Portugal are bombarding the Albania box with crosses but Andre Gomes cannot divert Veloso's pass beyond Berisha. The home supporters are furious with their side's performance, with many now starting to leave in disgust.
90' +2
Roshi was instrumental in Albania's goal and he wins an important free kick for the visitors when he is fouled by Coentrao. The Portuguese supporters are waving white handkerchiefs in the stands - they have clearly seen enough of their side today.
90'
Albania are four minutes away from a famous away victory. Can they hang on and make the perfect start to Euro 2016 qualifying?
89'
GOOD SAVE FROM BERISHA! The Lazio goalkeeper has not needed to make too many stops today but he shows good reactions to tip Andre Gomes' fierce effort over the bar. From the resulting set-piece, Albania again clear their lines.
88'
The Albania defence has been so well organised today and they execute the offside trap to excellent effect to catch out Joao Pereira. The Portugal fans continue to roar on their side - some in disbelief - in search of an equaliser.
87'
Albania enjoy a rare attack when Cikalleshi bulldozes his way into the box before eventually being stopped in his tracks by Veloso. Portugal immediately come forward down the other end but Coentrao's low drive is well held by Berisha.
86'
Nani steps up to take a corner but his delivery is again poor and Albania scramble the ball to safety. Berisha has hardly been tested in the Albania goal and you cannot say that Portugal deserve anything from this game on their display so far.
84'
Albania have all eleven men behind the ball at the moment as they continue to defend admirably in an attempt to preserve their clean sheet. Nani looks to exchange passes with Moutinho but the Monaco midfielder sees his return pass excellently intercepted by Xhaka. Eder then whips a low cross into the box but it is too close to Berisha who makes a comfortable stop.
82'
S. Çikalleshi enters the game and replaces B. Balaj.
Ivan Cavaleiro has struggled to make an impact for Portugal and he runs straight into Mavraj, despite having Nani available on the overlap. Albania are looking comfortable at the moment and they run down the clock further by making their final substitution.
80'
Albania have kept only one clean sheet this year - against European minnows San Marino. Can they hold on with ten minutes remaining? Portugal are running out of ideas here.
Minute
Description
78'
Eder has been ineffective for Portugal today and he sums up his miserable display by giving away a needless free kick when attempting to meet Horta's cross. Portugal's lack of a natural striker has been well documented in recent years and that problem has been extremely evident today.
76'
NANI SHOULD SCORE! Lila has only just come on for Albania but he is beaten all too easily by Coentrao down the left. The Portugal defender whips a pinpoint cross towards the penalty spot and Nani meets the ball, unmarked, before heading an effort woefully wide of the target. That was the chance for Portugal.
75'
A. Lila enters the game and replaces E. Lenjani.
74'
Nani has struggled to raise his game despite wearing the captain's armband and his corner evades every red shirt in the box before it is cleared upfield by Albania. Are we going to see one of the greatest upsets of this qualifying campaign?
73'
Miguel Veloso enters the game and replaces Ricardo Costa.
72'
The Portugal fans continue to grow restless as Roshi is the next player to go down after a soft challenge from Andre Gomes. Albania's gameplan has worked to perfection this evening and Gianni De Biasi will be delighted if they can see this game out.
70'
E. Berisha gets yellow.
The card count rises to six for Albania as Berisha is penalised for timewasting. Portugal are starting to panic here as they search frantically for the equaliser. With games against Denmark, Serbia and Armenia to come, they can ill-afford to drop points here.
69'
E. Kaçe gets yellow.
Nani gets yellow.
HORTA HITS THE WOODWORK! Finally the free kick is taken and Nani's effort disappointingly strikes the wall before falling to Horta on the edge of the box. The 19-year-old opens up his body wonderfully and curls a delicious strike against the upright before Pepe volleys the rebound over the bar. Portugal are getting closer!
68'
Portugal win a free kick right on the edge of the box when Eder is tripped by Mavraj, who picks up a yellow card. Nani goes to take it but Kace moves out of the wall too quickly and picks up Albania's fifth caution of the game.
67'
M. Mavraj gets yellow.
66'
E. Kaçe enters the game and replaces B. Kukeli.
It's all Portugal at the moment but they cannot find a way beyond Berisha in the Albania goal. Nani shows good footwork to escape the attentions of Lenjani on the edge of the box but his low drive is well held by the Lazio goalkeeper.
64'
Portugal continue to huff and puff but the Albania fort will not break down. Ivan Cavaleiro looks to dance his way beyond Mavraj but the Koln defender makes a well-timed challenge to prevent a one-on-one opportunity.
63'
CHANCE FOR PORTUGAL! Joao Pereira is a threat for Portugal down the right and his cross into the box causes panic for the Albania defence as it falls to Coentrao towards the back post. The Real Madrid left-back darts beyond Hysaj but he cannot produce the equaliser as his shot flashes narrowly wide of the target.
61'
Albania have never qualified for a major tournament and the Eagles are currently ranked 70th in the world. They have not beaten Portugal in the previous five meetings between these sides - what a start to their Euro 2016 qualifying campaign it would be if they could end that run today.
