Albania defeats Latvia, surpasses Serbia

Sylvinho proud of his players

Albania's coach, Sylvinho, said he is proud of the players' performance. 

He said that Latvia is a difficult opponent and the three points earned are valuable. 

Albania triumphed 1:0 at "Air Albania" on Tuesday against Latvia. 

"He is a difficult opponent. These are the matches where if he doesn't score the second goal to close the match, he risks a lot. We have noticed that Latvia is dangerous in the two or three opportunities he has. Kumbulla probably should have been involved earlier in the game. For the changes in the formation, we made changes with Bajram. I also give credit to the opposing team for Gjimshiti and Ajeti. There was a kind of hesitation to take Broja out of the game earlier, as this way the opponent could approach our area. Broja had some space in the second half. There were some good counterattacks. In the national team you have the opportunity to play six or seven times a year. Broja is not a typical nine. He uses the spaces on the field and penetrates inside", said Sylvinho. 

He said that work will begin soon for the October match against Serbia.

"I am very proud of my players. We have trained for ten days for these two matches. We have seen the last match of Latvia with Serbia. I cannot say that I have victory in mind. In two or three days the work for the match with Serbia will start, after we analyze today's match. Asllani is a very good boy. He has had a very good journey with our national team. I am also pleased with Nedim Bajrami. He and Asani are working very hard", said Sylvinho. 
 

Elseid Hysaj: Football has changed, there are no small national teams

Albania defender Elseid Hysaj has said that in current times there are no more small teams in football.

Albania narrowly defeated Latvia 1:0 on Tuesday in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

"Football has changed a lot. There are no more small teams. Everyone knows how to play football. We should be worried about why we didn't end the game earlier. But it's in our blood to suffer a little. Without suffering, we achieve nothing. We don't need to talk about this match. We feel it a lot. We need to get as many minutes as possible in the championship and be ready for that match," said Hysaj, commenting on the upcoming match, the one with Serbia in Belgrade.

Qazim Laçi: We are still missing the finalization, we hope to score against Serbia

Midfielder Qazim Laçi has said that Albania is lacking in finishing chances. 
Albania won 1:0 at home against Latvia on Tuesday. 

"We knew we had to win. In the first half we created a lot of chances. As always, we lacked a little finishing. We talked about this. It's not easy when the opponent defends with five players. Like against Serbia, it wasn't easy tonight either. But we are very happy with the performance. We have the desire and we created the chance," said Laçi. 

He hopes that the goals will return against Serbia in October.  

"We hope that the goals will come in the match with Serbia. We have to take the match with Serbia into account. We have proven that we are not afraid of matches with Serbia. We have to work on finishing. We will use every action we have," said Laçi. 
 

Nedim Bajrami: We will look for three points in Belgrade

Albania midfielder Nedim Bajrami has said that the Albanian national football team will seek full points from their clash with Serbia in Belgrade in October, in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Albania defeated Latvia 1:0 on Tuesday. Bajrami said after the match that they are happy with the victory.

"We will take this victory for our path. I am always ready for the national team. This was my chance, although I have not played much recently. I believe I took advantage of it. I believe we have made a good analysis. We are very happy with the victory. It is important to return to the clubs, to focus there," he said after the match.

Bajrami described the match with Serbia as great.

"Then we return to the national team, aware that we have a big match. We will aim to get three points against Serbia," he added.

Albania and Serbia drew 0-0 in the match held in Tirana.

With the victory over Latvia, Albania came in second place in Group K. It moved Serbia into third place.

Albania has eight points from five matches, while Serbia remains with seven points from four matches. England leads the group with 15 points. Latvia has four and Andorra has no points.

Albania defeats Latvia, surpasses Serbia

Albania is back in the race to qualify for next year's World Cup.

On Tuesday night at the “Air Albania” stadium in Tirana, the Rossoneri won 1:0 against Latvia. With this victory, Albania came in second place in Group K. It moved Serbia into third place.

Albania has eight points from five matches, while Serbia remains with seven points from four matches. England leads the group with 15 points. Latvia has four and Andorra has no points.

A penalty goal decided the match between Albania and Latvia. 

Kristjan Asllani scored from the penalty spot in the 25th minute. The penalty was awarded for handball by the Latvians.

Albania had other chances, but without any further concreteness. Latvia also had chances. Even in the last minutes, Mario Mitaj cleared the ball off the goal line. 

Albania dominated the field, but without any particular brilliance. Albania's players had the ball 61 percent of the time. They created 14 chances, compared to Latvia's nine.

The Red and Blacks had three shots on goal and the guests only one.

But the three points are the important thing from this match. Sylvinho's team needed a victory to continue their dream of qualification, namely for the second position that sends them to the playoffs.

The decisive match for this goal is considered to be the one against Serbia, which will take place in Belgrade on October 11th. 

Albania started their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 defeat to England. They then won 3-0 against Andorra, while in the emotional match with Serbia they only got one point, playing 0-0. Important points were dropped on June 10, when they drew 1-1 with Latvia in Riga.

This made victory a must for the second match against Latvia. The points were earned, while the hope for brilliance on the field is for the difficult match in Belgrade, a month later.

Albania leads 1:0 after the first half

Albania is leading 1:0 after the first half of the match against Latvia.

Kristian Asllani scored the goal from the penalty spot in the 25th minute.

Albania ahead of Latvia

Albania has taken the lead in the match against Latvia. 

The 1:0 lead was scored by midfielder Kristjan Asllani. He scored in the 25th minute from a penalty that Qazim Laçi secured in the 23rd minute. 

This match is being played at the "Air Albania" stadium in Tirana and is part of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

Official formations, Albania – Latvia

Albania and Latvia have published the official lineups for the 2026 World Cup qualifying match.

Albania will play with an offensive formation, with Armando Broja, Rey Manaj and Nedim Bajram in attack.

Laçi, Shehu and Asllani will be in midfield, while Hysaj, Ajeti, Gjimshiti and Mitaj will be in defense. The goal will be defended by Thomas Strakosha.