The national football team of Albania ( alb. Kombëtarja shqiptare e futbollit ) is a team representing Albania at international football tournaments . The managing organization is the Albanian Football Association . The national team was formed before the appearance of the Albanian Football Association and was registered to participate in the Balkan Cup in 1929, but withdrew before it began [2] . She played her first game officially only in 1946 against Yugoslavia. She joined FIFA in 1932, UEFA in 1954 .
 Albania | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Nicknames | Kuq e Zinjtë ( Red-Black ), Mountain Eagles ( Shqiponjat ) | ||
| Confederation | UEFA | ||
| Federation | Albanian Football Association | ||
| Main trainer |  Edoardo Ray (temporarily) | ||
| Captain | Lorik Zana | ||
| The greatest number of games | Lorik Zana (93) | ||
| Best bombardier | Erion Bogdani (18) | ||
| House. stadium | Elbasan Arena | ||
| FIFA rating | 66 ▼ 4 (June 14, 2019) [1] | ||
| Highest | August 22, 2015 | ||
| Lower | 124 (August 1997) | ||
| FIFA code | ALB | ||
| |||
| The first game | |||
 Albania 2: 3 Yugoslavia  ( Tirana , Albania ; October 7, 1946) | |||
| Biggest win | |||
Albania 6: 1 Cyprus  ( Tirana , Albania ; August 12, 2009) | |||
| Biggest defeat | |||
 Hungary 12: 0 Albania ( Budapest , Hungary ; September 24, 1950) | |||
| Europe championship | |||
| Participation | 1 ( first time in 2016 ) | ||
| Progress | Group stage 2016 | ||
The first tournament in the history of the national team of Albania was the European Championship 2016 , for which she qualified on October 11, 2015 . At the tournament, the national team of Albania took 3rd place in the group, but was unable to reach the playoffs for additional indicators.
As of June 14, 2019, the national team ranked 64th in the FIFA rankings [1] , and in the UEFA rankings on October 11, 2017 - 31st [3] .
History
XX century
Becoming
The national team of Albania in the XX century was an outsider of European football, without achieving significant success. With a stretch of success, there are several results: in the qualifying tournament for the European Championship in 1964, Albania finished in the 1/16 finals the Greek national team solely because of its refusal, and in the next round lost with a score of 1-4 in the sum of two Denmark meetings. In the selection for the European Championship in 1968, Albania unexpectedly played a 0-0 draw with Germany, and this draw cost the Germans a hit at the European Championship. For a number of unknown political reasons, Albania missed almost all qualifying tournaments for the European and World Championships until 1980.
1980s
Some changes began in the 1980s : Albania and Finland lost 7 out of 8 matches in the selection to the 1982 World Cup , having won one victory each, and only Finland’s worst goal difference did not leave Albania in last place. In the selection for the 1984 European Championship, Albania unexpectedly took away points from Northern Ireland , not allowing her to go to the European Championship. In the selection for the 1986 World Cup, Albania was again noted on the positive side, taking away points from the winning group of Poland (2: 2) and Belgium, which finished second (2: 0).
1990s
The economic and political crisis in the country in the early 1990s adversely affected the results of the national team, which lost all matches in a row. Only in the selection for Euro-1996 Albania began to show signs of life: she lost the minimum to Germany 1: 2 twice, conceding goals only in the last seconds, and also unexpectedly beat Moldova away. In the selection for the 1998 World Cup, Albania also lost to Germany twice with a minimum margin, but turned both matches into thrillers, leading the course of the meeting: on a neutral field (2: 3) and in the home game in Hanover (4: 3) the Germans acting European champions, only miraculously saved. In the same qualifying round, the Albanians tied 2: 2 with Armenia and defeated Northern Ireland 1: 0. And in the qualifying round for Euro 2000, Albania issued four draws altogether, taking away points from Greece, Norway and twice Latvia .
