TIRANA, Sept. 6 – Albania will play the remaining 14 minutes against Macedonia on Tuesday afternoon after the World Cup qualifier was abandoned on Monday night due to torrential rain with the game level at 1-1.
It wall started well for Albania 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.
With the remaining 14 minutes scheduled to be played at 14:00 local time at the newly reconstructed Loro Borià§i stadium in Shkodra, the bad news for Albania is that defender Berat Gjimshiti could leave Albania in ten men after injury at a time when coach De Biasi had already made use of all three substitutions when the match was abandoned due to heavy storms.
The Macedonia qualifier is the first Albania is playing at a tough group stage which also features four-time World Cup winners Italy and 2010 winners Spain.
