Albania 0-1 Switzerland: Fabian Schar’s early goal seals Euro 2016 win for the Swiss after Lorik Cana’s first-half sending off

Arsenal fans got their first international glimpse of £30million star signing Granit Xhaka as he overshadowed his brother to help Switzerland open up their Euro 2016 campaign with a hard-fought win over 10-man Albania.

Xhaka showed what a useful acquisition he will prove for Arsene Wenger with a composed deep-lying midfield performance full of physical presence and strong technique.

These two countries may be 500 miles apart yet this was arguably the first derby at Euro 2016 – thanks to the unusual ethnic links between the sides.

MATCH FACTS

Albania: Berisha, Hysaj, Cana, Mavraj, Agolli, Abrashi, Kukeli, Xhaka (Kace 61), Roshi (Cikalleshi 73), Sadiku (Gashi 81), Lenjani

Subs: Shehi, Lila, Veseli, Basha, Memushaj, Aliji, Ajeti, Balaj, Hoxha

Goals: NONE

Booked: Cana, Kace, Kukeli, Mavraj

Sent off: Cana (36)

Switzerland: Sommer, Lichtsteiner, Schar, Djourou, Rodriguez, Behrami, Xhaka, Shaqiri (Fernandes 87), Dzemaili (Frei 75), Mehmedi (Embolo 61), Seferovic

Subs: Hitz, Moubandje, Elvedi, von Bergen, Lang, Zakaria, Tarashaj, Derdiyok, Burki

Goals: Schar (5)

Booked: Schar, Behrami

Referee: Carlos Velasco Carballo (Spain)

Ten members of Albania’s squad were either born in Switzerland or grew up there, with seven of them playing for the Swiss at Under-21 level before switching allegiance.

Conversely, six Swiss squad players have family links to Albania or Kosovo – including both Xhaka and his brother Taulant who made history on Saturday by becoming the first siblings to line up on opposite sides at the Euros.

Both were born in Basle to ethnic Kosovan parents from but while Granit opted to play for the senior Swiss side, Taulant, 18 months older, chose Albania.

Getting this far was a remarkable achievement for a team drawn in the same group as Portugal, Denmark and Serbia.

Yet they may not have managed it but for a key ruling that went their way after their away qualifier against the Serbs where ethnic tensions exploded.

The so-called Battle of Belgrade in October 2014 was goalless when a drone carrying a pro-Albanian flag was flown over the pitch and caught by a Serbian defender.

In the chaos that ensued, Serbian fans invaded the pitch and the match was abandoned .UEFA initially awarded the tie to Serbia only for the decision to be overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport, with Albania handed three points instead.

The rest is history and Albania went into Saturday’s tie with nothing to lose, marshalled at the back by a player Sunderland fans might remember. Lorik Cana captained the Black Cats during his one season in English football back in 2009-10, the first Albanian ever to play in the Premier League.

The Eagles certainly fancied their chances against a Swiss side who finished second in their qualifying group behind England but who have never made it out of the group stage at the Euros in contrast to a decent World Cup record.

With the entire stadium bathed in red and positively shaking with expectation, Albanian fans who poured in from across the European diaspora made up well over half the capacity 35,000 crowd.

But the game was just five minutes old when their debutant goalkeeper Etrit Berisha needlessly rushed out and flapped at Xherdan Shaqiri’s corner.

Fabian Schar couldn’t believe his luck as he powered a header into an empty net.

Albania had only 28 shots in their entire qualifying campaign but now they had to chase the game. Schar and Cana both went in the book for a couple of tasty challenges before the outsiders started to grow in belief and came so close to levelling on 30 minutes.

Elseid Hysaj’s 40-yard pass split the Swiss defence but Armando Sadiku could only find Yann Sommer’s outstretched legs.

Yet just when Gianni De Biasi’s team were enjoying their best spell, so events took a decisive turn as Cana was penalised for handball just outside the area and dismissed for a second yellow.

Genoa midfielder Blerim Dzemaili, briefly at Bolton, smashed the resultant free-kick against the post and moments the same player struck Stephan Lichtsteiner’s cutback inches wide. Poor Albania. They wait all this time to reach a major finals, then hand their first opponents a pair of presents.

But how they made a fight of it.

After Berisha redeemed himself with a string of fine saves from the wasteful Seferovic efforts early in the second half, Albania so nearly equalised first through Sadiku, who hit the side netting, then substitute Shkelzen Gashi who could have been a hero when put was clean through in the dying stages, only for Sommer to stand tall and spare Switzerland’s blushes.

 

Albania’s Xhaka was not happy at being substituted after 61 minutes and threw a water bottle on the touchline as he was taken off

---

The Stade Bollaert-Delelis was packed as Albania and Switzerland met in their Euro 2016 opener on Saturday

---