XXI century
First half of the 2000s
Albania did not use the services of foreign specialists since the work of N. M. Lyukshinov as a consultant in the Tirana “Partizani” and the national team. However, the failed selection for the 2002 World Cup made them think about inviting a foreigner, who was first Italian Giuseppe Dossen , and then German Hans-Peter Brigel . Dossen led the national team in the first two selection matches at Euro 2004 , and then Brigel took his place. Albania achieved an unexpected result, having won twice at home and made a draw twice (however, she did not score any points at a party, but scored four goals). The apotheosis of this was a victory over Russia 3: 1, when the Albanians brought the matter to victory, despite the unrealized penalty in the first half [4] . Already in the next qualifying round for the 2006 World Cup, Albanians defeated the newly-minted European champions of the Greeks 2: 1, the national team of Kazakhstan twice (1: 0 and 2: 1), as well as Georgia (3: 2). The Albanians also scored points from the winning group of Ukraine (2: 2), with a total score of 13 points and ahead of Georgia and Kazakhstan.
Euro 2008
The Albanians had not been very successful in qualifying for Euro 2008 , finishing 5th in the group, but scored two wins and made five games in a draw. Albanians beat Luxembourg 2: 0 at home and 3: 0 at a party, and also tied matches with Bulgaria (0: 0 at a visit and 1: 1 at home), with Slovenia (two zero draws) and with Belarus (2: 2) . In matches with the Netherlands, the Albanians lost 2: 1 and 0: 1 due to a very suspicious refereeing: in the match of September 12, 2007, the referee canceled the Albanians' net goal, which caused protests from the leadership of the football association [5] [6] . Albania lost its theoretical chances after a goalless draw against Slovenia.
Defeats from Belarus 4: 2 and from Romania 6: 1 resulted in the resignation of the Austrian coach Otto Baric [7] , and his successor was the Dutchman Ari Khan , as announced by the President of the Association Armand Duca . January 4, 2008 the contract was signed.
2010 World Cup
2008 for Albania began with troubles: on March 14, FIFA and UEFA temporarily excluded Albania from their ranks due to the intervention of politicians in the affairs of the Association, and the Association returned to FIFA and UEFA only 46 days later [8] [9] [10] .
Albania, as before, again failed to get to a major tournament , but out of 10 games lost 5, reducing 4 in a draw and winning one. The beginning of the cycle was marked by a sensational zero draw with Sweden , then Albania defeated Malta 3-0 (goals scored Erion Bogdani , Armend Dallku and Clodian Duro ). And on October 15, 2008, Albanians played away 0-0 with Portugal at all, shocking the whole of Europe. Subsequently, these selected points did not allow Sweden to continue to fight for access to the World Cup, and Portugal was sent to the play-offs.
On February 11, 2009 , however, Albania gave points to Malta, playing a zero draw with her, and troubles again fell on the Albanians. In May 2009, there was a change of coach, who became a Croat Josip Kuzhe [11] . The home game with Portugal on June 6, 2009 solved a great deal: Albanians, ready to fight to the end, even decided to psychologically crush the Portuguese, dragging the banner of Cristiano Ronaldo in a women's dress and the signature “Miss FIFA World Cup” to the stands [12] . The score in that game was opened by the Ugu Almeida , then the Albanians, with the efforts of Erion Bogdani, equalized the score, but in the last seconds they missed the fateful goal from Bruno Alves , who knocked them out of further struggle. Albania was marked only by a draw with Denmark at the end of the tournament.
Euro 2012
In the asset of Albania in the selection for Euro 2012 there were only two victories over Luxembourg 1: 0, when the only goal was scored by Hamdi Saliha , and Belarus with the same score and the same Salehi as the author of the goal. Twice Albania took away points from Romania, playing in a draw, once took away points from Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the same qualifying round, Albania managed to lose to Luxembourg 1: 2. In December 2011, Josip Kuzhe was dismissed, and his place was taken by Gianni De Byazi [13] .
World Cup 2014
Albania began to use more often the involvement of Kosovo Albanians in their national team: thus, by August 13, 2013 there were already 14 such players in the team cage (who played at least one game or received a call to the national team) [14] . De Byazi was counting on getting Albania to go to the World Cup in this way. After six games, Albania was in second place, but quickly lost the advantage and eventually finished only fifth. After qualifying, the captain of the national team Loric Zana was included in the symbolic national team of players who did not happen to play in Brazil in the world championship [15] .
