In their second match of Euro 2024, Albania was set to face Croatia. Little Albania, described by YouTube “experts” as the weakest team in the tournament, against the team that placed an incredible second and third position in the last two World Cups.
It was sunny in Hamburg — about as good as a German summer day gets. The city's peripheries remained so quiet you would never think a major match was to take place some kilometers away. Approaching the stadium, the first signs of the match appeared, from cars – invariably Mercedes-Benz — decorated with the double-headed eagle to a local Albanian-owned restaurant flying both nations’ flags. In the green surroundings of Volksparktadion, both fan groups showed incredible camaraderie, chatting casually and posing for group pictures together, indications of a longstanding affinity between Albanians and Croats.
In the southern stands, designated for Albania’s supporters, the fans began pouring in. Reflecting the community’s demographics in the German-speaking countries, a large portion were Kosova Albanians. Much to my delight, there was also a considerable number of other Americans present, which I was reminded of by exclamations in English at key moments of the game.
As one would expect, there was a large contingent of the young Albanian man that has become prevalent throughout Europe: think low fades and gold chains amongst other shibboleths. There were also, though, families with children and women fans, a welcome change from a historically monolithic fanbase.
The game began with a bang. Even the most optimistic supporter could not have imagined that, after Nedim Bajrami scored the quickest goal In Euros history within 22 seconds last match, Qazim Laçi would head a cross in at the 11th minute. The Red and Black half of the stadium was sent into a mix of disbelief and euphoria.
The first half remained thoroughly Albanian. The team played skillfully, controlling much of the game and creating important chances until the 45-minute mark. On the other end, Croatia was clearly no longer the team that made history in its recent heights.
Once the teams emerged from the half-time break, the dynamic had shifted. Whatever coach Zlatko Dalić told the Croatian team over the break, it must have struck a nerve. His players emerged energized and promptly put the Albanians on the back foot. It didn’t take long before the new energy reaped fruit as the Modric-led side scored in the 74th minute, followed up only 2 minutes later by a devastating second.
The shift in the fan dynamic at this moment was something worth studying. The voice of the Croats, which could not be heard for much of the first 70 minutes, now echoed off every end of the stadium. The Albanian fans, on the other end, saw how much more intense the discouragement and disappointment of conceding a goal feels in the stadium.
Both organized groups and individual fans could be seen making an effort against this, encouraging the Albanian team to make a comeback no matter how elusive it seemed. Following multiple excellent missed chances, Klaus Gjasula — who scored an own goal for Croatia’s second after coming on as a substitute — finished an incredible play in the 95th minute. After a minute of mayhem in the Albanian stands, the referee blew the final whistle. The Balkan derby had ended an even 2-2.
Football, of course, is not constrained within 90 minutes. One of the most memorable aspects of the match was the fans’ treatment of the right-back and former captain Elseid Hysaj. A former Napoli player currently applying his trade at Lazio, he has been among the national team’s most prominent players for years. Hysaj has long faced fan criticism for a variety of performance issues. In Albania’s Euro 2024 debut against Italy, his rather inexplicable mistake of ducking from a strike by Italy’s Barella, which netted the Azzurri’s decisive second goal, led to vitriolic attacks online.
Accordingly, chants in his direction began as soon as the players emerged for their pre-match training. Yet they did not conform with the Albanian tradition of unrelenting criticism — quite the opposite. In what was clearly a pre-planned effort, fans began singing his name in support. These continued even during the match whenever Hysaj made a particularly crucial intervention, which was not rare as he was playing his heart out.
After the game, he was the first player to approach the Albanian wing of the stadium, applauding in gratitude. It was an impressive gesture of goodwill, one which would serve Albanians well to replicate both in and outside of the footballing arena.
In the days since the game, media reports of discriminatory chants and an inflammatory statement by national team player Mirlind Daku have circulated on news sites and social media. I remained unaware of this throughout the game and thoroughly denounce any statement discriminating or calling for violence against any group. Unfortunately, this has long been a tradition among Balkan football fans, not least during the Serbia–Albania match on October 14th, 2014, where an Albanian nationalist symbol led to an incredibly violent pitch invasion by Serbian fans.
I sincerely hope that the Balkans will see a day where one does not celebrate their success, athletic or otherwise, by denigrating another national group and that sports will be utilized for their immense potential to unite. I hope such a day will come soon.
In retrospect, this was an unmistakably historic match. It will be remembered as a prominent episode in the evolution of a national team once entirely accustomed to losing, which then grew able to resist bigger teams before conceding in the last minutes. Now, it has proven itself capable of coming back from dire straits. Though it exited the Euros in the group stages after a 1-0 loss to Spain, it is only reasonable to expect it to consistently win at the highest levels if this progression continues.
Without a doubt, this progression reflects the aspirations of a people seeking to establish itself as a mighty and respectable part of Europe. The successes of a few talented young men resonate far beyond the white lines on the green pitch. However indirectly, it affects the social standing and daily lives of Albanians, be it in the halls of official Tirana or whichever corner of the world they have chosen to build their new lives in.
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