Despite being out possessed, Albania took advantage of their few chances to snatch a 1-0 victory from a severely disappointed Romanian side.
Romania dominated in terms of possession but offered precious little in every other part of the field. The Tricolorii tried to create attacking fluency but never found their rhythm.
In the opening half Romania put some pressure on Albania’s goal but to no avail. Albania had trouble dealing with Romania’s possession play but managed to carve out a few decent chances as Ermir Lenjani sent a shot blazing over from inside the penalty box.
Romania gradually lost their confidence and it was Albania who began to grow with every attack and on the stroke of half time they took an unlikely lead.
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.
The loss sees Romania bow out of the tournament with just one point, while Albania are likely to secure a spot in the knockout stages as one of the four best third placed teams.
Here are some of the major talking points to come out of the match:
Historic win and promising performance for Albania
The 1-0 win over Romania is their first ever victory at a major tournament and none could say it was undeserved. They did an excellent job of jarring their opponents with quick counterattacks and they managed to score a quality goal as they bamboozled the Romanian defence with a single cross.
Albania also had an excellent night defensively as their backline stayed strong and negated Romanian attacks with ease. Central defender Arlind Ajeti was particularly impressive as he made a last man tackle to save his side’s skin.
It remains to be seen whether they will progress to the round of 16, however the confidence drawn from this can be used as motivation for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers and Euro qualifiers if the cards don’t fall their way.
Romania’s lack of cutting edge
Romania have shown great potential in the qualifying phase and at times against France and Switzerland. Defensively they are a cohesive unit, however it’s their attacking third which is the major source of frustration.
Anghel Iordanescu tinkered with a number of different formations against France and Switzerland but none of them could strike the right balance between defence and attack. In fairness to Romania, their defensive mindset helped them against a highly talented French side as the hosts needed a spectacular late goal to clinch victory.
Romania should have been licking their lips at the chance to hone their striking skills against a weak Albania defence, but the occasion got to their heads and they floundered.
Albania plays the waiting game
Had Romania won they would have finished third with four points as Switzerland managed to earn five points with a draw against France.
Third place with four points would have put them in a strong position to earn qualification as a best placed third team.
On the other hand, Albania now sit third with three points in a precarious position – cue the waiting game.
What are your thoughts? Let us know by dropping a comment below via our Facebook comment box. Make sure you follow us on Twitter @Outside90 and like us on Facebook.