Nevertheless, the Albanians did not remain without the World Cup: by March 5, 2014, 54 football players of Albanian origin were called to seven different national teams of the world (Albania, Kosovo , Switzerland , Finland , Germany and Montenegro ) [16] . And at the World Championships itself, three world-class stars, Albanians by origin: Adnan Yanuzai ( Belgium ), Jerdan Shakiri and Granite Jaka ( Switzerland ) played. The presence of Albanians in Brazil, according to the newspaper El Mundo Deportivo , confirmed not only the interest of Albanians in football, but also the ability to train world-class players [17] . By September 2014, it turned out that 80 football players of Albanian origin were playing abroad, 46 of whom had settled in Switzerland [18] .
Euro 2016
On February 23, 2014 , the fateful, as it turned out later, draw for the qualifying tournament of Euro 2016 took place . Albania fell into the group to well-known to her Portugal and Denmark, as well as to Serbia and Armenia. The tournament began with a sensational victory of the Albanians in Porto thanks to a precise strike by Bekim Balai [19] and a draw against Denmark at the new Elbasan Arena stadium. The next match was marked by a grand scandal: in the game against Serbia at the Partizan stadium , one of the Albanian fans released a drone with a banner of Great Albania . Serbian players tore down the banner, thus triggering a scuffle in the stadium. Initially, Albania was awarded a 0: 3 defeat, and Serbia did not score points [20] . The decision was protested by both parties [21] [22] , but did not achieve the result. UEFA has not changed its decision [23] . A complaint to the Supreme Arbitration Court in Lausanne [24] soon followed, and on July 10, 2015, he decided to deduct the technical victory of Albania 3: 0 [25] .
At home against the Armenian national team, the Albanians had a strong match, thanks to the goals of Mergim Mavray and Schelsen Gashi, winning 2-1 and reaching 2nd place in the group [26] . Albania finished the series of the first five qualifying matches in second place. In a friendly match on June 13, 2015, they managed to unexpectedly beat France [27] , and in September, after a draw with Denmark, at least achieved an exit to the play-offs. On October 11, 2015, the Albanians, having crushed Armenia 3-0 in Yerevan , achieved a historic achievement and reached the European Championship for the first time in their history.
Euro 2020
In March 2019, head coach Christian Panucci was dismissed from his post as head coach of the Albanian National Team. [28]
Performance statistics at major international tournaments
World Championships
| Final Tournaments | Qualifying tournaments | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | A place | AND | AT | H | P | Gz | GP | A place | AND | AT | H | P | Gz | GP | |
| 1930 | Did not participate | |||||||||||||||
| 1934 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1938 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1950 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1954 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1958 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1962 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1966 | Not qualified | 4/4 | 6 | 0 | one | five | 2 | 12 | ||||||||
| 1970 | Did not participate | |||||||||||||||
| 1974 | Not qualified | 4/4 | 6 | one | 0 | five | 3 | 13 | ||||||||
| 1978 | Did not participate | |||||||||||||||
| 1982 | Not qualified | 4/5 | eight | one | 0 | 7 | four | 22 | ||||||||
| 1986 | 3/4 | 6 | one | 2 | 3 | 6 | 9 | |||||||||
| 1990 | 4/4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 3 | 15 | |||||||||
| 1994 | 7/7 | 12 | one | 2 | 9 | 6 | 26 | |||||||||
| 1998 | 6/6 | ten | one | one | eight | 7 | 20 | |||||||||
| 2002 | 5/5 | eight | one | 0 | 7 | five | 14 | |||||||||
| 2006 | 5/7 | 12 | four | one | 7 | eleven | 20 | |||||||||
| 2010 | 5/6 | ten | one | four | five | 6 | 13 | |||||||||
| 2014 | 5/6 | ten | 3 | 2 | five | 9 | eleven | |||||||||
| 2018 | 3/6 | ten | ten | 13 | ||||||||||||
| Total | 0/21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Total | 104 | 14 | 13 | 67 | 77 | 188 | ||
