Qualification for the 2026 World Cup: Andorra«s national team did not give up against the footballers of Latvia 0 42

In the Latvian national team, goals were scored by Dmitrijs Zelenskovs and Vladislavs Gutkovskis.

About 15 minutes after the start of the match, Gutkovskis tried to organize a counterattack after a long pass, but he could not properly control the ball and take a shot at the opponent's goal.

In the middle of the first half, the Andorrans tried to play the ball and penetrate the Latvian penalty area, but the Latvian footballers managed to intercept the pass and stop the attempt to attack. A few minutes later, Andorra's defender Joel Guillen received a yellow card for a foul against Gutkovskis.

In the 33rd minute, Moises San Nicolas scored with a precise shot from close range, putting Andorra ahead after a pass from Berto Rosas from the byline.

In the second half of the first half, the Latvians intensified their attacking actions and in the 40th minute earned a corner kick. Robert Savāļnieks crossed into the penalty area, the guests cleared the first shot, but Zelenskovs was first to the rebound and sent it into the Andorran goal, leveling the score.

At the start of the second half, the Latvian national team immediately made a triple substitution — Janis Ikauņieks, Robert Veips, and Lukas Vapne came on for Dario Šits, Raivis Jurkovskis, and Alexey Saveliev.

Eight minutes after the start of the second half, Gutkovskis earned a penalty by provoking a foul in the opponent's penalty area, and he converted it himself, putting Latvia ahead for the first time in the match.

However, in the 62nd minute, after a cross from Savāļnieks into the opponent's penalty area, Gutkovskis headed the ball into the net, but after VAR intervention, the goal was disallowed due to offside. Six minutes later, Savāļnieks received a warning.

Ten minutes before the end of regular time, Latvian goalkeeper Kristjānis Zviēdris failed to stop a shot from Jean Oliveira, and Andorra equalized — 2:2.

In the remaining time of the match, the Latvians made their final substitutions: Ingars Puliš and Eduards Daškēvičs came on for Zelenskovs and Savāļnieks.

In stoppage time, Guillen received a second yellow card, and the Andorrans finished the match with ten men. However, the guests wasted time, and the Latvian national team could not snatch a victory.

The leader of Group K in the qualification with 15 points after five games is England, with Albania having eight points, and Serbia seven points in four matches. The Latvian footballers have earned five points after six games, while Andorra has one.

In the first two qualification games in March, Latvia won away against Andorra 1:0 and lost to England 0:3. In June, they drew 1:1 at home against Albania, and in September, they lost 0:1 at home to Serbia and away to Albania.

After the March match against Latvia, Andorra lost away to Albania 0:3, lost at home to England 0:1 in June, and lost away to Serbia 0:3. In September, they again lost away to England 0:2.

In September, the Andorrans also played a friendly match in Tallinn, drawing 0:0 with Estonia.

The Latvian national team currently ranks 137th in the world ranking, while Andorra is 174th.

On Tuesday, the Latvians will also play at home against the England national team.

The final tournament of the World Cup with 48 teams will take place in Canada, Mexico, and the USA in June–July 2026.