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No final-day magic for Albania as they are beaten by second-string Spain

Ferran Torres’ early goal settled the game in Duseldorf.

Albania 0

Spain 1

THE MUGGY AIR weighing down on Dusseldorf today did not hold any magic for Albania, as they exited Euro 2024 in defeat to Spain. 

A win for Albania would almost certainly have put them through, while a draw would mean a flicker of hope at least until Wednesday’s final accounting of the best third-placed sides across the group. But instead they lost to a second-string Spain side whose quality was simply overwhelming. 

Albania will reflect warmly on their frantic 2-2 draw with Croatia and with regret on their close-shave loss to Italy. Here they had to little to argue against a Spanish side that will go deep into the tournament. 

Albania were effectively trying to replicate what Ireland did at Euro 2016: win the final group game against an already-qualified heavyweight to squeeze into the last-16. Spain manager Luis de la Fuente then obligingly made like Antonio Conte and overhauled his team, with Aymeric Laporte the only survivor from the 1-0 win over Italy that secured Spain’s status as group winners. 

De la Fuente is an old-school Spaniard, and has previously expressed his pride in his Catholicism and his love of bullfighting. Football-wise, he’s a bit more La furia roja than tiki-taka. 

In keeping with this his Spain team is a bit more direct and vertical than predecessor’s Luis Enrique. While tonight’s captain Jesus Navas has played in better Spain teams, he has rarely been part of one so thrilling as this one. 

Where wingers Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams tore Italy asunder all alone last week, so in their absence this was a more collective effort. In spite of making 10 changes, everyone fitted smoothly into the national 4-3-3 and methodically ripped Albania apart at the seams. 

But while the system is familiar, Spain’s attitudes have shifted. This team has appointed more value to a quick forward ball, and it was their route to the opening goal. Aymeric Laporte skidded a delightful ball through midfield to Dani Olmo, cutting four Albanian players out of the game. Olmo then passed in behind to the overlapping Ferran Torres, who side-footed the ball in off the post, Thierry Henry-style. 

The only good news from the first half for Albania was that Spain didn’t score again. They colonised possession and took the game entirely at their own pace, with Torres, Mikel Merino, and Dani Olmo spurning opportunities to give the scoreboard a more just look. 

The game meant everything to Albania and comparatively little to Spain, which made this an altogether more dispiriting means of defeat. Quickly Spain drained Albania of optimism and then gradually took away their hope. The Albanian supporters’ wall of jeers during Spanish possession faded after a few minutes – it had to, there’s not enough oxygen in the atmosphere equipped for that scale of a job – but they erupted again midway through the half, in a kind of last spasm of frustration. 

When Kristjan Asllani let fly from long range before the break, forcing a decent if needlessly elaborate save from David Raya, it had the effect of re-animating the whole stadium. Spain then quickly took the ball back to once again anesthetise the whole occasion. Joselu came close to killing it with Spain’s second goal just after half-time, angling an acrobatic volley narrowly wide. 

Spain’s commitment to finding that second goal was dubious anyhow. Dani Olmo, scooting away on a counter-attack and with Ferran open to his right, opted to try and lob the goalkeeper from just across the halfway line. He miscued the effort and it skewed along the ground. 

Sylvinho turned to striker Armando Broja just shy of the hour mark, whose involvement in the competition thus far has been curtailed by a lack of match fitness following a half-season rusting on the Fulham bench. He instantly made an impact, though: an instinctive penalty-box hook towards goal was palmed away by Raya. That brought forth another enormous swell of noise around the ground. 

That moment seemed to finally rock the game off-kilter, and Broja almost pounced on a Spanish mistake to scarper clear on goal, only for Robin Le Normand – on as a half-time substitute – to intervene at the last moment. 

With Spain’s intent dwindling, de la Fuente introduced Morata and Yamal, just to remind Albania that his side were not in the business of rubber-stamping other people’s dreams. 

 

Arber Hoxha was introduced to Broja-level roars from the Albanian fans and his direct dribbling sustained the noise, flashing a shot from distance just wide of the far post. Albania’s lack of quality, though, meant they were restricted to these kinds of potshots. 

Albania clawed their way into the final quarter through sheer desire, where set pieces held some hope. They won a wide free-kick in the first of four additional minutes, but when Broja manage to pilfer the ball clear of a scramble of bodies when it was put into the box, his shot was too close to Raya. 

In the final minute Albania won the ball back on the edge of the Spanish box and then whipped a terrific cross across the box to…nobody at all. None of the Albanian players attacked the cross, instead all stood on their heels. It summed up their admirable effort: just not convincing enough when it mattered. 

