Football
ESPN staff 7y

Andorra players shed tears of joy after first competitive win since 2004

Andorra beat Hungary 1-0 in a World Cup qualifier on Friday to win their first competitive game in 13 years, ending a 66-match winless streak in official competitions.

It was only the second win for the small country of Andorra in qualifying for either the World Cup or the European Championship, and the first since a 1-0 win over Macedonia in October 2004.

Several Andorra players were in tears after the final whistle, having secured a historic victory. They are ranked 186th by FIFA, while Hungary are 33rd, a difference of 153 places.

Marc Rebes scored the winner with a 26th-minute header from the far side of the area, sending the ball over the head of Hungary goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi.

Andorra completed just 73 passes in their victory. The previous low for a winning team in the current European World Cup qualifying campaign had been 156 by Bulgaria against Netherlands.

It was only the second goal for Andorra in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. The other had come in a 2-1 home loss to Switzerland.

Andorra, only 118 kilometres in total area, has a population of about 85,660 according to the CIA World Factbook, less than one percent of Hungary's nearly 8.9 million.

Earlier this year, Andorra beat San Marino in a friendly for their first win in 86 consecutive matches.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

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