TIRANA, Sept. 5 – A late header by Bekim Balaj gave Albania a precious home victory against neighboring Macedonia in their opening World Cup qualification campaign on Tuesday afternoon as the teams played a remaining 14 minutes after the match was abandoned on Monday night due to torrential rain with the game level at 1-1.
The Albanian striker who has moved to Terek Grozny in the Russian premier league from Croatia’s Rijeka this season scored from close range with a header from a cross. Balaj, who came in as a substitute in the second half, also scored a winner in Albania’s opening Euro qualifier with Portugal back in 2014 with wonderful volley.
“I scored at home,” Balaj, a native of Shkoder where the match was played in the newly reconstructed stadium said after the match.
“The weather conditions favoured us, in the second half we were losing a game that was under our control. It was better that we started today and we won because we were in better shape,” Balaj added.
Albania’s captain Ansi Agolli said “It was a very tough 15 minutes, especially psychologically. However, we made it.”
Albania’s qualification hopes are now kept alive after group favourites Italy and Spain got easy wins against Israel and Lichtenstein on Monday.
The match against Macedonia showed Albania has to improve a lot especially in the defensive section after the departure of captain Lorik Cana.
It all started well for Albania on Monday night with an early goal by striker Armando Sadiku following a low shot from the edge of the box, but the national side struggled in the coming minutes and conceded a second half equalizer following a defensive blunder.
Ironically, it was Ezgjan Alioski, a Macedonian right wing of Albanian descent who made use of Kukeli’s defensive mistake. The guests had fielded two other players of the Albanian minority in Macedonia, Rijeka left back Leonard Zhuta and Ferhat Hasani of Albanian-owned Shkendija club, turning the game into a small Albanian derby.
Naser Aliji a 22-year Macedonia-born defender to ethnic Albanian parents who joined Albania in 2015, was not used by coach Gianni De Biasi.
