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Babot and Andorra: Defeat against England feels like a win!
Pau Babot from SC 1960 Hanau impressed in the World Cup qualifier for Andorra against England, despite a narrow defeat in Barcelona.
Babot and Andorra: Defeat against England feels like a win!
The football world stands still when a small country like Andorra asserts its place on the big stage. In a thrilling World Cup qualifying encounter, Andorra met the English football stars in Barcelona on June 7, 2025. Despite a 0-1 defeat, the result felt like a small victory for the national players op-online.de reported.
Pau Babot, Andorra national player and currently under contract with Hessenliga club SC 1960 Hanau, gave his best in this historic game for Andorra. With only 17% ball possession and a corner ratio of 0:12, the statistics prove that Andorra fought bravely against the overpowering English. Harry Kane scored the only goal of the game in the 50th minute after missing another chance in the first half, as sportschau.de reports.
A special experience
For Babot, the encounter was more than just a fight for points. He watched with great attention Jude Bellingham, against whom he was used at set pieces. Unfortunately, Babot had to leave the game a quarter of an hour before the end due to an injury and was unable to play in the subsequent qualifying game against Serbia. A downer remains, as sixth place in the group means that Andorra's hope of participating in the World Cup is dwindling. The team is still waiting for its first goal in qualifying, with its next chance coming on September 6th when the second leg against England takes place.
The game ended not only with a manageable score for Andorra, but also with boos from the English fans given their team's disappointing performance. Coach Thomas Tuchel was still able to celebrate his third win in the third game, and England remains on course for the 2026 World Cup, where only the group winner will qualify directly.
The switch to Rot-Weiß Walldorf
After the exciting game, Pau Babot has decided to close his chapter at SC 1960 Hanau. He was given a fitting farewell at a team evening. In the summer he will move to Rot-Weiß Walldorf, one of the top teams in the Hessenliga. This move marks a new phase in his career after he missed the district cup final.
Andorra may only be in 173rd place in the FIFA world rankings, but in the world of football it's not just how high you rank, but more importantly how you fight. And Andorra demonstrated that impressively in the game against England – with courage, heart and a large portion of pride. Let's wait and see what the upcoming games will bring.
Other developments are also of interest in the football world, such as the new FIFA world rankings, which show that France is back at the top for the first time since 2002, while other teams such as Germany and Argentina have fallen in the rankings. You can find out more about this at vol.at.