Inside a packed Air Albania Stadium Albania recorded their first-ever victory over Latvia with a narrow 1-0 win. For Paulo Nicolato’s side, it was another frustrating evening of wasted opportunities and defensive lapses, echoing the disappointment of their previous outing against Serbia.
Nicolato, facing a depleted squad, was forced into several changes. With Jānis Ikaunieks unavailable and Vitālijs Jagodinskis, Aleksejs Saveļjevs, and Vladislavs Gutkovskis starting on the bench, the Italian tactician handed rare starts to Deniss Meļņiks and Dario Šits. Lūkass Vapne and Antonijs Černomordijs also returned, the latter fresh from suspension.
The opening exchanges were cagey, neither side showing much rhythm. Latvia earned the first corner in the 17th minute but failed to create danger, while Albania looked equally uninspired – until a costly defensive breakdown flipped the script.
In the 23rd minute, Raivis Andris Jurkovskis was beaten on the flank, allowing Albania to slip into the box. As the cross came in, Meļņiks handled the ball, leaving the referee no choice but to point to the spot. Kristjan Asllani calmly dispatched the penalty to put Albania ahead 1-0.
Latvia, rattled by the setback, nearly conceded again minutes later when Rey Manaj’s curling effort whistled just past the right post. Their best moment of the half arrived on 44 minutes, when Eduards Dašķevics whipped in a dangerous cross from the left, only for Jurkovskis’ far-post header to flash narrowly wide.
Trailing at the interval, Nicolato opted for just one change – Roberts Savaļnieks replacing Meļņiks, with Jurkovskis dropping into a back three. The adjustment brought little improvement. Albania nearly doubled their lead in the 51st minute, but Nedim Bajrami squandered a close-range chance that seemed easier to score.
Latvia finally registered a shot attempt in the 64th minute through Šits, though his tame header was not good. A golden opportunity came in the 71st minute when substitute Gutkovskis was found inside the box by Renārs Varslavāns, but the striker’s weak finish rolled harmlessly wide – summing up Latvia’s attacking frustrations.
As against Serbia, Latvia mounted a late push. Nicolato threw on fresh legs, with Bruno Melnis adding spark in the closing stages. Yet despite the pressure, the breakthrough never came. The final whistle sealed a 1-0 defeat, and with it, Albania’s first-ever win over Latvia after six previous draws between the sides.
For Latvia, it was another narrow defeat, another missed chance to turn effort into points. Their next test comes in October at Daugava Stadium, where they will host Andorra before facing England.
Albania vs Latvia – 1:0 (1:0)
Goals: Asslani 25’ (Penalty kick)
ALB: Strakosha, Hysaj, Ajeti, Djimsiti, Mitaj, Laci (Pajaziti 82’, Shehu, Asllani, Broja (Kumbulla 90+1’) Manaj (Daku 82’), Bajrami (Hoxha 68’)
LAT: Zviedris, Meļņiks (Savaļnieks 46’), Černomordijs, Balodis, Jurkovskis, Varslavāns, Vapne (Saveļjevs 61’) , Zelenkovs, Cigaņiks, Dašķevics (Gutkovskis 61’), Šits (Melnis 78’)
