Andorra defeated Liechtenstein 2:0 in Encamp in a friendly match marked by Marc Pujol's farewell
Andorra defeated Liechtenstein 2:0 on June 4, 2026, at the FAF Stadium in Encamp in an international friendly match, thus making use of home ground to claim a victory without conceding a goal. The final result was confirmed by international match-tracking services, among them ESPN, while UEFA lists the match in its official data as a friendly meeting between Andorra and Liechtenstein in Encamp. The home national team reached victory after a firm and cautious first half in which there were no goals, but the second half brought more rhythm, better Andorran aggression and a more concrete impact from players coming off the bench. According to the report by Ràdio SER Principat d'Andorra, Álex Martínez opened the scoring after a reaction from head coach Koldo Álvarez, and Jordi Aláez then finished the match from a penalty kick. The match also had a strong emotional frame because Marc Pujol, one of the most recognizable Andorran internationals, ended his national-team career with his appearance against Liechtenstein after 124 caps.
Late goals decided the match after a closed first half
The first half in Encamp was marked by caution and a contest between two national teams that generally find it difficult to achieve victories on the international stage. Andorra tried to have more control in midfield, but Liechtenstein managed in the opening phase to keep the match balanced and prevent the host from finding space behind the defense early. According to the local report by Ràdio SER Principat d'Andorra, in the first half Andorra had a goal by Guillaume López disallowed for offside, which was one of the situations in which the host came closest to taking the lead before the break. The 0:0 score at halftime described well the balance of forces in a period in which both teams played without major risk, but also without enough precision in the final third. Such a development of the match left room for the decision to come only after the coaches turned to substitutions and changed the dynamics of the encounter.
The continuation brought a more visible Andorran initiative. According to the same report, after the break the home national team played more decisively, created more situations in front of the visitors' goal and used the energy of the players who came on from the bench. FotMob's event record states that Álex Martínez, who entered the game in the second half, scored for 1:0 in the final third of the duel after an assist from Arón Rodrigo. In doing so, Andorra cashed in on a period of better play and forced Liechtenstein to leave its safer defensive block in the final minutes. The second goal came from a penalty kick which, according to the local report, was won by Cucu Fernández and converted by Jordi Aláez, with which the host confirmed the victory and calmly brought the match to an end.
Marc Pujol's farewell gave the match special weight
Although it was a friendly match, the meeting between Andorra and Liechtenstein did not have only a preparatory character. According to the preview by Ràdio SER Principat d'Andorra published before the match, the encounter in Encamp was also conceived as Marc Pujol's farewell from the senior national team. Pujol started against Liechtenstein from the first minute, and the local media state that he thereby concluded his national-team journey with 124 appearances. For a football country with a small player base, such a number of appearances carries particular weight because it shows continuity, longevity and the importance of a player who for more than a decade was part of the national team. With the victory, Andorra provided Pujol with a symbolic end to his national-team career, and the 2:0 result further emphasized the ceremonial tone of the evening.
Pujol's farewell fitted especially well into the identity of the Andorran national team, which in European football most often relies on discipline, physical solidity and the long-term connection of players within a narrow national-team circle. According to the local radio report, Pujol himself had one of the clearest Andorran chances after the break, which would have given his final appearance an even more pronounced personal stamp. Still, even without a goal, the match ended for him with the scenario he had wished for: a victory in front of the home crowd and without conceding a goal. For Andorra, this is an important sporting and symbolic moment because national teams with a smaller pool of players rarely have the opportunity in a short period to combine a results success and the farewell of one of their long-standing figures. Such duels often exceed formal friendly status because they remain written into national-team history through the careers of players who carried the greatest burden of developing the national team.
Koldo Álvarez tested a wider squad in the second preparatory check
According to the preview by Ràdio SER Principat d'Andorra, the match against Liechtenstein was Andorra's second preparatory test after the meeting with Iraq and part of the preparations for upcoming obligations in UEFA's Nations League. Before the encounter, head coach Koldo Álvarez de Eulate stressed the need for the team to try to work on different registers of play, including more possession and ball control. Such a context explains why Andorra made a series of changes in the second half and why players who started the match on the bench received an important role. Ràdio SER Principat d'Andorra stated that among the new names in the squad were Iker Álvarez, Chus Rubio, Kiko Pomares and Cucu Fernández. It was Cucu, according to the post-match report, who participated in one of the key actions because a foul was committed on him for the penalty kick from which Jordi Aláez set the final score.
According to FotMob data, Andorra began the match with Iker Álvarez in goal, with a defensive line that included Biel Borrà, Max Llovera, Ian Olivera and Moisés San Nicolás, while Marc Pujol and Guillaume López formed an important part of the initial plan going forward. Liechtenstein, according to the same source, started with Justin Ospelt in goal, and the lineup also included the experienced Marcel Büchel, Andreas Malin, Lars Traber, Emanuel Zünd, Maximilian Göppel, Alessio Hasler, Ferhat Saglam and Fabio Luque Notaro. UEFA's official match record states that the main referee was the Spaniard Javier Alberola Rojas, with assistants Carlos Álvarez Fernández and Alfredo Rodriguez Moreno and fourth official Victor Garcia Verdura. These details confirm that it was a duly registered international match, important for the preparatory rhythm of both national teams. In matches of this profile, the result is not the only objective, but Andorra's victory showed that the host can gain concrete value from changes in the second half.
