Albania, synonym of rout strikes for Spain

Las Rozas (Madrid), 24 Mar The Spanish football team begins its preparation for the World Cup in Qatar with a friendly against Albania, a team that is synonymous with routs, which it always defeated in seven matches and with an average of more than 4 goals per match. A clear example of the profound renewal made by coach Luis Enrique Martínez in the international group is that four years and five months after the last match against Albania, only two players who had minutes in that October 2017 match can repeat in Barcelona: Jordi Alba and Koke Resurrección. That night, Spain, then led by Julen Lopetegui, certified its mathematical qualification for the World Cup in Russia with an excellent first part of football and the goals of Rodrigo Moreno, Isco Alarcón and Thiago Alcántara. In 27 minutes the match was sentenced and the Red raised her foot. It was his seventh win in the same number of matches against Albania, which he was only able to score two goals and received a whopping 29 goals, an average of 4.1 goals per game. In the history there is only one duel with a certain equality, the first. On December 3, 1986, in a quote full of political connotations. The day Albania scored one of its two goals for Spain in its history and the only time it got ahead on the scoreboard. The goals of Arteche and Joaquín turned the game around to give the first win for the Spanish team then led by Miguel Muñoz (1-2) in the qualifying round for the 1988 German Euro Cup. The return, in November 1987, left a walk from Spain in Seville (5-0) with a treble by José Mari Bakero, a goal by Michel on penalty and another by Paco Llorente. Three years passed that the paths of the two teams were crossed again. Again in a qualifying phase for the European Championship, that of 1992 in Sweden, in an appointment that left an anecdote for history. The first leg was the biggest win of the confrontations, a Spanish concert in Seville, 9-0 with four goals from Emilio Butragueño, a double by Carlos and scores by Guillermo Amor, Fernando Hierro and Bakero. And the second leg could not be played. The Spanish national team had no qualifying options left and the fall of the communist regime had the country of Albania in conflict. In this way, the reunion took place again in Seville, on April 22, 1992, with another comfortable victory for Spaniard in a match framed in the qualifying round of the United States World Cup. Two goals from Michel and one goal from Fernando Hierro shaped 3-0. The truth is that the clashes between Spain and Albania have left a good number of anecdotes. The return of this qualifying phase, on 22 September 1993, was marked by an attempt to fix that did not succeed. A Spanish intermediary who flew on the team's charter, offered the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), through Juan Espino, vice president of amateur football, the possible purchase of the match. Spain turned a deaf ear and thrashed 1-5 in Tirana with a treble by Julio Salinas plus the goals of Toni and Caminero. The average number of goals has been lowered by the Spanish national team in recent games. Along with the 3-0 of the most recent precedent, there is the first leg of that world qualifying round, on October 9, 2016, with the victory of La Roja in Shkoder, with goals from Diego Costa and Nolito (0-2). CHIEF rmm/jad