Andorra 0-3 England
European Championship 2008 Qualifier, Group E
8pm, Wednesday 28 March 2007
Estadi Olímpic de Montjuïc, Barcelona
Current group standings - click here
Archive: England's record with Andorra - click here
Steven Gerrard said it was a “good day” in the end for England in Barcelona but admitted the first half against Andorra was one of his hardest games in an England shirt.
The Liverpool skipper was England’s hero with a dynamic central midfield display andthe first two goals to eventually break down Andorra in the 3-0 victory.
But a goalless first-half led to frustration from fans and players alike, and Gerrard said: “The first half was probably one of the most difficult 45 minutes I have experienced for England.
“With five along the back and four in midfield we found it hard to break them down but we knew eventually if we were patient it would come and when it did we could have scored four or five goals.
“It was difficult out there with a lot of pressure on. The fans expected us to beat Israel and so did we, so we let them down really by dropping two points, but we got three tonight and we move on.
“We showed a lot of character in the second-half, moved the ball quicker and created a lot more opportunities and I think the fans have got to be pleased with the second half performance.
“It’s not as easy as just going out and rolling teams over, especially if they have a lot of men behind the ball. It’s not easy to break them down.
“The difference in the end was they weren’t as fit as us, and eventually we wore them down.”
After Gerrard scored the first two goals, debutant David Nugent nudged Jermain Defoe’s shot over the line to make it 3-0 in the closing stages and the Liverpool man said: “It’s a good day but I’m more pleased with the three points and a difficult win and now we need to move on and get another one against Estonia.”