European Qualifiers
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EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS - 2014/16 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Elbasan Arena - Elbasan Sunday 29 March 2015 18.00CET (18.00 local time) Albania Group I - Matchday -8 Armenia Last updated 12/07/2021 17:32CET Official Partners of UEFA EURO 2020 Previous meetings 2 Match background 3 Squad list 4 Head coach 6 Match officials 7 Competition facts 8 Match-by-match lineups 9 Team facts 11 Legend 13 1 Albania - Armenia Sunday 29 March 2015 - 18.00CET (18.00 local time) Match press kit Elbasan Arena, Elbasan Previous meetings Head to Head FIFA World Cup Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Vardanyan 60, 06/09/1997 QR (GS) Armenia - Albania 3-0 Yerevan Assadourian 82, Avalyan 88 (P) Fraholli 58; Ter- 09/11/1996 QR (GS) Albania - Armenia 1-1 Tirana petrosyan 89 Final Qualifying Total tournament Home Away Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA EURO Albania - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Armenia - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - FIFA* Albania 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 - - - - 2 0 1 1 1 4 Armenia 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 - - - - 2 1 1 0 4 1 Friendlies Albania - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 1 0 0 2 0 Armenia - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 0 0 1 0 2 Total Albania 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 - - - - 3 1 1 1 3 4 Armenia 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 - - - - 3 1 1 1 4 3 * FIFA World Cup/FIFA Confederations Cup 2 Albania - Armenia Sunday 29 March 2015 - 18.00CET (18.00 local time) Match press kit Elbasan Arena, Elbasan Match background Albania will look to make a winning start to 2015 in UEFA EURO 2016 Group I as they welcome section backmarkers Armenia. Previous meetings • It is all even after three games between these teams, both having the record W1 D1 L1. • The sides' only competitive meetings came in 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifying; they drew 1-1 in Tirana before Armenia won the return fixture 3-0 in Yerevan. • More recently, they came together for a friendly in Tirana on 14 August 2013, with Albania – under current coach Giovanni de Biasi – prevailing 2-0, Valdet Rama and Ergys Kaçe the scorers. Form guide • Albania sensationally won their opening Group I contest 1-0 in Portugal but have taken just a point from their subsequent two games (D1 L1). • Albania are without a win in three competitive home fixtures (D2 L1). • Armenia are without a victory in three Group I matches (D1 L2) and four competitive outings in total (D2 L2). • Armenia have not won in three competitive away games (D1 L2) since a stunning pair of victories on their travels in 2014 World Cup qualifying – 4-0 in Denmark and then 2-1 in the Czech Republic. Trivia and links • Albania midfielder Taulant Xhaka turns 24 on the eve of the Armenia match. • The nations have met in three UEFA age-group competition games, Armenia recording two wins to Albania's one. 3 Albania - Armenia Sunday 29 March 2015 - 18.00CET (18.00 local time) Match press kit Elbasan Arena, Elbasan Squad list Albania Current season Overall Qual. FT Team No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers - Orges Shehi 25/09/1977 37 Skënderbeu - 0 0 0 0 6 - - Alban Hoxha 23/11/1987 27 Partizani - 0 0 0 0 - - - Etrit Berisha 10/03/1989 26 Lazio - 3 0 0 0 23 - Defenders - Ansi Agolli 11/10/1982 32 Qarabağ - 3 0 0 0 53 2 - Andi Lila 12/02/1986 29 Giannina - 3 0 0 0 52 - - Debatik Çurri 28/12/1983 31 Tirana - 1 0 0 0 44 1 - Mërgim Mavraj 09/06/1986 28 Köln - 3 0 0 0 22 2 - Elseid Hysaj 20/02/1994 21 Empoli - 3 0 0 0 12 - Midfielders - Lorik Cana 27/07/1983 31 Lazio - 3 0 0 0 81 1 - Emilian Vila 12/03/1988 27 Partizan - 0 0 0 0 27 3 - Taulant Xhaka 28/03/1991 24 Basel - 3 0 0 0 3 - - Amir Abrashi 27/03/1990 25 Grasshoppers - 3 0 0 0 12 - - Burim Kukeli 16/01/1984 31 Zürich - 3 0 0 0 9 - - Ermir Lenjani 05/08/1989 25 St Gallen - 3 1 0 0 8 1 - Ergys Kaçe 08/07/1993 21 PAOK - 1 0 0 0 11 1 - Alban Meha 26/04/1986 28 Paderborn - 0 0 0 0 6 2 - Herolind Shala 01/02/1992 23 Odd - 0 0 0 0 2 - Forwards - Edmond Kapllani 31/07/1982 32 FSV Frankfurt - 0 0 0 0 41 6 - Hamdi Salihi 19/01/1984 31 H. Haifa - 0 0 0 0 49 11 - Bekim Balaj 11/01/1991 24 Rijeka - 3 1 0 0 8 1 - Sokol Çikalleshi 27/07/1990 24 Split - 2 0 0 0 7 - - Armando Vajushi 03/12/1991 23 Litex - 0 0 0 0 6 1 1860 - Valdet Rama 20/11/1987 27 - 1 0 0 0 14 3 München Coach - Giovanni de Biasi 16/06/1956 58 - 3 0 0 0 26 - 4 Albania - Armenia Sunday 29 March 2015 - 18.00CET (18.00 local time) Match press kit Elbasan Arena, Elbasan Armenia Current season Overall Qual. FT Team No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers Dinamo - Roman Berezovski 05/08/1974 40 - 3 0 0 0 91 - Moskva - Gevorg Kasparov 25/07/1980 34 Mika - 0 0 0 0 25 - - Arsen Beglaryan 18/02/1993 22 Ulisses - 0 0 0 0 - - Defenders - Robert Arzumanyan 24/07/1985 29 Amkar - 3 1 0 0 69 5 - Hrayr Mkoyan 02/09/1986 28 Esteghlal - 1 0 0 0 32 - - Artak Edigaryan 18/03/1990 25 Žalgiris - 0 0 0 0 17 - - Levon Hayrapetyan 17/04/1989 25 Pyunik - 3 0 0 0 28 1 - Kamo Hovhannisyan 05/10/1992 22 Pyunik - 3 0 0 0 20 - - Varazdat Haroyan 24/08/1992 22 Pyunik - 3 0 0 0 16 - - Taron Voskanyan 22/02/1993 22 Pyunik - 3 0 0 0 11 - - Gael Andonyan 07/02/1995 20 Marseille - 0 0 0 0 - - Midfielders Dinamo - Artur Edigaryan 26/06/1987 27 * 3 0 0 0 41 - Minsk - Gevorg Ghazaryan 05/04/1988 26 Kerkyra - 2 0 0 0 43 9 - Marcos Pizzelli 03/10/1984 30 Aktobe - 3 0 0 0 40 7 - Hovhannes Hambartsumyan 04/10/1990 24 Vardar - 0 0 0 0 9 - - Zaven Badoyan 22/12/1989 25 Pyunik - 0 0 0 0 4 - - Artem Simonyan 20/02/1995 20 Zürich - 0 0 0 0 - - Forwards - Edgar Manucharyan 19/01/1987 28 Ural - 3 0 0 0 46 8 - Henrikh Mkhitaryan 21/01/1989 26 Dortmund - 2 1 0 0 50 16 Spartak - Yura Movsisyan 02/08/1987 27 - 1 0 0 0 30 9 Moskva - Artur Sarkisov 01/07/1987 27 Volga - 2 0 0 0 29 4 - Norair Aslanyan-Mamedov 25/03/1991 24 Almere - 0 0 0 0 6 - Lokomotiv - Ruslan Korian 15/06/1988 26 - 0 0 0 0 - - Tashkent Coach - Bernard Challandes 26/07/1951 63 - 3 0 0 0 8 - 5 Albania - Armenia Sunday 29 March 2015 - 18.00CET (18.00 local time) Match press kit Elbasan Arena, Elbasan Head coach Gianni De Biasi Date of birth: 16 June 1956 Nationality: Italian Playing career: Treviso FC, FC Internazionale Milano, AC Reggiana 1919, Pescara Calcio, Brescia Calcio, US Città di Palermo, Vicenza Calcio, Bassano Virtus 55 ST Coaching career: FC Pro Vasto, Carpi FC 1909, Cosenza Calcio, SPAL 1907, Modena FC, Brescia Calcio, Torino FC (three times), Levante UD, Udinese Calcio, Albania • Served apprenticeship as an academy coach and on the lower rungs of the Italian football ladder before making his name overseeing back-to-back promotions at Modena – guiding them from the third division to Serie A in 2002. It ended a 38-year absence from the top flight. • Helped Modena survive first season among the elite before moving to Brescia, where he stayed two years before embarking on a tumultuous spell at Torino in 2005. • Arrived with Torino picking up the pieces after bankruptcy and exceeded expectations by steering them back to Serie A in his first campaign, only to be replaced by Alberto Zaccheroni three days before the start of the next term. He was reappointed within seven months, leading the Granata to safety. • Spent 2007/08 at Levante, winning plaudits despite relegation, then returned for a third stint at Torino with five games of the season remaining and saved them from relegation again. Sacked that December, he had a two-month reign at Udinese in 2009/10 before finding more constancy as Albania boss. • A one-time midfielder with a handful of top-flight playing campaigns under his belt, De Biasi was installed in December 2011 as successor to Josip Kuže. He signed a new deal running until the end of UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying in November 2013. Bernard Challandes Date of birth: 28 July 1951 Nationality: Swiss Playing career: FC Le Locle, Urania Genève Sport Coaching career: FC Saint-Imier, FC Le Locle, FC La Chaux-de-Fonds, Yverdon-Sport FC, BSC Young Boys, Servette FC, Switzerland Under-21, FC Zürich, FC Sion, Neuchâtel Xamax FC, FC Thun, Armenia • Bernard Challandes has quietly carved out an impressive coaching CV since his career started in earnest when he took over at Yverdon in 1987. He stayed in the post for seven seasons, winning four lower-league titles, before moving to Young Boys. • His stay in Berne proved nowhere near as lengthy or successful, however, Challandes departing in 1995 with the club finishing bottom of the 12-team Swiss top flight after collecting just 17 points all season.