Euro 2012: Albania vs France 1 : 2. Excellent game and a hapless loss

by Alfred Kola

The game started really bad for the red-and-black team. In the first 20 minutes of the game Les Bleus scored two goals with Benzema at the 11th minute and Mvilla at the 18th and looked like it would be an easy ride for the team coached by a legend of the world soccer, Laurant Blanc. But the beginning of the second half turned the tables after Bogdani scored a goal and narrowed the score. The rest of the game was a battle for survival. The Albanian team showed that it was by no means inferior to the great France, when they missed some chances to tie the game. At the 70th minute of the game a French defender stopped the ball with his arm, but the russian referee did not point to the penalty spot. The French team was forced to play defence as the host team stormed to their goal desperately searching for another goal that would give them one point. But the score did not change and Les Bleus got the precious three points that put them at a stronger position at the top of Euro 2012 qualifying Group D, three points ahead of Bosnia after it beat Belarus 2-0. France will face Romania on Tuesday.