La Tania does football – The England Tournament Blog
How many years of hurt?
The #EnglandAway Tournament Blog documenting our travels and misery watch the England National Football Team away from the ski season. The Ski Blog is at www.latania.co.uk/blog and there's more football stuff at La Tania does football...
#EnglandAway – Andorra in Barcelona
It might be only Andorra but once it was announced it would be in Barca we had to go. A great city by the Sea and a lot of fun!
One of the best “Long Lunches” we’ve ever had at our favourite Salamanca outdoor restaurant near the beach followed by sunset at a beach bar with sand under our feet (and no spoiling the day with the match the following day) A MISTAKE… We spoilt the next day!
One of the worst hangovers ever on match day. And the less said about the game the better. Our worst win ever? But a great group, good to see the Wolves lads again and some other fans we hadn’t seen since the Germany tournament.
Andorra 0–1 England – World Cup Qualifier
(7 June 2025, Barcelona)
England squeezed out a 1–0 win over Andorra in their World Cup qualifying match at the RCDE Stadium in Barcelona. Harry Kane scored the only goal early in the second half.
Match Summary
- Final score: Andorra 0–1 England
- Goal: Harry Kane (50’)
- Venue: RCDE Stadium, Barcelona
- Attendance: 8,872
Why the game was played in Barcelona
The bigger ground also made it easier to host more fans—especially the travelling England supporters.
Andorra’s Estadi Nacional wasn’t available because it was being used for the Games of the Small States of Europe.
The RCDE Stadium (home of Espanyol) was chosen instead.
That cruise ship we spotted? Only the one we stayed on moored up on Doha (when it was brand new) for the Qatar World Cup!
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Dear England – Play Review
Finally got around to see this play at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle last night and it was absolutely superb.
So many memories of England games home and away with the original commentaries of super tense moments, great victories, the dreaded penalty shootouts (but then actually winning one) and then getting to semi-finals and finals.
The story is told of Southgate’s philosophy, team building and psychology efforts with his back room staff. A bit of politics of the time thrown in too A really great stuff and very, very emotional. It really was some trip with Gareth – He’s the One!
Script and cast were fantastic and the portrayal of Gareth, Kane, Lineker and Pickford as a nutter plus load of others was so good. Managers including Big Sam, Sven, Capello and Graham Taylor were played so well – even a bit of Thomas Tuchel at the end!
Highly recommended.
Dear England is a play all about Gareth Southgate — yes, the England manager with the famously calm vibes — and the huge pressures that come with elite football. It dives into how the England men’s team fits into the national mood, and how Southgate managed to shake up old ideas of masculinity within the squad.
Written by James Graham, it first hit the stage at the National Theatre in London back in June 2023, with Joseph Fiennes taking on the role of Southgate and Rupert Goold directing. And the title? It’s taken from the heartfelt open letter Southgate wrote to England fans in 2021, right in the middle of the pandemic.
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#EnglandAway – Latvia
Quite a surprise getting tickets for this one so we had to go. A 3 night mini break, a lovely hotel and spa but appalling weather….
A first England visit to Riga so a lot of old school here ticking it off. The usual range of Irish Bars, a fake Hard Rock Café and an English Guinness establishment.
Not of a lot of sightseeing with the weather but we struggled on through! Never book an early flight after an England win away… yes one of our lot missed his flight on the Wednesday morning after the game – schoolboy error!
An impressive 5-0 victory that secured
England’s place in the 2026 World Cup finals.
Match Summary
- Result: Latvia 0 – 5 England
- Date: 14 October 2025
- Location: Daugavas Stadions, Riga, Latvia
- Significance: England became the first UEFA team to qualify for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico.
Goal Scorers and Key Events
- Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in the 26th minute.
- Harry Kane scored a quick brace just before halftime, with a goal from outside the box and a penalty kick. This took his international goal tally to 76.
- A Maksims Toņiševs own goal extended England’s lead in the 58th minute.
- Eberechi Eze completed the scoring in the 86th minute with a goal into the bottom corner.
- England’s goalkeeper Jordan Pickford achieved a record ninth consecutive clean sheet.
Under the management of Thomas Tuchel, England maintained a perfect qualifying record up to that point, with five wins, zero goals conceded, and an impressive goal difference.
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Another trip to Wembley – the last for a while… Serbia (h)
Could be the poorest away following in history at the new Wembley. Some interesting spells of play but another borefest really.
A 2-0 win with goals from Saka and Eze kept up Englands perfect qualification record playing 7 winning 7 and not conceding.
Ended up playing with AI instead of seriously organising our USA trip next Summer – more on that after the draw in December.
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The Final of Euro 2024 in Berlin
The disappointment of losing to Spain 2-1 meant that this post never got published until years later.
The size of Germany now realised. While it only took around 4 hours to cross the German border from Calais – from Dortmund we’re looking at an 8 hour drive to Berlin (and that means 12 hours back to Calais after the final)…
Some flew, some went by train, a desperate search for tickets and flight for those who want to come out for the final from the UK. Our extended group surprisingly doing ok for tickets – ticking that Final box just in case, on ticket applications at the start of the year, at last coming good!
Not a lot of optimism going in to the game – we look at our performances and opposition and then those of Spain and it’s easy to see why.
We make the most of Berlin though and re-create a walking tour from a Stag Do many years ago and see all the main sights including the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag Building, Checkpoint Charlie, The remains of the Berlin Wall and the Holocaust Memorial – a very powerful and somber tribute consisting of 2,711 concrete slabs in a wave-like grid formation.
The food and drink flowed once again, a venue planned for the long lunch and the city was simply full of football fans…
Spain 2–1 England – Euro 2024 Final
(14 July 2024, Berlin)
Spain edged out England 2–1 in the Euro 2024 final at the Olympiastadion, lifting their fourth European Championship title.
Scorers:
- Spain: Nico Williams, Mikel Oyarzabal
- England: Cole Palmer
Match Details:
- After a tight, goalless first half, Nico Williams fired Spain into the lead in the 47th minute.
- Cole Palmer brought England level in the 73rd minute with a cool finish.
- But in the 86th minute, Mikel Oyarzabal struck the winner, sealing the trophy for Spain.
Spain take the crown. England fall just short—again.
