It is a fair walk from Dusseldorf Hauptbahnhof to the Merkur Spiel-Arena. It clocks in at around 90 minutes, typically, although it feels much longer in 27 degrees of heat, with the spring sun glancing off the surface of the Rhine and slow-roasting your cheeks. Still, the long, straight, riverside route is scenic, and on Monday evening the blue of the Rhine was balanced out by the streams of red on its bank, as swathes of Albanians and Spaniards made their final pre-game trek of the group stage.
For the Albanians, it would be their last at Euro 2024, full stop. Not that they saw that as an inevitability before kick-off.
They outnumbered the Spanish supporters convincingly on this particular path, and they were in jubilant voices and seemingly confident spirits. Near the start of the route, at a junction by Oberkasseler bridge, the fans who had opted against walking to the stadium were either driving or hanging out of cars – the latter group sang and waved flags; the former blared their horns, having tied the national crest to their bonnets.
Those that chose the slower, more arduous means of travel, funneled themselves along the river and beside parks in their thousands. Some occupied those parks, families making the most of this unique occasion, with qualification a real possibility after the competitive draw with Croatia and despite the opening defeat by Italy. Other Albanians picked their spots to lay out scarves, shirts and flags on the scalding concrete or on the grass, keen to supply their compatriots with red and black souvenirs. Few opted for the scarves. A wise choice on a day like this.
Others sang and danced – excited families, enamoured couples, giddy gaggles of friends. Young men flirted with young women. Some shared laughter with their Spanish counterparts, who could take for granted their place in the knockout rounds in Germany.
A segment of Albanian fans had strayed into violent encounters with Serbian supporters earlier in the tournament, but the only hostility on Monday arose when the Albanians in the stadium whistled through Spain’s national anthem. But it felt like pantomime antagonism, as so many instances have at this tournament
A hearty rendition of “Himni i Flamurit”, Albania’s own anthem, ensued. Then came the drums, the non-stop rhythm. It pulled supporters out of their seats and into the air, as they pogoed gleefully in a mesmeric wave. Their spirits were buoyed by the early application of Albania’s players; or maybe the opposite was true, with the team roused by the souls in the stands.
Spirits were naturally dampened by Spain’s goal on 13 minutes, as Albania’s press slowed and La Roja’s attritional possession quickly wore down the underdogs. Dani Olmo ghosted a ball through the defence, while Ferran Torres made an elusive, arching run around left-back Mario Mitaj. The winger’s finish was a picture of precision, the ball gliding off his boot, along the slick turf, against the inside of the post, and into the net.
Yet Albanian spirits were soon revived. And when Kristjan Asllani took aim on the cusp of half-time, drawing a fine save out of David Raya, the effort was soundtracked by an enormous roar – part hope, part adulation. Another great noise was unleashed shortly after the hour mark, when Chelsea striker Armando Broja tested Raya with a deft half-volley.
And when the ensuing phase of play brought a deflected shot and a corner for Albania, the sound was again something else. The same was the case when Asllani tried his luck once more, with 15 minutes remaining, although the midfielder launched his shot wide.
The Albanian fans sensed an equaliser, and what followed was their team’s most positive spell of the game. Yet the necessary goal would not arrive, though Broja looked to have snatched it with a clever touch and stabbed shot in the final seconds. That moment, in which Raya drifted through the sticky air to pluck the ball from it, occurred after a young Albania fan briefly evaded stewards to the sound of ever-loudening cheers.
Then came the final whistle, signalling the end of this game and the end of Albania’s campaign.
They were commendable performances from Sylvinho’s side, who took the lead against Italy within 23 seconds – in one of the moments of the tournament – and who were denied a triumph over Croatia by a last-gasp equaliser. And frankly, they were always likely to struggle here, even against a second-string Spanish outfit, after Luis de la Fuente made 10 changes from Spain’s impressive win over Italy.
Against Albania, as against Italy, Spain’s victory was a low-scoring one, but their possessional dominance was something to behold. That a weaker Spanish XI could succeed so professionally here is something to note, given Julian Nagelsmann’s first-choice German XI stuttered to a draw with Switzerland on Sunday – rescued only by an added-time goal from Niclas Fullkrug, one of many substitutes called off the bench.
Does that see Spain eclipse the hosts as favourites for the Euro 2024 trophy? Perhaps, but there is still a long way to go. In any case, the champions of 1964, 2008 and 2012 have already left a mark on this edition of the tournament.
But Albania left their mark, too, on the pitch and in the stands. After earlier moments of violence, a more laudable spirit was on show on Monday, where fans left their mark one final time: along a bank of the Rhine, on a scorching spring day in Dusseldorf.
