Spain continued their perfect run at Euro 2024 by defeating Albania 1-0, a result that also helped England, France, and the Netherlands advance to the last 16. The only goal came from Ferran Torres in the 13th minute. Torres, who now plays for Barcelona, finished Dani Olmo’s pass with a low shot that hit the post before going in.
Albania had a couple of chances to equalize. Kristjan Asllani had a strong 25-yard shot that Spain’s goalkeeper, David Raya, managed to save. Raya, who spent last season on loan at Arsenal from Brentford, also stopped a shot from Fulham’s Armando Broja. Despite their efforts, Albania could not score and ended up at the bottom of Group B.
Spain, who have won the European Championship three times, had already secured top spot in their group with previous victories over Croatia and Italy. This allowed their coach, Luis de la Fuente, to make 10 changes to the starting lineup for this match. All 26 players in Spain’s squad have now appeared in their three group matches.
Spain’s dominance was clear from the start. Former Manchester City player Jesus Navas, now 38 and playing as an attacking right-back, delivered a great cross. Mikel Merino, formerly with Newcastle, had a shot saved, and Joselu, a Champions League winner with Real Madrid, also came close before Torres’ goal.
After taking the lead, Spain had chances to secure a more comfortable win. Olmo, Torres, Merino, and Joselu all missed opportunities to increase Spain’s lead. Albania needed a win to have a chance of advancing but, coupled with Italy’s 1-1 draw with Croatia, their defeat meant they finished last in the group.
This result guaranteed that England from Group C and France and the Netherlands from Group D would advance to the last 16. These teams have each earned at least four points from their group matches, securing their spots among the best third-placed teams if necessary.
Of the 24 teams at Euro 2024, only Spain and Portugal have won all their group matches. Portugal will play their final group match against Georgia on Wednesday. Spain will face a third-placed team from Group A, D, E, or F in their last-16 tie in Cologne on Sunday at 20:00 BST.
For Albania, their Euro 2024 campaign ends here. This was only their second appearance in the European Championship, following their first in 2016 when they also did not advance past the group stage. Despite being in a tough group with Spain, Italy, and Croatia, Albania showed resilience and earned respect.
They started their tournament impressively, scoring the fastest goal in Euro history just 23 seconds into their match against Italy. Although they lost 2-1, they drew 2-2 with Croatia after scoring a late equalizer. Against Spain, Albania fought hard, with substitute Broja creating problems and Asllani narrowly missing a chance. In injury time, Broja had another opportunity but couldn’t score, ending Albania’s Euro 2024 adventure.
