Gibraltar fail to deliver win with home advantage against Andorra

It was not the starting eleven used against São Tomé and Príncipe. However, after using 22 players in that international friendly, Wiseman was always expected to use an eleven combination he had not used before.

There were few surprises in the starting eleven, except perhaps the inclusion of Borge and Ronan.

Gibraltar had played Andorra three times before and won twice, but all three matches had been friendlies. This was their first competitive meeting, and with Andorra having lost against Malta, the stakes were far higher.

An over 1,500-strong crowd, although not the largest, greeted the young Gibraltar team. It was a heated start, with just 30 seconds played when Tjay De Barr and an Andorra defender were spoken to.

The opening minutes saw Gibraltar moving the ball around comfortably, with Tjay involved as a central focal point. De Barr and Scanlon were receiving the type of unwanted attention from harsh Andorra tackles, with the visitors stamping their mark early.

On the fourth minute, Borge found De Barr free on a quick counter, putting everyone on the edge of their seats. De Barr took on one defender but lost possession as he tried to sidestep into space for a shot.

It took Andorra some time to settle, but their first offensive move pushed Gibraltar back threateningly after six minutes, sending a warning that this was between two evenly matched sides.

Banda reacted well on the eighth minute to a snatched shot at goal, while De Barr was booked a minute later.

The tight battle through the middle continued, with Gibraltar having the better of possession. On 19 minutes, Borge found Scanlon, who set up De Barr on the run to slice open Andorra. His low cross through the goalmouth, however, had nobody there to meet it, with Borge and Mason slow to arrive.

The fouls continued on De Barr as the first half progressed, eventually bringing complaints from the Gibraltar captain and bench. Andorra defender De Las Heras was booked and would miss their next match.

Andorra sat deep in the final quarter of the half, particularly vigilant of the combination of De Barr, Scanlon and Valarino on the left, which created a close-control element to the game.

Bent and Lopes commanded defensively, providing confidence at the back and keeping Andorra away from threatening Banda’s goal.

Despite Gibraltar continuing to knock on the door, the first half ended goalless. Andorra’s greater overall possession was reflected in the statistics, although Gibraltar had looked more threatening when in offensive possession.

Andorra tightened up and slowed the pace at the start of the second half, pushing Gibraltar onto the back foot. A dangerous ball across the Gibraltar goal on 52 minutes provided an early warning.

Wiseman responded by bringing on Gomez and Richards for Mason and Borge, pushing De Barr further forward while Gomez took a more central attacking role.

Andorra continued to frustrate Gibraltar, but began adding more aggression to their attacking play. On 70 minutes, Ronan made a timely block through the centre of defence to send a Rodrigo shot over the bar after Andorra had swept past the defence.

Moments later, Jolley came on for the injured Pozo and immediately made a block with his first touch. Banda then produced a save, followed by a Valarino goalline clearance as Gibraltar momentarily scrambled to stay in the game.

Gibraltar responded at the other end, with Richards forcing a corner and Lopes heading into a block as both sides searched for the breakthrough.

Scanlon and Valarino were replaced by Bartolo and Pons in the 76th minute, while Torrilla was booked two minutes later.

Andorra then came within inches of taking the lead when a ball was driven across goal with their forward failing to make contact just feet from the line.

De Barr responded by running at the defence and sending his shot wide, while Bartolo’s presence was beginning to cause concern as Gibraltar pushed forward.

With three minutes of injury time indicated, Gibraltar defended deep for an Andorra free kick before quickly switching to attack, Jolley racing down the flank and sending a ball through which was diverted for a corner.

The referee instead blew for a foul against Gibraltar, bringing the match to an end at 0-0.

The result keeps Gibraltar’s four-match unbeaten run intact, but neither side will have been pleased with the outcome. With Andorra having already lost to Malta, the three points were crucial in a three-team group where Gibraltar still have to travel to Malta and face Andorra again before hosting Malta.