Andorra comes away with second win against Gibraltar

Gibraltar women’s national coach Stella Gotal could not conclude her first trip away with the squad with a win. Their second encounter against Andorra saw the hosts claim a 3-1 victory — their fourth against Gibraltar. However, Gibraltar walked off the field knowing that, while there is still work to be done, Gotal’s presence — following on from Wiseman’s earlier progress — has already brought a new perspective to the team’s development and prospects.

Andorra started strongly, attacking Gibraltar from the kick-off. Having scored two late goals in their previous meeting to make it three wins from three, they entered with confidence.
Gibraltar responded quickly, with Chapman taking on defenders down the wing and earning Gibraltar’s first corner after just two minutes. Viagas’ pressure in the box forced a second corner, though the delivery was just inches too high.

Keeping the pressure on, Gibraltar managed to pin Andorra back temporarily in their own half. The hosts attempted a quick counter, but the Gibraltar goalkeeper was alert to the threat and comfortably intercepted a cross into the area. The opening five minutes saw Gibraltar apply enough pressure to subdue Andorra’s early momentum.

Playing at a different venue, this was a very different game — Gibraltar held a more advanced line, which occasionally left them exposed. Andorra began to exploit the space behind the defence with long balls. The first two attempts were well dealt with by the keeper, but the third found its target: an Andorra forward broke through one-on-one and slotted past the keeper to give the hosts a 1-0 lead after ten minutes.

Despite the setback, Gibraltar continued to threaten with pace and pressure, though they had yet to properly test the Andorra goalkeeper. The hosts maintained most of the possession, but Gibraltar were forced into an early change on the 21st minute due to injury. From the resulting free kick, a floated cross found substitute Lawrence, who flicked a header to the far post to beat the keeper with her first touch and level the score.

The equaliser rattled the hosts, with Gibraltar maintaining their forward momentum immediately after the goal. Andorra soon regained composure and resumed their possession game, though they were forced into quicker transitions as Gibraltar held their defensive shape.

A mistake in Andorra’s defence — a short pass across the back — allowed Chapman to regain possession and lay the ball off to Robba, who tried an ambitious long-range effort to catch the goalkeeper off her line. The Andorra keeper, however, recovered in time to catch comfortably.

Approaching the half-hour mark, Andorra tested Brooke Williams, who stood firm to block a close-range header. Solid defending saw Gibraltar track back quickly to halt another counter-attack at the halfway line. Andorra kept pushing but could only muster a tame header into Williams’ hands on 32 minutes, followed by another effort at the near post that she parried superbly.

From the touchline, Gotal guided her players as they absorbed the pressure, maintaining discipline and moving forward as a unit. However, on 35 minutes, another ball over the top caught Gibraltar out. A lobbed effort struck the crossbar, and the rebound fell kindly to an Andorra forward — but once again, Brooke Williams dived bravely at the player’s feet to smother the ball.

Moments later, Gibraltar were back on the attack. Chapman was shown a yellow card for a late sliding tackle on the Andorra keeper — fortunate not to see red. Undeterred, Gilbert regained possession and tested the keeper with a strike from the edge of the box.

As the first half neared its end, Gibraltar pressed forward once more, with Robba narrowly missing the target. Andorra then received a yellow card for a deliberate handball as Gibraltar tried to launch a quick counter. The final minutes saw chances at both ends, and a foul by Lawrence near the edge of the box gave Andorra a free kick, which curled just over the top corner.

The second half began with Andorra immediately putting pressure on Gibraltar’s goal. In the 52nd minute, a slow defensive clearance allowed a shot that drifted just wide. Three minutes later, a through ball split Gibraltar’s defence, and Andorra scored their second of the night — Marina Fernández finding the net with her final touch before being substituted to a standing ovation.

Gibraltar struggled to mount a response, finding it difficult to break through Andorra’s midfield as the match entered its final twenty minutes. The hosts felt aggrieved by two referee decisions — a foul given to Gibraltar and a goal kick after a deflection they believed had come off a defender. Still, Andorra kept Gibraltar pinned deep in their own half.

As both sides tired in the final fifteen minutes, the tempo slowed. Andorra dominated possession, forcing Gibraltar into a deeper defensive line. The energy and link-up play that had helped Gibraltar create earlier chances began to fade, and Gotal’s side increasingly adopted a flat back five to cope with the pressure.

Mindful of the two late goals conceded in their previous match, Gibraltar focused on protecting their goal. However, in the 80th minute, a naive challenge from behind on an Andorra player near the left edge of the box resulted in a penalty. It was another harsh lesson for a side still learning to manage fatigue and defensive concentration in the late stages. Andorra converted from the spot to make it 3-1.

With six minutes left, Gibraltar struggled to find the energy needed to stage a comeback — underlining the physical fitness gap that still needs addressing across the squad. Brooke Williams produced another fine save late on, diving bravely at an Andorra forward’s feet to prevent a fourth goal.

The double-header against Andorra has provided Stella Gotal with a much clearer picture of her players’ current fitness levels and the areas that need development as Gibraltar continue to build for the future.