Day 2 - Group A: Switzerland v. Albania
posted by The Blue Devil @ 8:26 AM
Lakenheath Old Boys
We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
Saturday, June 11, 2016
Lakenheath Old Boys
We are all former students at Lakenheath High School and other public schools in East Anglia. We were in school in the 70s and 80s and drank deeply from the well of British culture of those decades - the pints, the telly, and of course the footie!
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131 Comments:
A fascinating dynamic today. In total nine members of Albania’s squad had the right to play for Switzerland, and half a dozen in the Swiss team could have opted for Albania. Xherdan Shaqiri, Stoke’s barrel-like dynamo, is among the latter, but despite Switzerland benefitting from waves of immigration in the 90s they have also trained a number of today’s opposition – seven of Albania’s squad played underage for Switzerland.
This is a must-win for Switzerland against the minnow team Albania, the poorest nation in Europe and a first-time qualifier at the Euros. They'll know that they have the favorites France and a very competitive Romania to come.
The team news out of Lens this afternoon:
Albania: Berisha; Hysaj, Mavraj, Cana, Agolli; Xhaka, Kukeli, Abrashi; Roshi, Lenjani; Sadiku.
Switzerland: Sommer; Lichsteiner, Schar, Djourou, Rodriguez; Behrami, Dzemaili, G Xhaka, Shaqiri, Seferovic, Mehmedi.
Referee: C Velasco Carballo (Sp).
Good morning, mate. This is a very confusing clash. Albanians playing for the Swiss and Swiss playing for the Albanians. What gives?
Teams in the tunnel now.
Good morning from Castle UWS. We're preparing for a full day of the Beautiful Game.
Also, I recorded the match played yesterday, but couldn't watch it because I was sucker punched by a tribute to Muhammed Ali. Now I know his opponents felt.
The Fake Scot says that the Xakha brothers are in opposition. where is Xakha Khan? He does illustrate my point in the comment typed at 8:53
They key player for the Swiss will be Shaquiri , playing against the country of his ancestry.
Red card watch - you and I have both picked Albania's Lorik Cana to get sent off first.
West Ham has picked Hysaj.
We'll see what happens. Anthems over and we're just about to get set.
They key player for the Swiss will be Shaquiri , playing against the country of his ancestry.
This is my Euro 2016 debut. Glad to join you for the action.
Boom boom, MUR - you got a good chuckle through the house for that one.
Were you able to watch the DVR of France v. Romania? Decent match in the end.
They're off as we're seeing the match from Lens.
And the Swiss get us underway wearing white.
I did , but they showed a tribute to Ali, so I had to re DVR for a reairing that was showed at 4 AM this morning
Glad to hear that a pun finally worked. Sounds like a pro Albanian crowd.
Hopefully, the Spanish ref won't be card happy and call every little bit of contact a foul. These two physical teams need to be allowed to play
A shot is blocked and takes a weird bounce for a corner.,
GOAL! Schar opens the scoring for the Swiss from a corner!
GOAL !!!! SEHAR HEADS IN THE CORNER FROM RICKY RODRIGUEZ FOR A SWISS LEAD AS HE NIPPED IN AHEAD OF THE KEEPER.
The keeper Berisha was nowhere near that cross; easy header there.
1-0!
A nightmare of a start for the Albanians in their tournament debut.
Agreed. A horrible goal to concede, especially with an Italian manager, who has been probably drilling them on set pieces.
Mehmedi fouls Lorik Cana , so Albania will have a free kick about thirty yards out
Free kick chance now for Albania.
Rubbish.
A free kick from a training ground routine goes horribly wrong.
Since the match is being played in Lens, you would think that the Albanians would have seen that corner coming. They sure didn't act like it.
Their lens is clearly a bit murky. Boom boom!
Johnno must be pleased about the way events panned out yesterday
Albanian fans look to be outweighing their Swiss counterparts significantly. Or is it that the French fans are temporary Albanian supporters?
Cheers mate.Would I be permitted to make those comments in ENY?
I heard the high-pitched screams from Georgetown when Payet scored from here!
Most definitely.
I think the Albanians will have plenty of support . There are plenty of Albanians spread throughout Europe that are more than eager to support the team.
Yellow card for goalscorer Schar - seemed a bit soft. Free kick for the Albanian now.
Oh - Stepanovic was straight in there and shot at Berisha.
Another rubbish free kick that is easily gathered by Jan Sommer . Then the Swiss go up the other end and Haris Sefarovic has a shot easily saved off a pass by fellow striker, Dzemali.
Dzemali wins a Swiss corner.
Taken short and Lichsteiner has a shot easily blocked then Rodriguez loses the ball.
Albanian skipper, Lorik Cana, will be playing in his hometown of Marseille on Wednesday. That tells you everything.
The Albanians get a corner from a short free kick. It's easily headed away
Albania are giving the Swiss a match here. Either they're better than I'd imagined or the Swiss are rubbish.
Oh yes - Cana picks up a yellow card for a rash one. We're halfway there to the points, mate!
Lorik Cana is booked for an overly aggressive tackle. We're halfway there, mate
Snap!
I think Albania is a decent side and the Swiss are an average side. I was expecting a close match
Schar just felt the sheer force of that challenge.
Nice chance there for Xhaka Khan.
Wide by Granite Zakha Khan in Albania's best attack of the match.
BOOM BOOM!
Jan Sommer just fails to prevent a corner during a Summer tournament. He'd rather be feasting on Sommer sausage.
Schar clears out for another Albanian corner.
Oh - one on one with the keeper!
OH!!! Sadiku was through , but shot against Sommer sausage's feet. Then he was offside for the return pass.
A late challenge by Rodriguez on Hisaj. A tad naughty.
