By Jack Sice
Albania 0-1 Switzerland
The story that was always going to generate the most headlines was the
Xhaka brothers – Granit and Taulant – going head to head for Switzerland and
Albania respectively, and in doing so becoming the first pair of brothers to
play in the European Championships for opposing nations.
The Xhaka brothers made history in a fascinating dimension to the game
It is certainly an intriguing sub-plot, and was set to be one of the
most emotionally-charged games at the Euros. The two countries boast the most
diverse squads in the tournament; Albania’s squad containing twelve foreign
born players and Switzerland’s nine. It boils down to Switzerland taking in a
huge influx of refugees from Kosovo during the country’s battle for
independence. Traditionally, players of Kosovar descent have chosen to
represent Albania, the country with which they are culturally and ethnically
similar, yet Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka, Valom Behrami, Blerim Dzemaili and
Admir Mehmedi make up the five players in the Switzerland starting line-up who
are of Albanian-Kosovar descent, whilst six of the Albanian sqaud were born in
Switzerland.
Albania certainly were convincing in their attempt to win the
prestigious ‘hardest team of the tournament’ award as the national
anthem, Himni i Flamurit, was belted out in Lens before the second game of the
European Championships. On the pitch though it was Switzerland who were
the more convincing, with Stoke City talisman, Xherdan Shaqiri, lighting up the
opening stages of the second game in Group A.
Within the first five minutes, Switzerland were one up, taking the lead
through Hoffenheim centre back Fabian Schar. Shaqiri provided the assist for
the goal with a great delivery, yet it seems like goalkeepers being caught in
no man’s land is flavour of the month, with the Albanian keeper Ertit Berisha
emulating the antics of his Romanian counterpart Ciprian Tatarusanu in Paris
last night. The two goalkeepers were both guilty of fluffing their lines, with
Olivier Giroud and Fabian Schar capitalising on their respective errors as they
failed to punch away crosses. Schar reeled off to celebrate his teammates,
silencing the Albanian contingent present in the Stade Bollaert-Delelis, who outnumbered
the Swiss supporters significantly.
It was the perfect start for Switzerland
Throughout the first half, Switzerland were the more impressive of the
two sides. Xherdan Shaqiri was a constant menace, and caused the Albanian
defence headaches throughout the first half as he drifted into pockets of
space, eluding his markers. Granit Xhaka, Arsenal’s new signing, was tidy in
possession, completing an impressive 99 passes. His game is beautifully simple,
yet his distribution is neat, and his no nonsense approach to tackling will be
welcomed by an Arsenal side who are often criticised for being too
soft. Blerim Dzemaili was useful when he got forward, hitting the post
with a free kick outside the box and drilling a low effort just wide of the
left post of Berisha’s goal at the end of the first period. The Swiss full
backs, Ricardo Rodriguez and Stefan Lichtsteiner both were effective, getting
forward at every opportunity and providing support when their side attacked.
Albania struggled to keep hold of the ball in the first period, and
failed to create any real goalscoring opportunities. For a side that only
scored seven goals in their eight qualifying games, with five of them coming
against Armenia, chances were always going to be at a premium. Their delivery
from set pieces was disappointing, and their forward Armando Sidiku squandered
their best chance of the half.
In the run up to half time, Albania began to get a foothold in the game,
keeping the ball and stringing together a few nice sequences of play, yet their
good work unravelled completely when their captain, Lorik Cana, was sent off
nine minutes before half time for a spectacular hand ball on the edge of his
side’s penalty area. A second yellow card and a correct decision by the Spanish
referee, Carlos Velasco Carballo, a referee infamous for sending off the Greek
defender Sokratis and Polish keeper Wojiech Szczesny in the opening game of
Euro 2012. Blerim Dzemaili stepped up to take the free kick, his fierce effort
ricocheting off the outside of the post.
Albania started the second half the brighter of the two sides, refusing
to be overcome by the sending off of their international hero. Their shape was
good, and they began to create a few more chances after a rather stale first
half from an attacking point of view. Furthermore, their goalkeeper Berisha
atoned for his error that led to Switzerland’s goal, keeping his side in the
game by making three fine saves over the course of the second half. As for the
Swiss, their second half performance was rather lethargic, with Xherdan
Shaqiri’s influence on the game dwindling as he became a largely peripheral
figure in the second half. Still, they created some good chances, yet striker
Stefan Seferovic was wasteful and failed to convert on numerous occasions. The
introduction of the Cameroon-born striker Breel Embolo midway through the
second half was positive, and the youngster proved why he is one of the most
coveted players in European football, playing with an arrogance and swagger.
Late in the game, the Albanian substitute Gashi was denied by the Swiss keeper
Sommer, who tipped his effort over the bar.
Albania proved that they are no pushovers, and their ability to stay in
the game and go toe to toe with Switzerland with ten men was a testament to
their will and determination. As for Switzerland, the three points will be
welcome, yet their second half performance lacked conviction, and they will
have to step up their game if they want to get anything out of their encounter
with the hosts, France, on June 19th in Lille.
Albania had a hugely impressive contingent of fans for their opening battle
Granit Xhaka admitted that the encounter with his brother in Lens was
the ‘last thing’ his family wanted, but he can be pleased with his performance,
and the way he helped his country to three valuable points in their opening
game of their European Championship campaign.
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