Wednesday, 5th August 2026
Khabor Wala Desk
Published: 8th June 2025, 8:55 PM
BARCELONA, 8 June 2025 (BSS/AFP) – England maintained their World Cup qualifying momentum with an unconvincing 1–0 win over lowly-ranked Andorra, while the Netherlands and Austria began their campaigns with composed victories on Saturday.
Kane the Saviour in Barcelona
Harry Kane netted his 72nd international goal to spare England’s blushes, securing a narrow win against Andorra, ranked 173rd in the world. Despite the result, England’s performance drew boos from the Barcelona crowd, with manager Thomas Tuchel expressing disappointment in his squad’s lacklustre display.
“We lost momentum and couldn’t recover it,” Tuchel admitted. “The urgency just wasn’t there, especially in the final 20 minutes. This is a World Cup qualifier, and the performance did not match the occasion.”
Despite the underwhelming showing, Tuchel has become the first England manager to win his opening three competitive fixtures without conceding a goal. Yet, critics argue that victories over Andorra, Latvia, and Albania do little to truly test the Three Lions’ credentials.
Group K Standings After Matchday 3
| Position | Team | Played | Points | Goal Difference |
| 1 | England | 3 | 9 | +5 |
| 2 | Albania | 3 | 4 | +1 |
| 3 | Serbia | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | Latvia | 2 | 1 | -1 |
| 5 | Andorra | 3 | 0 | -5 |
Note: Albania missed a key opportunity to stay close to England after Rey Manaj failed to convert a penalty in first-half stoppage time against Serbia, resulting in a 0–0 draw.
Netherlands Cruise Past Finland in Group G Opener
The Netherlands made an impressive start to their qualification campaign with a 2–0 away win over Finland in Helsinki. Memphis Depay opened the scoring in the sixth minute, while Denzel Dumfries – bouncing back from disappointment in the Champions League final – added a second after 23 minutes.
The Dutch leapfrogged Lithuania and Malta into third place in Group G, just behind Finland and leaders Poland, who were not in action.
Group G Snapshot
| Position | Team | Played | Points |
| 1 | Poland | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | Finland | 3 | 6 |
| 3 | Netherlands | 1 | 3 |
| 4 | Lithuania | 3 | 2 |
| 5 | Malta | 3 | 2 |
Austria Edge Romania in Vienna
Austria made a winning start in Group H with a 2–1 victory over Romania in Vienna. Goals from Marcel Sabitzer and Michael Gregoritsch gave the hosts control before Florin Tănase pulled one back in added time. Romania created several late chances but failed to capitalise.
Group H Snapshot
| Position | Team | Played | Points |
| 1 | Bosnia & Herzegovina | 3 | 9 |
| 2 | Romania | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Cyprus | 2 | 3 |
| 4 | Austria | 1 | 3 |
| 5 | San Marino | 3 | 0 |
Bosnia and Herzegovina lead the group after Edin Džeko scored the only goal in a 1–0 win over San Marino.
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