Euro 2016: Albania 0-1 Switzerland - 5 talking points

Switzerland got off to a winning start to their Euro 2016 campaign as defender Fabian Schar’s early header guided them to a 1-0 victory over 10-man Albania at Lens.

Schar capitalised on poor goalkeeping by Etrit Berisha to nod in from Xherdan Shaqiri’s corner. Following forward Armando Sadiku’s unbelievable miss from 5 yards out, the game looked to be all but over after Albanian captain Lorik Sana received his marching orders for a second bookable offence.

However, the sending off appeared to bring a sense of unity to the Albanian players, as they gave their Swiss opponents a number of scares in the second half. It was only the heroics of custodian Yann Sommer that helped the Swiss maintain their clean sheet and hence, hang on to their victory.

We observe some of the main talking points that shaped up a riveting encounter in the north of France:

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#1 Both goalkeepers on song

It was a game loaded with clear goal-scoring opportunities, with both sides finding their forwards in one-on-one situations. However, the score was kept down thanks to some brilliant work by both shot-stoppers.

Swiss keeper Yann Sommer was exceptional throughout – making mind-blowing saves to thwart Armando Sadiku and Shkelzen Gashi late in the game.

On the other hand, Etrit Berisha redeemed his early error (which resulted in the goal) with a string of reflex stops – keeping Haris Seferovic (twice) and Xherdan Shaqiri out. Though fingers will be pointed at him for the decisive error, he deserves credit for keeping 10-man Albania in the game.