 

 

Albania: Thomas Strakosha; Ivan Balliu, Berat Djimitsi, Arlind Ajeti, Mario Mitaj; Qazim Laci (Medon Bershia, 70′), Yiber Ramadani, Kristjan Asllani; Jasir Asani, Rey Manaj (Armando Broja, 59′), Nedim Bajrami (Arber Hoxha, 70′)

Spain: David Raya; Jesus Navas, Dani Vivian, Aymeric Laporte (Robin Le Normand, HT), Alex Grimaldo; Martin Zubimendi, Mikel Merino; Ferran Torres (Lamine Yamal, 71′), Dani Olmo (Alex Baena, 83′), Mikel Oyarzabal (Fermin Lopez 61′); Joselu (Alvaro Morata, 71′)

Referee: Glenn Nyberg (Sweden)

 

Written by Gavin Cooney and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.

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    Mute Andrew Kenny
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    Jun 25th 2024, 11:33 AM

    Lucky them saving their ears from that torture.

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    Mute Sea Point
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    Jun 25th 2024, 11:46 AM

    @Andrew Kenny: OK Boomer, are Crosby, Stills and Nash not touring anymore? Is that why you’re lashing out at young folk just having fun…

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    Mute Rodger Waters
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    Jun 25th 2024, 1:35 PM

    @Sea Point: Young, you forgot the most important one

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    Mute Regular John
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    Jun 25th 2024, 2:09 PM

    @Sea Point:
    In all fairness though, her music is shyte…

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    Mute Karl Keane
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    Jun 25th 2024, 5:50 PM

    @Regular John: it keeps me up all night…

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    Mute Robert Halvey
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    Jun 25th 2024, 11:57 AM

    What is it with powerful outspoken indecently thinking young women that , triggers so many men

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    Mute Martin Bishop
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    Jun 25th 2024, 11:59 AM

    @Robert Halvey: its because they are snowflakes and get easily upset with anything to do with Taylor Swift

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    Mute Alan
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    Jun 25th 2024, 12:30 PM

    @Robert Halvey: in this case, because she is none of the things in your list. I think it is the ridiculous hype that winds people up. Swift is a prototype for a certain business model in the music industry. That’s her real significance. It began with Presley and the Beatles and is now at the stage marked by swifts marketing,merchandising machine. Worth studying but the music itself ,though popular, is nothing to write home about.

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    Mute Rochelle Hart
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    Jun 25th 2024, 12:34 PM

    @Robert Halvey: Just one of many things that upsets them I’d imagine. They spend their days complaining and accusing everyone and everything of being “woke”, constantly angry.

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jun 25th 2024, 12:49 PM

    @Robert Halvey: i don’t like her music. I don’t like Ed Sheerans music does that mean I’m triggered by him?

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    Mute ben wu
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    Jun 25th 2024, 12:50 PM

    @Alan: That’s fair, I think her music is the blandest type of pop that would never interest me. Very little pop music has any interest for me, at the best of times.
    She gets a particular level of venom directed towards her that is just not justified though. She is extremely successful and worked hard to achieve that success. She has shone a light on how artists can take control of their music, via the Taylor Versions (which, regardless of what genre or artists you or I like more, benefits from).
    Pretty sure that the most vitriolic types that attack her for doing her thing, are the same types that follow people like Andrew Tate or Trump.

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    Mute Patrick MC Dermott
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    Jun 25th 2024, 1:19 PM

    @Robert Halvey: That’s an interesting point. Why do males react so negatively to successful women?

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    Mute ben wu
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    Jun 25th 2024, 1:20 PM

    @Patrick MC Dermott: ‘Males’ may, Men don’t.

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    Mute Regular John
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    Jun 25th 2024, 1:26 PM

    Male Taylor Swift fans getting their knickers in a twist over comments and calling other men snowflakes ?? … LOL, you couldn’t make that up !

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    Mute Alan
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    Jun 25th 2024, 1:44 PM

    @ben wu: but then these records come out in multiple formats and the fans buy them all. Extremely cynical marketing? Plus she doesn’t write all the songs herself, so the image is a composite of various other peoples ideas. Which is fine if you make a point of indicating that. End of the line for me is her bringing her boyfriend onstage ffs lol liberation for women, that’s what I preach

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    Mute Ger Whelan
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    Jun 25th 2024, 1:45 PM

    @Patrick MC Dermott: So because she’s a woman we have to like her music and say she’s great?

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    Mute ben wu
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    Jun 25th 2024, 2:15 PM

    @Alan: As far as I know, regarding the Taylor Versions for those 6 albums, she has always had a songwriting credit, or co-contributing songwriting credit on every song. It’s literally the reason she was able to re-record them when she got blocked from buying the masters.
    There are not many major artists that can pull off that sort of move, Prince may have been one, but he chose a different road.
    That her fans bought those records, is not really of too much interest to me, and from what I’ve heard, a significant number of people that are not her fans (people that write songs) also bought them just to send a signal to the types that are buying up back catalogues just to profit off of.

