Euro 2016: Albania 0-1 Switzerland - 5 talking points

Switzerland got off to a winning start to their Euro 2016 campaign as defender Fabian Schar’s early header guided them to a 1-0 victory over 10-man Albania at Lens.

Schar capitalised on poor goalkeeping by Etrit Berisha to nod in from Xherdan Shaqiri’s corner. Following forward Armando Sadiku’s unbelievable miss from 5 yards out, the game looked to be all but over after Albanian captain Lorik Sana received his marching orders for a second bookable offence.

However, the sending off appeared to bring a sense of unity to the Albanian players, as they gave their Swiss opponents a number of scares in the second half. It was only the heroics of custodian Yann Sommer that helped the Swiss maintain their clean sheet and hence, hang on to their victory.

We observe some of the main talking points that shaped up a riveting encounter in the north of France:

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#1 Both goalkeepers on song

It was a game loaded with clear goal-scoring opportunities, with both sides finding their forwards in one-on-one situations. However, the score was kept down thanks to some brilliant work by both shot-stoppers.

Swiss keeper Yann Sommer was exceptional throughout – making mind-blowing saves to thwart Armando Sadiku and Shkelzen Gashi late in the game.

On the other hand, Etrit Berisha redeemed his early error (which resulted in the goal) with a string of reflex stops – keeping Haris Seferovic (twice) and Xherdan Shaqiri out. Though fingers will be pointed at him for the decisive error, he deserves credit for keeping 10-man Albania in the game.

#2 Albania rue a plethora of missed opportunities to equalise

When an underdog side like Albania receive half-chances against one of the tournament’s big boys in Switzerland, they just cannot afford to let go of them. However, forward Armando Sadiku and substitute Gashi were guilty of exactly that.

Two minutes before getting reduced to 10 men, Sadiku got himself into a wonderful position, beating the Swiss offside trap to receive a great long pass from Elseid Hysaj. He aimed for the low corner across Yann Sommer, only to be denied by the latter’s legs.

Sadiku had a second bite at the cherry after 77 minutes, once again benefitting from a Hysaj pass – only to find the side-netting from eight to ten yards out.

Their best chance came three minutes from the whistle when Shkelzen Gashi – like Sadiku in the first half – got in behind the Swiss defence. The offside flag remained down, meaning that Gashi was clear through on goal. But Sommer was to the rescue again, amazingly flicking over Gashi’s shot over the bar.

Three massive chances went begging for the Albanians.

#3 Cana’s red card ‘rejuvenates’ Albania

Albania faced a massive hurdle to come back from their deficit after their captain Lorik Cana was sent off for a second yellow card for handball just outside the penalty area. The game looked effectively over as a contest then.

But the sending off seemed to have sparked a sense of belief in the Albanian players, as they pressed hard throughout the second half and created meaningful chances . Sadiku – despite his misses – was eager to fulfil his lone striker’s role by clocking up the miles inside the Swiss half and getting himself into goal-scoring positions.

Despite the eventual defeat, Albania can go into their next game with a lot of confidence that they kept a ‘clean-sheet’ with a one-man disadvantage.

#4 Should Albania have been awarded a penalty late in the game?

Albania felt they should have been given a penalty by Spanish referee Carlos Velasco after 85 minutes. Ermir Lenjani appeared to have been grappled onto by Swiss right-back Stephan Lichsteiner while trying to control a long pass.

Despite vehement appeals, the referee confidently waved them away, stating that there wasn’t enough contact to merit the awarding of a penalty. Replays showed that it was worth a shout, Lichsteiner putting his arms across Lenjani and stifling his movement towards goal.

It was just as well for Lichsteiner that the penalty wasn’t given, as he could well have been in trouble for denying a goal-scoring opportunity. A double-reprieve as far as the fullback was concerned.

#5 Switzerland need to be more clinical

Despite the one-man advantage for nearly an hour, Switzerland will be frustrated at the prospect of not being able to capitalise on their one-goal cushion. Xherdan Shaqiri was busy on the right side of Seferovic but did not work the Albanian defence enough with his trickery and vision.

Seferovic missed a number of promising chances (partly thanks to the Albanian goalkeeper Berisha) and Dzemaili himself could not convert a couple of potential opportunities.

The defence also must be wary while playing the offside trap. They were beaten by it twice – once by Sadiku and then by Gashi – only for Yann Sommer’s brilliance to save them the blushes.

They will definitely improve as the tournament progresses, but with France and Romania coming up next, they must utilise the next few days ironing out their defensive mistakes and working on their ruthlessness in the attacking third.