Albania beats Northern Ireland in a muddy pitch friendly

TIRANA, March 4 – Albania slumped Northern Ireland to a defeat after giving no chances to the Irish for over an hour of a game controlled from start to finish by the home side on a waterlogged pitch.
The game’s only goal was certainly the high point of an uninspiring ninety minutes.
Ervin Skela curled a free kick from some 25 meters from the edge of the ‘D’ high into Maik Taylor’s top right hand corner in the 26th minute.
Albania ranks 97 in the world while Northern Ireland some fifty places below the visitors.
That was a confidence-boosting win for Albania and its Croatian coach Josip Kuze.
I am happy with the win. I understand their drop of the game in the second half,” said a smiling Kuze after the match.
One should also note the fact that Nigel Worthington’s men found themselves slipping deeper into the mire after being unable to train on the pitch before the game due to a waterlogged surface. They showed a disturbing lack of passing rhythm, unlike Albanians who worked the ball around midfield with ease.
Albania could have had three within the opening half hour – Taylor had tipped one effort over the bar before Skela’s strike, while the gangling striker Erjon Bogdani should have done better with an early volley.
The Irish did muster a little pressure after the hour mark, when Albania seemed content to contain them, winning several corners and twice almost fashioning an undeserved equalizer from the set piece.
First center back Stephen Craigan’s stretching header glanced off the top of the bar on the hour. Then, ten minutes later, another Grant McCann corner, this time from the left, fell in a puddle at the young defender’s feet at the back post – but he could only stab the ball against the post from eight yards out.
But for the Northern Irish players there was precious little for the scores of dedicated traveling supporters cheering them at the Qemal Stafa stadium.