Albania secured a dramatic 2 1 victory against San Marino in their UEFA Nations League Group C1 encounter at Arena Kombetare, with Kristjan Asllani scoring a stoppage time penalty to settle a surprisingly difficult contest.
The hosts made an encouraging start and moved ahead after only 11 minutes through Asllani. Albania controlled much of the possession and consistently pushed forward, but San Marino remained organised enough to prevent the home side from building a comfortable advantage.
Despite Albania creating considerably more opportunities, the visitors stayed within touching distance. Their persistence was rewarded in the 66th minute when substitute Lorenzo Lazzari found the net to bring San Marino level at 1 1.
That equaliser transformed the closing stages. Albania increased the pressure as they searched for a winner, while San Marino attempted to protect what would have been an impressive point away from home.
The decisive moment finally arrived deep into added time. Albania were awarded a penalty, giving Asllani the opportunity to rescue all three points. The midfielder converted from the spot in the 93rd minute