Interesting that France somehow ends up in a group with three average. Coincidence?
WAY HAY !!!!WE GOT THE POINTS!! An early PPP lead.
Intentional handball in the D off an innocuous long ball. Not clever by an experienced player
OH!!! The free kick from Dzemali crashes off the post.
Congratulations, mate! Two points for us! Cana in for an early bath. We're enjoying a lovely brekkies right now.
The Albanians tournament debut turns into a nightmare as they are a man down and it's their leader , of all people, that is sent off.
I will be having brekkies at the half.
Lorik Cana will be devastated as he will be suspended for the match on Wednesday in his hometown of Marseille.
oH!!! Just wide by Dzemali as the Swiss make a great move down the right as they take advantage of the extra space.
Great save by the keeper from Sefarovic
Granite Xakha just became a Gunner according to the Fake Scot. What sayeth the Gooner?
Lichsteiner concedes a corner to the ten men.
Jan Sommer easily catches the corner.
A minute of stoppage time.
The Swiss are a goal up and a man up at the half while Bob and I are a few points up in the PPP.
As it stands, the lads who picked Giroud to score first are top of the pops, we're in the second tier, those who picked France and Swiss to top Group A are in the middle and Chelskilad and Someone Said are on the bottom, having picked Romania.
We're seeing the second half as it's underway from Contact Lens.
Romania is an odd pick.
We're back on at Lens, Swiss getting set to kick us off for the second half.
They weren't as rubbish as I'd expected. Still in with a shout for second place.
The early exchanges are tepid. Can the Swiss kill the game off with an early second goal? Or are Albania capable of frustrating to the extent they can keep within one goal and threaten from a set piece? That appears their only likely route back into the game.
A bit dodgy from ex-Arse Johan Djourou.
The Gooner will be amused.
It's a weak group and it seems that second place will be between the Swiss and Romania, who finished behind the Ulstermen in qualifying.
Great close range block by the Alabanian keeper from the new Gunner, Granite Xakha Khan
Well wide by the new Gunner.
Lorik Cana has already showered and is watching the match in the stands now.
He looks like a natural for the part. AN acting career after football?
This is becoming desperately sloppy and error-strewn. There is no shortage of misplaced passes and numerous slips and poor control … but Albania are still in with a shout. They will make a substitute soon, too.
Xhaka Khan's day is over.
Mehmed off as well. Breel Embolo, my youngster to watch for Switzerland is on.
We're minus of the Xakha bruvs as Kace is on for the Albanian one. Mehmedi is off for the Swiss and replaced by Emolo, a promising Swiss teenager. The ALbanian Xakha throws a water bottle to the ground as he goes to the bench
Xhaka Khan not a happy chappy coming off there - threw the toys (and the water bottle) out of the pram there.
Kace is booked for a foul on Behrami, the Watford player, a minute after coming on for tantrum boy.
Shaqiri takes the free-kick that follows but it’s a little too far out and Berisha makes an easy save.
Agreed. This has been a horrible second half. I'm delighted that I had my morning cuppa.
How rubbish are Switzerland? They're just playing it about.
Oh - Embolo played a lovely ball through to Stepanovic but Berisha came up big again.
A horrible foul by Behrami as the ref plays advantage to the Albanians then young Embolo puts through Sefarovic , whose close range effort is blocked on a one on one with the Albanian keeper.
I don't think the Swiss Cheeses have a plan B. They can melt like Swiss Chocolate, being more about timing , like the Swiss watches.
Apart from the floppiness on the goal, Berisha has been brill.
Schar clears for an Albanian corner.
The corner is headed away
Agreed about the Albanian keeper. He's done well to recover from the early error.
Berisha is the backup keeper for Lazio, so he must be a decent keeper.
Three strikers on for Albania now - why not? They've got nothing to lose.
LAbania go with two up front as Cikalleshi is on for Roshi
Oh - good team move ending with a chance for Embolo - over the top.
YIKES!! Nobody on ALbania has scored more than five time for the national team. I guess they're based on strong defending
Sebastian's bruvver - Fabian - on now.
Fabian Frei is on for Dzemali.
Oh - side netting for the Albanians. Close call.
OH!!! Sadiku has a shot land in the side netting, but it was a difficult angle to score from.
Linjani goes down easily , looking for a penalty. Even the Spanish Waiter wasn't fooled by that one.
Should be a yellow card there for the Swiss.
OH!!! Sefarovic was put through and fell down as he was one on one with Berisha, asking for a penalty. The ref was having none of it.
Gashi, of the Colorado Rapids, is on for sadikhu
Shaquiri is through with just the keeper to beat, but the offside flag is raised.
Fabian Frei has a shot deflected for a corner.
A horrible corner from Shaquiri goes harmlessly out of play
Shaqiri with possibly the worst corner kick off all time there. What on earth!
Oh - Kace was in one-on-one there with Sommer who stood up tall.
OH!!!! How did Gashi miss that for the Albanians? Just Sommer to beat and he should have scored. A horrible miss by the Colorado Rapids striker.
Gelson Fernandes, the ex Citeh player, on for Shaquiri.
Brilliant commentary from Rodriguez:
"That was their one opportunity, and they've had three of them." LOL!
Kukeli booked for shoving down Embolo.
Definitely a classic.
Three minutes of stoppage time.
Three minutes of stoppage now.
Mvaraj is booked for afoul on Embolo.
This result is looking good for our predictions, mate. Two points for each side and two extra points for us.
It's over and it's an unconvincing 1-0 win for the Swiss, who were a man up most of the match
That's that, then. Switzerland eke out a very unimpressive 1-0 win over a ten-man Albania.
I'll be back in a bit with a new thread for the Wales v. Slovakia match.
Agreed. We're off to a decent start.
Cheers. I will join you for that
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