59'
Portugal are pouring bodies forward and Nani comes close to providing the equaliser when he sends a fizzing left-footed shot just beyond the top left-hand corner. That would have been some goal!
57'
Horta looks to make an instant impact as he dribbles towards the edge of the box before firing a shot over the bar. The Portugal fans applaud the 19-year-old for his efforts.
56'
Ricardo Horta enters the game and replaces William Carvalho.
Paulo Bento looks shellshocked on the touchline and he makes a second substitution, bringing on young striker Ricardo Horta in place of the disappointing William Carvalho. Pepe goes down under a challenge from Cana inside the box but the referee waves away the Portugal appeals for a penalty.
54'
Portugal look to find an immediate response but Eder fails to hold the ball up to good effect - not for the first time in the game. Joao Pereira then delivers a trivela cross into the box but Nani does not anticipate it and Albania clear their lines. The Portugal fans are not happy with what they are seeing here.
52'
B. Balaj has scored a goal for Albania! Assist by O. Roshi.
BALAJ GIVES ALBANIA THE LEAD! It's his first goal for his country and what a way to score it. Roshi is the architect as he bamboozles Costa down the right before whipping a terrific cross into the box. Balaj still has plenty to do however and he contorts his body to send a fantastic volley beyond Rui Patricio and into the bottom corner. The visiting supporters are going wild.
50'
Albania cannot take advantage from the set-piece as the first effort is cleared by Eder at the front post. It comes back out to Agolli on the left but Rui Patricio again makes an excellent decision to rush off his line and collect the ball.
48'
ALBANIA GO CLOSE! The Eagles have looked most threatening down the right and Roshi escapes from Coentrao to deliver a wonderful low cross into the box. Balaj ghosts towards the front post to meet it but he cannot get in front of Pepe and Portugal scramble the ball behind for a corner.
47'
Portugal win an early corner when Agolli does well to prevent Joao Pereira getting his cross into the box. Joao Moutinho's set-piece picks out Carvalho on the edge of the area but the Sporting Lisbon man slices his effort way off target.
46'
Ivan Cavaleiro enters the game and replaces Vieirinha.
The teams re-emerge from the tunnel for the second half with the thoughts of their respective managers fresh in their minds. Paulo Bento has decided to make a substitution as Ivan Cavaleiro comes on for his second cap, in place of Vieirinha.
45' +2
PEPE GOES CLOSE! Portugal's best opportunities of the half have come from set-pieces and Pepe is the next to try his luck. Ricardo Costa flicks on Nani's free kick towards the back post but Pepe cannot adjust in time and his header across goal goes over the crossbar. That is the final action of the half as the referee blows the whistle.
45'
CHANCE FOR ALBANIA! The visitors threaten on the stroke of half time when Roshi drives past Carvalho before attempting to pick out Balaj in the middle. However, his cutback is too close to Rui Patricio and Portugal breathe a sigh of relief as their goalkeeper crucially gathers the ball.
43'
Portugal almost take the lead before half time as Costa flings himself at Moutinho's corner before seeing his header well blocked by an Albanian defender. Eder then attempts to wriggle his way into the opposition box but he goes down theatrically under pressure from Kukeli and his penalty appeals are rightfully waved away.
42'
Albania are affording the Portugal players no room to manoeuvre and they are desperate to see this half out. Nani produces a brilliant piece of skill to evade Xhaka on the edge of the box but his curling effort is well blocked by a white shirt.
40'
Gianni Di Biasi is renowned for being a well-organised coach as he demonstrated when he led Torino into the Italian top flight. Albania continue to break up the play with a series of tactical fouls and Portugal just cannot find a way through.
38'
Moutinho again receives treatment after he is caught by a flailing arm from Roshi. This game has lacked fluency and that has stopped Portugal from getting into a rhythm. The Albania team are working extremely hard here and their opponents are beginning to get frustrated.
36'
Fabio Coentrao may have won the Champions League with Real Madrid but he has no excuse for that! The Portuguese left-back is left with a red face to match his jersey after he is adjudged to have produced a foul throw.
34'
T. Xhaka gets yellow.
Albania are certainly not afraid to pull out of the challenges and Xhaka is the next player involved as he catches Moutinho with a rash tackle. The Portuguese crowd are clearly not happy with the tactics of their opponents and they applaud as the referee brandishes another yellow card.
32'
Ricardo Costa embarks on a marauding run from centre-back but he is denied a spectacular goal as Kukeli races across to make a crucial block. The Albania midfielder seems to have come off worse in that challenge and he enjoys a long spell of treatment.
30'
Portugal carve out another opportunity as Coentrao pings a pinpoint cross into the box for his Real Madrid teammate Pepe who sends a header way off target. For all their possession, Paulo Bento's side have really struggled to test Berisha in the Albania goal.
28'
Albania enjoy a rare attack down the right but it comes to nothing as Roshi's cross is deflected straight into the gloves of Rui Patricio.
