Albania loses the friendly few wanted

Italian Rolando Maran made a losing debut as Albania’s national football team coach.

On Wednesday evening at “Air Albania” in Tirana, the red and blacks lost 1:0 to Israel. The match was a friendly, but one few wanted. The fact that most of the stands at the stadium in Tirana were empty proves this.

Before the match, the official FSHF pages on social media were filled with comments opposing this friendly, because of the opponent chosen by the Albanian Football Federation.

On the pitch, the footballers did not offer much. Albania’s players had their chances, starting in the tenth minute when Anis Mehmeti was inaccurate from close range. 

Israel’s players also had chances, and converted one of them. Oscar Gloukh scored the winning goal in the 73rd minute. After an individual run, during which he put Berat Gjimshiti and Arlind Ajeti in a very difficult position, Gloukh scored with an accurate shot. Immediately after the goal, Gloukh provoked the Albanian fans. With a finger to his face, he gestured for the fans to be quiet. This caused tension on the pitch, as well as in the stands. Elseid Hysaj charged at the Israeli player, while other players also got involved. 

The situation calmed down quickly, however, and the score did not change.

And the friendly that few wanted turned out to be a not very positive test for the red and blacks.

Albania hosts Luxembourg on Saturday, also in Tirana. 

In the autumn, Kosovo will play two matches against Israel. These are competitive matches, specifically in the fifth edition of the UEFA Nations League.