra Andorra
9 4FW Juli Sánchez (1978-06-20) 20 June 1978 67 2 Andorra UE Santa Coloma
16 4FW Alexandre Martínez (1998-10-10) 10 October 1998 4 1 Andorra Andorra

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 Ildefons Lima (1979-12-10) 10 December 1979 103 10 Andorra FC Santa Coloma v.   Switzerland, 10 October 2016
DF Marc Rebés (1994-07-03) 3 July 1994 8 0 Andorra FC Santa Coloma v.  Portugal, 7 October 2016
MF Sergi Moreno (1987-11-25) 25 November 1987 55 0 Spain Ontinyent v.  Latvia, 6 September 2016
MF Josep Ayala (1980-04-08) 8 April 1980 83 1 Andorra UE Santa Coloma v.  Estonia, 1 June 2016
MF Iván Lorenzo (1986-04-15) 15 April 1986 28 0 Spain Benabarre v.  Estonia, 1 June 2016
MF Carlos Peppe (1983-01-28) 28 January 1983 23 0 Andorra Andorra v.  Moldova, 28 March 2016
FW Gabi Riera (1985-06-05) 5 June 1985 28 1 Andorra FC Santa Coloma v.   Switzerland, 10 October 2016
FW Ludovic Clemente (1986-05-09) 9 May 1986 16 0 Andorra Andorra v.  Portugal, 7 October 2016
FW Aarón Sánchez (1996-06-05) 5 June 1996 8 0 Andorra Andorra v.  Estonia, 1 June 2016
FW Andreu Matos (1995-12-01) 1 December 1995 2 0 Andorra FC Santa Coloma v.  Estonia, 1 June 2016
FW Carlos Gomes (1993-10-18) 18 October 1993 1 0 Andorra Sant Julià v.  Moldova, 28 March 2016

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

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
24 WCQ 10 October 2016   Switzerland Àlex Martínez 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. ↑ "Álvarez assumes Andorra mantle". UEFA.com. 2010-02-02. Retrieved 2011-10-04.
  21. ↑ "The UEFA Jubilee 52 Golden Players". rsssf. 2006-12-21. Retrieved 2011-10-04.

References

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/25/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.