European Championships
| Final Tournaments | Qualifying tournaments | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Result | A place | AND | AT | H | P | Gz | GP | A place | AND | AT | H | P | Gz | GP | |
| 1960 | Did not participate | |||||||||||||||
| 1964 | Not qualified | 1/8 final | four | 3 | 0 | one | 7 | four | ||||||||
| 1968 | 3/3 | four | 0 | one | 3 | 0 | 12 | |||||||||
| 1972 | 4/4 | 6 | one | one | four | five | 9 | |||||||||
| 1976 | Did not participate | |||||||||||||||
| 1980 | ||||||||||||||||
| 1984 | Not qualified | 5/5 | eight | 0 | 2 | 6 | four | 14 | ||||||||
| 1988 | 4/4 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 17 | |||||||||
| 1992 | 5/5 | 7 | one | 0 | 6 | 2 | 21 | |||||||||
| 1996 | 5/6 | ten | 2 | 2 | 6 | ten | sixteen | |||||||||
| 2000 | 5/6 | ten | one | four | five | eight | 14 | |||||||||
| 2004 | 4/5 | eight | 2 | 2 | four | eleven | 15 | |||||||||
| 2008 | 6/7 | 12 | 2 | five | five | 12 | 18 | |||||||||
| 2012 | 5/6 | ten | 2 | 3 | five | 7 | 14 | |||||||||
| 2016 | Group round | 18 | 3 | one | 0 | 2 | one | 3 | 2/5 | eight | four | 2 | 2 | ten | five | |
| Total | 1/15 | 3 | one | 0 | 2 | one | 3 | Total | 93 | 18 | 22 | 53 | 78 | 159 | ||
Current Composition
The following players were summoned to the national team. Head coach Erwin Bulk and Suleiman Mema to participate in the qualifying matches of the European Championship 2020 against Turkey (March 22, 2019) and Andorra (March 25, 2019).
- Games and goals are as of March 25, 2019:
| No | Position | Player | Date of birth / age | Matches | Goals | Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vr | Etrit Berisha | March 10, 1989 (30 years old) | 55 | 0 | Atalanta | |||
| Vr | Alban Hoxha | November 23, 1987 (31 year) | 3 | 0 | Partizani | |||
| Vr | Gentian Selmani | March 9, 1998 (21 years) | 0 | 0 | Laci | |||
| Def | Elseid Husay | February 20, 1994 (25 years) | 46 | 0 | Napoli | |||
| Def | Berat Gimsy | February 19, 1993 (26 years old) | 23 | one | Atalanta | |||
| Def | Arlind Aeti | September 25, 1993 (25 years) | 20 | one | Grasshopper | |||
| Def | Frederic Veseli | November 20, 1992 (26 years old) | nineteen | 0 | Empoli | |||
| Def | Naser Aliyi | December 27, 1993 (25 years) | 13 | 0 | Dinamo Bucharest | |||
| Def | Ardian Ismaili | September 30, 1996 (22 years) | four | 0 | Hajduk Split | |||
| Def | Enea Mihai | July 5, 1998 (21 years) | 2 | 0 | Panetolikos | |||
| Def | Ivan Balju | January 1, 1992 (27 years) | 2 | 0 | Metz | |||
| PZ | Ledian Memushay | December 7, 1986 (32 years) | 36 | one | Pescara | |||
| PZ | Migen Basha | January 5, 1987 (32 years) | 33 | 3 | Aris Saloniki | |||
| PZ | Taulant Jaka | March 28, 1991 (28 years old) | 29 | one | Basel | |||
| PZ | Amir Abrashi | March 27, 1990 (29 years) | 29 | one | Freiburg | |||
| PZ | Ergus Kache | July 8, 1993 (26 years) | 23 | 2 | Panathinaikos | |||
| PZ | Eros Grezda | April 15, 1995 (24 years) | 13 | one | Rangers | |||
| PZ | Crystal Abazai | July 6, 1996 (23 years) | one | 0 | Osijek | |||
| PZ | Kristi Kose | June 10, 1995 (24 years) | one | 0 | Ruzomberok | |||
| PZ | Lorenz Trashi | May 19, 1992 (27 years) | 0 | 0 | Partizani | |||
| Nap | Armando Sadiku | May 27, 1991 (28 years old) | 35 | 12 | Lugano | |||
| Nap | Bekim Balyay | January 11, 1991 (28 years old) | 32 | 6 | Akhmat | |||
| Nap | Mirto Uzuni | May 31, 1995 (24 years) | 6 | 0 | Locomotive | |||
Equipment
| Years | Mold manufacturers |
| 1980–1991 | Adidas |
| 1992-1995 | Uhlsport |
| 1996–2004 | Puma |
| 2004–2008 | Umbro |
| 2008–2010 | Nike |
| 2010—2011 | |
| 2011—2016 | Adidas |
| 2016 — n. at. | Macron |
Form
Home
1946 | 1970 | 2010 | 2012 | 2013—2015 | Euro 2016 | 2017 | 2017—2018 |
Guestbook
2010 | 2012 | 2013—2015 | Euro 2016 | 2017 | 2017—2018 |
Third
2015 | Euro 2016 | 2017 | 2017—2018 |
See also
- Matches of the national football team of Albania
- Tifozat Kuq e Zi - the official community of fans of the national team
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 The FIFA / Coca-Cola World Ranking . FIFA (June 14, 2019). The appeal date is June 14, 2019.
