Spain keep a clean sheet in the group at the 2024 European Championship: 1-0 against Albania

Germany’s possible quarter-final opponent Spain also completed the perfect European Championship preliminary round with a B team and eliminated outsider Albania from the tournament. On Monday, the three-time European champions also won the last group match 1-0 (1-0) despite a major rotation by coach Luis de la Fuente.

In front of 40,586 spectators in Düsseldorf, Ferrán Torres (13th minute) from FC Barcelona scored after a dream pass from Leipzig’s Dani Olmo. Spain, which had already been confirmed as group winners before the match, finished the preliminary round without conceding a goal and with the maximum haul of nine points.

For Albania, however, their second participation in the European Championship finals after 2016 ended with a group stage exit, just like eight years ago. The team coached by national coach Sylvinho finished last in Group B with just one point. Group winners Spain, on the other hand, will play against a third-placed team in the round of 16 in Cologne on Sunday.

Stroke of genius from Leipzig’s Olmo

The Spaniards, who made ten changes to their line-up, needed a while to get into the game against the hard-working Albanians. After a few wobbles in the first few minutes, the title favorites dominated the game more and more. In a marked change to their usual style, Spain hardly played with their usual short passing game, but this time tried mainly with crosses.

The lead, however, resulted from a stroke of genius by Leipzig’s Olmo, who, in his second European Championship appearance, played a dream pass to Torres after just under a quarter of an hour. The 24-year-old FC Barcelona attacker gratefully accepted and slotted home the Furia Roja to give them the lead.

Spain now dominated, but, as in the 1-0 win against Italy, had serious problems with efficiency and missed the chance to quickly add a second goal. This almost came back to haunt them when Inter Milan’s Kristjan Asllani forced Spain’s substitute goalkeeper David Raya from Arsenal to make a strong save with a courageous long-range shot (45′). De la Fuente had even made a change in the goalkeeper position.

The Albanians were missing Mirlind Daku, who had been banned for two matches by the European Football Union for nationalist chants after the 2-2 draw with Croatia. The attacker had only made one brief appearance so far anyway. The underdog would have needed a win to advance. Despite all the fighting spirit and passion, Albania only created chances late on, but they went unused.

Even without the stars Rodri (yellow card suspension), Nico Williams and the super talent Lamine Yamal, who only came on later, the Iberians dominated their opponents, but also showed themselves to be too careless in the second half when it came to creating and, above all, taking advantage of top-class chances.

This kept the underdog, cheered on by thousands of loud Albanian fans, in the game unnecessarily. Substitute Armando Broja missed the best chance to equalize in the 65th minute. Raya again made a strong save, as he did with Broja’s last big chance in injury time.