The two leading sides in Group C1 both came into the clash unbeaten after their first two matches, but a goalless draw at home to Belarus in their previous outing was an early setback for Finland, while Albania had won two from two.
And it was the in-form Albania who came flying out of the blocks, breaking the deadlock inside four minutes. Having ended an 11-month international goal drought against San Marino last time out, Rey Manaj struck for a second consecutive match by glancing Kristjan Asllani’s near-post delivery into the far corner.
Albania looked comfortable with the lead, creating a number of half-chances, while Finland failed to gain a foothold in the game. However, the contest turned on its head in the 22nd minute as the visitors were reduced to 10 men.
Goalkeeper Etrit Berisha was the man to receive his marching orders, and he only had himself to blame as he upended Daniel Hakans on the edge of the area after playing the ball straight to him.
Substitute shot-stopper Alen Sherri was thrown immediately into the spotlight given Finland had a free-kick in a very dangerous position, and he was caught on his toes while pushing Leo Walta’s low attempt into the back of the net for the equaliser.
Finland had levelled proceedings out of nowhere, though, and they struggled to assert their authority with the man advantage, with a Joel Pohjanpalo header easily held by Sherri, their only real opening before the break.
The second period quickly settled into an unsurprising pattern, with Albania looking to absorb pressure and strike on the counter-attack and Finland eager to make the most of their numerical superiority. The latter’s plan almost paid dividends on the hour mark when a quick move forward released Stavros Pilios, yet he could only fire straight at Lukas Hradecky from an angle.
Eventually, Finland did make Albania pay for their earlier lack of discipline from another free-kick. This set-piece was significantly further out, yet Sherri could do little to stop Walta’s curled strike from nestling in the corner.
With no choice but to take more risks, Albania attempted to control possession and territory, yet despite seeing plenty of the ball, they initially struggled to make any inroads into the Finland half. As full-time approached, they began to threaten, and Hradecky needed to be alert to race off his line and deny Mirlind Daku.
In the end, the Eagle-Owls were able to see out the game relatively comfortably to move to seven points from three games and register a fifth win in eight head-to-heads. Albania, meanwhile, have lost for the first time in three games, with the two goals conceded here their first of this UNL campaign.
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