Albania downs Belarus with Asllani penalty and Muçi screamer

A penalty converted by Kristjan Asllani and a stunning strike from outside the box just after halftime were enough for Albania to take a 2-0 win over Belarus at the Arena Kombetare, in the group C1 matchday of the UEFA Nations League. The match never really felt like it was slipping away from the hosts, who controlled things patiently until the scoreboard fell in their favor.

The first half was even in the early going, with Arbër Hoxha and Evgeni Malashevich testing their aim without luck in the opening minutes. Belarus even had a couple of clear chances through German Barkovskiy, who fired twice without finding the net. But Albania grew into the game as the minutes went by, and in the 31st minute came the play that changed everything: Berat Djimsiti went down inside the box after a foul by Artem Kontsevoy, who was booked for the challenge. Two minutes later, in the 33rd minute, Asllani made no mistake from the spot, slotting home a low shot just inside the left post to make it 1-0.

With the lead in hand, Albania went into the break comfortably, but the decisive blow came right as play resumed. In the 46th minute, at the very start of the second half, Ernest Muçi popped up from outside the area to curl a left-footed shot into the net after an assist from Elseid Hysaj on a quick counterattack. The 2-0 scoreline left Belarus needing to respond, something that never really materialized.

Chances that went begging

The second half saw more attempts than genuine danger. Berat Djimsiti crashed a header off the left post in the 63rd minute, following an Asllani cross from a set piece, and that was perhaps the clearest chance to extend the lead. Belarus, for their part, barely troubled the home side with shots from Kirill Pechenin and Aleksandr Svirepa that missed the target. With both coaches having already made their substitutions (Rolando Maran refreshed the attack with Uzuni, Mehmeti and Daku, while Viktor Goncharenko searched for offensive answers without success), the scoreline held firm and Albania managed the lead comfortably to the final whistle, in a closing stretch that saw a few more yellow cards for rough play.

The numbers behind the dominance

The stats confirm what was clear on the field: Albania was sharper over the 90 minutes and created considerably more real danger.

Albania's shot volume (20 to 8) is also reflected in the post match xG estimate: 2.102 for the hosts against just 0.526 for the visitors, a figure that backs up the notion that the final score didn't overstate what happened on the field. Belarus, meanwhile, ended up committing far more fouls (23 to 9), a sign that they struggled to play out from the back and had to resort to fouling to slow down Albania's attacks.

What it means in the standings

The result puts Albania in second place in group C1, with 3 points from their opening match and a goal difference of +2, just behind Finland on goal difference. Belarus, on the other hand, remain pointless after their first outing, with a loss on the board and a goal difference of -2, sitting 3 points behind Albania in the table. There's still plenty of group stage left to play, but Albania opened with a clear win that the numbers back up as a true reflection of their control on the field.