Group B: Spain narrowly beats Albania 1-0
“It was expected that we’d be overwhelmed in our first two games and wouldn’t bother showing up for the third,” commented Sylvinho. But to everyone’s surprise, Albania gave a strong showing on the field as well as among the spectators throughout their time. They were here to enjoy the game as much as to challenge their opponents. And this is exactly what they did: they took it to Spain, the standout team of the competition, and fought hard. Although they lost, it was only by one goal – not a greater loss than that suffered by higher ranking football nations. A single goal from Ferran Torres was enough to secure Spain’s victory.
Qualifying for the second round was always a tall order for Albania, and they were acutely aware of this. Their chances looked slim when they were grouped with Italy, Croatia and Spain, and their arrival in Düsseldorf bore no indication of it improving. While Spain’s qualification might have brightened their prospects momentarily, as Sylvinho pointed out, even Spain’s secondary team is capable of reaching the final and being the odds-on favourite. But Albania competed bravely nonetheless.
With Spain having already qualified as the group’s winners, their focus was on fostering potential and ensuring rest. Aymeric Laporte was the sole player from Spain’s original team to have begun a match. Collectively, their 11 players had just 250 minutes of play between them. David Raya, who is officially on loan at Arsenal, was one of the players enjoying his debut. Implying that there were two goalkeepers from Brentford present on the field; meanwhile, at the opposite end was Thomas Strakosha. The Albanian starting line-up was a multicultural array of players from England, Spain, Russia, Romania, Turkey, Italy, Czech Republic, and South Korea.
With a mixture of players hailing from nine different nations, Albania boasts the most internationally diverse team in the competition. They are also a bold squad, having scored within the first 23 seconds against Italy and giving Spain a tough time late into their match with Croatia.
For a brief moment, with support from their fans filling the air, it seemed as if Albania was keeping Spain contained within their half. However, this dominance was short-lived. Once Spain broke free, their advantage was immediately clear. A smart pass from Dani Olmo enabled Torres to dart in from the right flank and dispatch the ball past Strakosha into the net, securing a decisive victory for Spain.
Olmo was thoroughly invested in his play, commanding with precision, and always managing to identify the right gaps. This was equally obvious for Mikel Merino and Martín Zubimendi who supported him, joined by the full-backs. Despite lacking the raw aggressive streak of Dani Carvajal and Marc Cucurella, Jesús Navas and Álex Grimaldo certainly didn’t fall short in their deliveries. The 38-year-old Navas continued to display remarkable stamina. Prior to the first goal, he had already produced a magnificent cross which Merino could have converted into a goal had his header not been intercepted by Strakosha. A subsequent long pass nearly allowed Joselu to score with a header.
Although Albania did show occasional sparks and had decent ball movement, they were sporadic and mostly kept in check. A moment of absurdity occurred when Raya inadvertently kicked the ball in Laporte’s face, yet Spain continued to dictate the game. Just before the halftime whistle, Raya made a spectacular save to prevent Kristjan Asllani’s powerful shot from the edge of the box, emphasising Spain’s dominance and self-assuredness.
Grimaldo on the left flank became increasingly engaged, offering a series of excellent deliveries, even though Berat Djimsiti and Arlind Ajeti worked valiantly to guard Joselu. From one precise and beautifully arched pass, Ferran should have netted a second goal but his header went over. Merino also had a clear chance from another delivery, but his skewed shot sailed over the bar.
With the commencement of the second half, another delivery met an acrobatic effort from Joselu that zipped just by the post, reminiscent of Zlatan’s style. What ensued was a blocked shot from Asllani, followed by Olmo making a swift move from the deep centre, taking a shot despite the keeper being slightly off his line, which, sadly, didn’t lift off as expected.
Despite facing a formidable opponent, Albania refused to back down. The crowd erupted with cheer when Armando Broja entered the match. Spain, momentarily distracted by Asllani’s rapid free-kick, left Broja unattended, giving him a clear opportunity at scoring. Broja executed a well-struck shot but was denied by Raya’s exceptional save. Shortly after, Asllani’s attempt was blocked and the noise level soared again. Broja then fell prey to Robin Le Normand’s aggressive defence as he looked to break away.
Following this, Asllani took another swing at the goal, a fading shot, missing narrowly. The pressure was surmounting as time dwindled and they still needed a pair of goals to keep their hopes of advancement alive. Yet, the Albanian team continued their intense chase not only for a spot in the next round but for something beyond. Resilience was par for the course until the very last minute when Raya stopped another of Broja’s attempts amidst the deafening clamour. The task turned out to be overwhelming, as they had suspected from the onset, but they confronted reality head-on, departing soon, but doing so with their heads held high and amidst a tumultuous applause. – Guardian