Heated match in Tirana: Petrovic prevents Serbia's qualifying false start

In a heated match in Tirana, Albania and Serbia drew 0-0. Manaj had the best chance to score, but his penalty was saved by Serbian goalkeeper Petrovic.

Chelsea's Djordje Petrovic saves a penalty from Rey Manaj. UEFA via Getty Images

Albania's home match against Serbia was a high-risk affair, and security measures were accordingly extensive before the match in Tirana. For Serbia, which had to play without visiting fans, it was the start of its World Cup qualifying campaign; Albania had already played two matches ( 0-2 against England , 3-0 against Andorra ).

From the kickoff, it was a heated match, with Albania leading the way in fiercely tackling the duels. The stands also played their part in the racy game, although the play wasn't always fair. Loud whistles accompanied the Serbian national anthem before kickoff. Lukic was hit in the head by an object while taking a corner, but play resumed after a brief interruption (10').

Neither team managed much of the game, but Albania looked the more dangerous. Mitaj (12') and Laci (35') both warmed up Petrovic from distance, before Serbia's keeper pulled off a brilliant save just before halftime: Samardzic fouled Hysaj in the penalty area, but Manaj was unable to convert the resulting penalty, as Petrovic made a strong save in the left corner (45'+1').

Serbia better after the break

After the restart, Serbia improved significantly, becoming more dominant in possession. This resulted in two excellent chances to take the lead, but Mitrovic's header was saved by Strakosha (54'), and Samardzic's long-range shot went just wide (57').

However, Serbia's flow was interrupted after an hour when another object hit a Serbian player in the head. This time, Erakovic fell to the ground. However, after a brief discussion with the referee, the game resumed shortly afterwards.

The game then became more open, with chances once again scarce. Mitrovic missed another header, while Petrovic remained largely unused at the other end. Nothing further happened in the six minutes of added time, and so Albania and Serbia drew 0-0.