Albania never doubted its coach, and that faith finally paid off.
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In the other Group A match, Albania beat Romania 1-0 and finished in third place with three points. The France vs Switzerland Euro 2016 match will be played in Lille from 12:30 AM IST (Monday). “Tonight we won with heart, with quality”.
The Tricolorii hunted for an equaliser deep into the encounter but couldn’t find the goal they desired after a poor first half from their players. This is a very generous team.
“France give a lot of chances to their opponents, we had a lot against them too”.
Sadiku headed home the game’s only goal after 43 minutes in Lyon to leave debutants Albania facing an anxious wait to see if they qualify from Group A as one of the four best third-placed teams.
If they do advance, Albania will play on Saturday in Paris, or Sunday in Lille.
In the second half Albania’s resilience shone through, as desperate Romania rung the changes but again failed to translate possession into clear-cut scoring opportunities.
Out in the streets, that passion played out in a different way; chants of “Shqipëri-Shqipëri” (Albania-Albania) rang out in the early hours of Monday morning in Lyon, while a chorus of vehicle horns heralded their success in the streets of Tirana – and in a good number of Albanian expatriate communities around the world.
Albania Prime Minister Edi Rama joined in by writing “Goooooooooool.”, on his Twitter page after Armando Sadiku scored the victor, and the Albanian football federation said on Monday that its players will be given diplomatic passports and financial rewards in recognition of their achievement. If we stay, we can cause trouble to other teams – even big teams.
Rarely is a team strengthened when it fails to score a single goal in back-to-back losses.
A mix of native-born Albanians and players from the diaspora recruited by the canny De Biasi, “the Eagles” have a tough Balkan mentality blended with the experience of players in Italy, Germany and Switzerland. Albania earn respect The tournament’s expansion to 24 teams was always meant to give Europe’s smaller nations a chance to shine, and Albania have shown that the so-called minnows can hold their own.
“I hope we can do it”, he said.
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Man of the match: Arlind Ajeti (Albania) Surprisingly left in the starting line-up despite the availability of Lorik Cana following the captain’s suspension, Ajeti was rewarded for his excellent performance against France.