Liechtenstein without an answer in the closing stages
Liechtenstein arrived in Encamp as a national team of a similar competitive profile, accustomed to matches in which defensive organization is often the starting point for seeking a result. In the first half, the visiting team managed to slow down the host and keep the match in a rhythm that suited it. However, after Andorra raised the intensity in the second half and refreshed the attack, Liechtenstein found it increasingly difficult to get out of pressure and came increasingly rarely to situations from which it could more seriously threaten the home goal. Andorra's lead changed the psychology of the match because the visitor had to open up more space, and it was precisely in such a period that the host also won the penalty kick. The final 2:0 therefore is not only the result of two converted situations, but also a reflection of better management of the match in its closing phase.
For Liechtenstein, the defeat continues a demanding period in which the national team struggles to find stability in results. FotMob reminded before and during the match that Liechtenstein had a negative run in which it had not won in a larger number of matches and that it had recently had problems with finishing. Still, the victory against Tanzania in March 2026, which the same sources record in the team's form, shows that this national team is also looking for a path toward more competitive performances against opponents outside the highest European class. In Encamp, that progress did not turn into a goal, and the most important conclusion for Konrad Fünfstück's coaching staff will be linked to the drop in concentration and the reaction after conceding the first goal. Friendly matches also serve for such checks, but a defeat without scoring a goal warns of problems that recur when the team has to take more initiative.
Andorra continued a positive run against the same opponent
This victory has additional importance also because of the mutual history of Andorra and Liechtenstein. Specialized services for tracking football results record that Andorra also had success against Liechtenstein in previous head-to-head meetings, including victories in 2018 and 2022. FotMob states that Andorra had a winning streak in mutual duels before this meeting, and the 2:0 result in Encamp further strengthened the impression that the home national team finds an effective competitive pattern against this opponent. For Andorra, which in international terms rarely enters matches in the role of favorite, such continuity against a directly comparable opponent has great psychological value. A victory without conceding a goal is especially important because it confirms the foundation on which the Andorran national team is traditionally built: disciplined defense, patience and maximum use of a limited number of chances.
Ràdio SER Principat d'Andorra reported that the triumph against Liechtenstein was the fifteenth victory of the Andorran national team in history, which further explains why the result carries greater weight than an ordinary friendly match. Every such result enters the short list of victories of one of Europe's smallest football national teams and serves as confirmation of work in circumstances in which the competitive base is significantly smaller than that of most opponents. In that sense, the 2:0 against Liechtenstein is not only a preparatory result, but also a reminder that Andorra can show progress in well-chosen matches, especially when it manages to draw the opponent into a physically and tactically demanding rhythm. The home ground in Encamp played its role, but decisive was Andorra's ability to change the tempo after halftime and retain control after the first goal. Such a victory can serve as a useful reference point for the coaching staff ahead of the continuation of the national-team cycle.
FAF Stadium once again at the center of Andorran football
The match was played at the FAF Stadium in Encamp, a facility which according to UEFA's record bears the name Estadi FAF Encamp, and according to FotMob data has a capacity of about 5,500 seats. For Andorran football, that stadium has special importance because it provides the national team and domestic football actors with a more modern framework for playing international and club matches. In the duel with Liechtenstein, the stadium was a stage not only for a sporting result but also for the farewell of a long-time international, which further strengthened the symbolism of the evening. In smaller football environments, infrastructure often has a decisive role in the development of the national-team program because it influences working conditions, the quality of preparation and the possibility of organizing relevant international matches. Andorra's victory without conceding a goal is therefore also a message that the home ground in Encamp can become an important support in matches against opponents of a similar level.
From the results side, Andorra did what often proves most valuable in friendly matches: it won the match, kept a clean sheet, tried out several solutions and at the same time concluded one national-team career with a victory. Liechtenstein, on the other hand, leaves Encamp with continuing questions about attacking efficiency and the ability to respond in the closing stages of a match to a change in the opponent's rhythm. According to available information, the match did not bring controversies that would overshadow the result, and UEFA's record confirms the basic organizational data and the refereeing team. For Andorra, the impression remains that patience was precisely the key: the host did not force solutions after a goalless first half, but through substitutions and greater pressure came to the space that decided the duel. For that reason, the 2:0 victory against Liechtenstein remains a valuable result in the preparatory period and a worthy farewell for Marc Pujol from the national-team shirt.
Sources:
- UEFA – official data on the match Andorra - Liechtenstein, the stadium and the refereeing team (link)
- ESPN – confirmation of the final result of the international friendly match Andorra - Liechtenstein 2:0 (link)
- Ràdio SER Principat d'Andorra / Cadena SER – report on Andorra's victory, the goalscorers and Marc Pujol's farewell (link)
- Ràdio SER Principat d'Andorra / Cadena SER – match preview, preparation context and data on the Andorran squad (link)
- FotMob – event record, lineups, team form and stadium data (link)