7 Jun 24
FIFA World Cup Qualifier Group K
Andorra v England
RCDE Stadium
Barcelona, Spain
The 18 page official 'pirate' programme for this World cup Qualifier in Group K was decent and was being sold outside the ground for 10Eu so in lieu of an official one it was about as good as it gets. The last time we played Andorra was in Andorra in the first away game after COVID. The previous away games against them had all been played in Barcelona.
The full away record v Andorra:
28/03/07 - Andorra 0 England 3, Estadi Olympic, Barcelona
06/09/07 - Andorra 0 England 2, Estadi Olympic, Barcelona
09/10/21 - Andorra 0 England 5, Estadi Nacional, Andorra
07/06/25 - Andorra 0 England 1, RCDE Stadium, Barcelona
Originally this fixture was going to be played in Andorra but the venue was not decided upon due to the Estadi Nacional in Andorra la Vella being unsuitable and the new stadium in Encamp (Estadi de la FAF) still not ready. Perhaps a blessing for many as the majority of the ESTC fanbase would have been capped out. After the venue was switched to the 40,000 capacity RCDE Stadium, the FA secured a ticket allocation of 10,089 tickets with 11,050 members registering their interest. The cap cut off to guarantee a ticket was 12 caps but this would have reduced because many of those registered withdrew due to costs of accommodation and the 50 Eu price of a ticket. The FA only sold around 7000 tickets out of the 10,050 allocation.
The crowd of 8,872 were mainly ESTC members, even despite the fact that we had not sold out our allocation. In a stadium with a 40,000 capacity the atmosphere lacked.
The RCDE Stadium is home to Espanyol and is their 8th stadium, They moved from their previous home at the Estadi Olympic de Barcelona after their new stadium was constructed in 2009 in the municipalities of Cornella and El Prat.
Th England fans were mainly located behind the goals. I was in block 130 in the 'Gol Prat' end. Opposite is the 'Gol Gol Cornella' end.
Eberechi Eze made the front cover of edition 195 of the Free Lions following his goal against Latvia at Wembley back in March. He also scored the winning goal in the FA Cup Final when Crystal Palace secured their first ever victory.
Andorra 0 England 1
Attendance: 8,872
Day 1 - Arrival and Matchday: My 0700 Hrs EasyJet flight from Bristol arrived into Barcelona Terminal 2C on time at 1005
Fans with 35 caps or under had to sign on at the ticketing office at Hotel Indigo on Plaza Espana. I was grateful for this small grace as I was over the threshold but still reported as I wanted to grab a Free Lions. Sadly I aborted because the queues were around the block!
Heading down Las Ramblas to my Hotel
The Hotel Espana Ramblas is a Catalan modernist hotel just off the main thoroughfare
After being on the go since leaving Georgia's wedding reception in Ilfracombe in the early hours, all I wanted to do was climb into this bed. Sadly I had a game to attend!
After eventually picking up a Free Lions I made my way to Almeda on Line 8 and found a place in the sun
A statue celebrating Espanoyl's 125 years
On arrival at the impressive RCDE Stadium there was a bit of confusion as to which gate to use, until someone pointed out that 'puertas' means gate and it was printed on the tickets!
The queues were long at mine so I went across to the next gate and nearly made the anthems
The Tribuna (Stand) as viewed from 'Gol Prat'
Tribuna Presidencial (Main Presidential stand)
Ian Knight DCFC
Nearly 20 minutes on the clock and it is still 0:0
England are not playing well but credit has to go to the Andorran team for their defending and stamina which got them in at Half Time with the scores even at 0:0. 5 mins after the break Harry Kane made a breakthrough with a brilliant bit of instinctive striker play seeing him score from close range
View from the concourse as the England faithful contemplate this lacklustre performance
Into extra time and no sign of another goal
Full time and a disappointing score line
Day 2 - La Sagrada Familia and Park Guell.
No trip to Barcelona is complete without a trip to
Barca Botiga on Las Ramblas
The new 2025-26 strip is on sale
La Sagrada Familia' is the largest unfinished cathedral in the world. Work began in 1882 as a traditional Gothic cathedral but was taken over a year later when the modernist architect Antoni Gaudi was commissioned to build it. He worked on it until he died tragically in 1926, after being struck by a tram
Climbing up the Tower on the Passion facade offers amazing views across the city and out to the Mediterranean
The construction of Gaudi's pinnacles
View from the Bell Towers
Park Guell named after Eusebi Guell who was the entrepreneur who commissioned the architects Antoni Gaudi and Joan Martorell to design it.
The tiled serpentine bench which weaves around the Greek Theatre is amazing and a focal point
Escalier du Dragon (dragon stairs) is the most famous of the art work found within the park. Sadly the dragon, which is a symbol of the city has a damaged right claw which is being refurbished with loving care
There are two pavilions at the main entrance (olot pavilions). This is the Porter's residence and the other is former lodge
Great view of the dragon stairs leading up to the Hypostyle Hall underneath the Greek Theatre and serpentine bench
A view over the city from a high point of the park
After all of that culture it is time to meet Colin and Tracey just on the other side of Catalunya square
The rooftop terrace at the Negresco Princess
Just a few beers before sun down
To infinity and beyond
Arroz Negro (Black Paella)
Delicious but with some side effects
Day3 - Barcelona Cathedral and the Columbus Monument
The Gothic Cathedral was constructed between the 13th and 15th centuries. Its construction is in sharp contrast to that of the La Sagrada Familia
I booked the rooftop walk and went early to avoid the crowds
Outstanding views
Barcelona skyline looking out towards La Barceloneta
The view towards Montjuic
The famous 'Cathedral Geese' of Barcelona
Barcelona is full of mime artists. This one has a customer😍
The Colombus Monument is 60m tall and constructed in 1888
I recall cycling down this road during the Barcelona triathlon in Oct 2008, a few Kms from here I crashed with another cyclist
The view of Rambla de Mar
Adios Barcelona🍺
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