Albania coach Edy Reja was proud facing his native Italy last night.

The Azzurri won this friendly 3-1 in Tirana, having to come back from a goal down.

Reja said before kickoff: “Italy were unlucky, as they had the opportunities to secure qualification, there were some penalties that were not converted and other situations went against them. I have great respect for Mancini, as a coach and a man, so it's right he retained to give consistency to this project.

“Albania is almost like Italy's spare rib. There is this great bond of friendship and affection, they perhaps admire Italians more than the Italians credit themselves.

“In the early 1990s when they had so many problems, Italy helped them out and they will always be thankful to the Italian population."