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    Mute Karen Marten
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    Jun 25th 2024, 2:51 PM

    @Ger Whelan: same here too much hype about them and music is over played

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    Mute Karen Marten
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    Jun 25th 2024, 2:56 PM

    @Martin Bishop: ha ha

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    Mute James T.Kirk
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    Jun 25th 2024, 3:14 PM

    @Martin Bishop: More like they are baffled over peoples obsession with her.

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    Mute ben wu
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    Jun 25th 2024, 4:13 PM

    @James T.Kirk: Do you not find it a little odd, that the ones that post on every article about her and shout loud about how much they dislike her, are the same types that view every article and think their comment has value?

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    Mute Karen Marten
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    Jun 26th 2024, 10:48 AM

    @ben wu: her music all same and as for blowing his own trumpet well the world would be better place without him in it

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    Mute ben wu
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    Jun 26th 2024, 1:53 PM

    @Karen Marten: Music tastes are subjective. There are a lot of very successful artists for whom I have utterly no interest in. I don’t engage in disparaging them or their fans, since…why bother? Could also add that success is a metric that is objective, whether number of records sold, or number of concert goers.
    I’m fine with liking a lot of artists that don’t have pop success or mainstream recognition, I just don’t see any point in just hating on ones that I wouldn’t listen to. It seems very much like a waste of time.
    No idea what the rest of your post even means.

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    Mute Dan The Man
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    Jun 25th 2024, 11:53 AM

    I’m sure mammy and daddy will sort it out for them.

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    Mute Anto Gunning
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    Jun 25th 2024, 2:26 PM

    No wonder the Hoteliers where giving out about the strike, they where fleecing all these people flying in for the concert.

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    Mute Karen Marten
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    Jun 25th 2024, 11:58 AM

    Oh diddums so sick of hearing about her ans hearing her naff sings

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    Mute orb7eckn
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    Jun 25th 2024, 1:00 PM

    @Karen Marten: ok Karen

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    Mute Karen Marten
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    Jun 25th 2024, 2:54 PM

    @orb7eckn: and what exactly are you saying ok Karen to. Oh could it be you are calling me A Karen

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    Mute Karen Marten
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    Jun 26th 2024, 10:50 AM

    @Karen Marten: I’m sooo not upset .

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    Mute Anthony Curran
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    Jun 25th 2024, 2:01 PM

    Back in my day, a swifty was a quickly rolled joint.

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    Mute Jim O'Sullivan
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    Jun 25th 2024, 4:22 PM

    What is going on here? A person with an average voice and who puts together two and three-chord jingles is paid billions? Plato warned that the decline and fall of civilisation would be preceded by the decay of its music. Future looks grim

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    Mute another one? what's going on is the semi state sec
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    Jun 25th 2024, 12:41 PM

    “Shake it off…..”!!!!!

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    Mute Ciaran Enright
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    Jun 25th 2024, 12:41 PM

    She make a great golf club

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    Mute Damien O'Sullivan
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    Jun 25th 2024, 5:20 PM

    When will this Swift nonsense end?
    It’s going on for weeks, just do your concerts and get lost.
    There are other things going on besides these First World problems

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    Mute Simon Cable
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    Jun 25th 2024, 2:24 PM

    Great.. Might be a few cheap tickets available then.

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    Mute Gareth Parkgate
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    Jun 25th 2024, 1:35 PM

    I only ever seen her eye glitch but I’ve never heard her voice and there’s a reason for that.

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    Mute Padraig O'Brien
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    Jun 25th 2024, 1:50 PM

    Ahh boo and hoo too!

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    Mute Patrick Presley
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    Jun 25th 2024, 4:29 PM

    Dear Friends in Music,
    As a Non-Touring Independent Artist, it’s difficult to grow a fan base.
    I’m looking for your help in building a bigger following on Spotify.
    I would be very grateful if you could open the link below and click the FOLLOW BUTTON and then click the follow button on my Spotify page.
    Very much appreciated,
    Thank you
    Patrick

    https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/patrickwestman/all-my-colours-fade-to-blue

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    Mute John Smith
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    Jun 25th 2024, 3:26 PM

    Oh, the Humanity!

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    Mute AnthonyK
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    Jun 26th 2024, 9:49 AM

    Bought two tickets, not for me I hasten to add, but have listened to a few of her songs, and she’s not bad. More a Zep fan myself, with a bit of Mahler or Boulez thrown in for good measure, but now when she comes on the radio, I don’t turn the dial as they say.

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