Albania 0 Switzerland 1: Granit Xhaka wins battle of the brothers as Lorik Cana sent off
Fabian Schar heads Swiss into an early lead with Cana dismissed before half-time as Granit triumphs over Taulant
GRANIT XHAKA won his bet with brother Taulant as Switzerland got their Euro 2016 campaign off to a flyer against ten-man Albania.
Fabian Schar timed his run like clockwork to benefit from a goalkeeping howler and nod in early on, before Lorik Cana was red carded before half-time to leave Albania's hopes in tatters and himself with the dubious honour of being the first man to get sent off at Euro 2016.
Victory ensured that Arsenal's £30million summer signing Granit Xhaka enjoyed the bragging right over brother Taulant, in a contest where an astonishing 16 players from both squads could have represented either country.
Granit had admitted ahead of the game that the pair had a bet over who would come out on top in the battle between the Kosovan-born duo.
And he was fortunate to escape unpunished for an x-rated two-footed tackle on Amir Abrashi with the game barely two minutes old.
It was the sort of out-of-control challenge which would have earned him instant dismissal in the Premier League.
And the fact that he was even prepared to put the boot in on his own brother Taulant will have convinced watching Gunners fans that their team is about to get a serious injection of bite next season.
So much for the friendship between two nations suffering such a crisis of identity that it was difficult to tell where one team ended and the other begun.
“I like playing hard, it’s just the way I am,” Xhaka explained as he collected his Man of the Match award.
“This was such a special game for my family having two sons on opposite sides but we both gave absolutely everything to fight each other.
“I am still a young man and of course I will make a lot more mistakes but I didn’t feel any extra pressure because of the transfer fee around my neck.
“There was a lot of aggression out there but I don’t think it was a dirty match, even though here was a red card which was the correct decision.”
Schar headed in from a corner on just five minutes as Stoke winger Xherdan Shaqiri's delivery was on the money and Albania keeper Etrit Berisha came flying off his line but was left grasping at thin air.
And things got worse for The Eagles as skipper and former Sunderland midfielder Lorik Cana saw red after being brandished with two yellows in 14 first-half minutes by Spanish whistler Carlos Velasco Carballo.
His second yellow was for a handball on the edge of the box and it was a nearly double trouble for Giovanni de Biasi's team as Blerim Dzemaili rattled the post with the resulting free-kick.
Albania’s defence might have started to appear like a lump of Swiss emmental in the second half following Cana's dismissal.
But the holes looked to be popping up in the Swiss backline as Armando Sadiku almost found himself through on goal, only for keeper Yann Sommer to bail them out.
Granit Xhaka was getting the better of his brother in their midfield battle and Taulant was subbed off for Albania just after the hour-mark, with Basel wonderkid Breel Embolo - a £21m target for Manchester United - coming on for the Swiss.
Frankfurt forward Haris Seferovic should have doubled the Swiss' lead when he raced through on goal with just over 20 minutes left.
But Albania keeper Berisha partly atoned for his early howler by rushing out again - and this time making a smart stop.
Sadiku then wriggled his way into the box but could only fire into the sidenetting from a tight angle.
Both sides then had penalty shouts for pushing and shirt-grabbing in the final quarter of an hour.
But Albania's best chance was yet to come.
Shkelzen Gashi was sent clear through on goal but Sommer again produced a fine stop by getting his fingertips to an effort which fizzed just over the bar along with Albania's hopes.
DREAM TEAM RATINGS
ALBANIA: Berisha 7, T Xhaka 6 (Kace 62, 6), Roshi 6 (Cikalleshi 74, 5), Sadiku 6 (Gashi 82, 5), Kukeli 6, Abrashi 7, Agolli 6, Lenjani 6, Hysaj 7, Cana 4, Mavraj, Mergim 6
BOOKED: Kukeli, Mavraj, Kace
SENT OFF: Cana
SWITZERLAND: Sommer 7, Mehmedi 6 (Embolo 62, 6), Dzemaili 7 (Frei 76, 6), Djourou 8, Xhaka 9, Schar 9, Lichtsteiner 7, Rodriguez 7, Seferovic 7, Behrami 6, Shaqiri 7 (Fernandes 88, 5)
BOOKED: Schar, Behrami
STAR MAN: Fabian Schar (Switzerland)