- ↑ Zemra Shqiptare . The appeal date is June 19, 2015.
- ↑ National Team Coefficients Overview (English) (PDF). UEFA.com . UEFA official website (11 October 2017). The appeal date is October 11, 2017.
- ↑ Shock in Shkoder (rus.)
- ↑ Disallowed Albanian goal , versus the Netherlands, Euro 2008 qualifier: ESPNsoccernet website. Retrieved on September 14, 2007.
- ↑ Albanian Football Federation Archived October 7, 2007. , files official complaint with UEFA regarding Netherlands game: Albania soccer website. Retrieved on September 16, 2007.
- ↑ Baric: Po largohem (inaccessible link)
- ↑ Albania suspension lifted by FIFA (inaccessible link)
- IF FIFA says Albania (unavailable link)
- ↑ FIFA lifts suspension of Albania over alleged interference
- ↑ Televizioni Koha. Televizioni Koha - JOSIP KUZHE TRAJNER I SHQIPËRISË> Sport . The date of circulation is June 19, 2015. Archived June 19, 2015.
- ↑ Cristiano Ronaldo becomes Miss World 2010 (Eng.)
- ↑ Albania name De Biasi coach , FIFA.com (December 14, 2011). The appeal date is December 14, 2011.
- ↑ Mesazhi . Kombëtarja e Kosovës brenda Kombëtares së Shqipërisë (8 August 2013). Archived October 4, 2013. The appeal date is October 3, 2013.
- ↑ Team Focus: Not at the World Cup XI WhoScored.com
- ↑ 54 futbollistë shqiptarë në 7 përfaqësuese për një ditë Neop . Borozani.com . The appeal date is June 19, 2015.
- ↑ El Mundo Deportivo: Shqipëria, kombëtarja e munguar e botërorit Unresolved (not available link) . aSport.info . The date of circulation is June 19, 2015. Archived May 1, 2015.
- ↑ Talentë shqiptarë, 80 futbollistë në kombëtaret e huaja Unidentified . Panorama Sport . The date of circulation is June 19, 2015. Archived October 20, 2014.
- Be “Bekim” kuqezi në Aveiro, Shqipëria shokon Portugalinë . Panorama Sport (7 September 2014). The appeal date is September 7, 2014. Archived September 8, 2014.
- ↑ Disciplinary decision on Serbia-Albania match , UEFA.com (24 October 2014). The appeal date is October 27, 2014.
- ↑ Albania to appeal UEFA punishment over Serbia , Business Insider (24 October 2014). The date of appeal is October 26, 2014.
- ↑ Serbia to appeal UEFA decision . Goal.com (24 October 2014).
- ↑ Decisions upheld for Serbia-Albania match . UEFA.com (2 December 2014).
- Football The Football Association of Albania and the Serbian Arbitration for Sport (CAS) . http://www.tas-cas.org . The appeal date is January 8, 2015.
- C FOOTBALL: The CAS Rejects The FB: The Match of Serbian FAs: The Match of Serbian FAs: The Match of Serbia-Albania (0-3 (unavailable (not available link ) . Tribunal Arbitral du Sport / Court of Arbitration for Sport (10 July 2015). The date of circulation is July 10, 2015. Archived July 11, 2015.
- ↑ Albania head off Armenia threat , UEFA.com (29 March 2015). The appeal date is September 5, 2015.
- ↑ Kaçe free-kick gives Albania win against France , UEFA.com (13 June 2015). The appeal date is September 5, 2015.
- ↑ Source .