27'
Without the penetration of Ronaldo, Portugal are finding it difficult to get in behind this Albania back-line. Carvalho attempts to play a diagonal pass into the path of Vieirinha but once again, he fails to reach his attempted target.
26'
Andre Gomes has struggled to stamp his mark on his senior debut so far and he is extremely fortunate to avoid a booking after a lunge on Roshi. The Albania bench are furious that the referee has not brandished a card there. It's all getting a bit heated in Aveiro.
24'
Albania enjoy a neat passage of play inside their own half but they are in no rush to commit bodies forward and pass the ball all the way back to Berisha. It seems De Biasi's side have come to Aveiro in an attempt to shut up shop and grab a 0-0 draw. It will be up to Portugal to break them down.
22'
Abrashi picks up Albania's second booking of the game after hauling down Nani on the counter-attack. Moutinho drills the resulting free kick into the box but Vieirinha's glanced header is well held by Berisha.
21'
A. Abrashi gets yellow.
20'
Albania win their first corner of the game after good work from Lenjani down the left. However, they cannot test the Portuguese defence for the first time as Xhaka's corner is easily plucked out of the air by Rui Patricio. The Eagles will need to make the most of those rare opportunities if they are going to get anything out of this game.
18'
Albania enjoy a brief spell of possession inside the Portugal half as they successfully manage to fend off the opposition attack. However, it comes to nothing as Abrashi clumsily handles the ball under pressure. The Portugal fans are booing Berisha in the Albania goal as they feel he is already timewasting.
16'
Portugal are dominant here, with Moutinho pulling the strings in midfield. Joao Pereira sends an inviting cross into the box for Eder but the Braga striker cannot make good connection with his header and his effort flashes wide of the target.
14'
CHANCE FOR PORTUGAL! Agolli's miscontrol allows Moutinho to send Nani through on goal with an incise through pass. The Sporting Lisbon man has Vieirinha in a good position in the middle but he opts to go alone and drags a shot wastefully across goal.
12'
Joao Pereira advances well from right-back and combines well with Moutinho before attempting to swing a cross into the box. Agolli does well to divert it behind for a corner and from the resulting set-piece, Berisha shows some more assured goalkeeping to collect the ball.
11'
Hysaj has made a shaky start at right-back and his rushed pass gifts the ball straight back to Portugal. Pepe strides forward from defence but his shot from around 40 yards flashes wide of the target. He really shouldn't be shooting from there!
9'
As you would expect, it is Portugal who are dominating the early possession with Albania happy to sit back and soak up the pressure. Gianni De Biasi's side are certainly not afraid to get stuck in early on and Kukeli is fortunate not to pick up a booking after a clumsy trip on Carvalho.
7'
There are nine new faces in the Portugal squad today from their World Cup team and Paulo Bento has expressed his desire to introduce some youngsters into the side ahead of Euro 2016. Andre Gomes is making his senior debut alongside the highly-rated William Carvalho in the midfield.
6'
Albania are fired up early on and they concede another free kick which Nani pumps into the box. Berisha flaps at the winger's delivery but Ricardo Costa cannot divert the ball into the net. An early warning for the visitors!
4'
O. Roshi gets yellow.
There is an early injury concern for Portugal here as Coentrao goes down in a heap after being caught awkwardly by Roshi. The Real Madrid left-back was a worry before this game and he is in some discomfort. Roshi picks up a yellow card for his challenge and on second viewing he can consider himself fortunate as the studs were raised.
2'
Despite the fact that Albania have never reached a major tournament, a large majority of their team ply their trades in strong European leagues. Can they spring a surprise today against a Portugal side desperate to overcome their World Cup disappointment?
1'
The referee blows his whistle and Portugal, in their familiar deep red jerseys, get the ball rolling. The road to France is underway!
Hello and welcome to the beginning of the 2016 European Championships qualifying campaign where 53 nations embark on a long journey to reach the final tournament in France. There are 23 qualifying berths up for grabs this time around and Portugal will be expecting to get their campaign off to a winning start this evening as they take on Albania in their opening Group I contest.
The Iberian nation have qualified for every major tournament since Euro 2000 and Paulo Bento's side will be desperate to put their disappointing World Cup campaign behind them. Portugal were predicted to emerge from their group in Brazil but they could not recover from an opening 4-0 defeat to eventual winners Germany and were pushed out of a place in the knockout stages by the USA.
Albania have never reached a major tournament since their first qualifying campaign in 1964 though Portugal will know from previous experience that the Eagles are not a nation to be underestimated. When these two sides met in 2010 World Cup qualifying, Albania earned a creditable 0-0 draw in Portugal - despite playing the entire second half with ten men - while a stoppage-time Bruno Alves goal gave Portugal a hard-fought 2-1 victory in the return fixture.
PORTUGAL (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Joao Pereira, Pepe, Ricardo Costa, Coentrao; Andre Gomes, W.Carvalho, Moutinho; Vieirinha, Eder, Nani (c).
Elsewhere in Group I this evening, Denmark have already come from behind to beat Armenia 2-1 in their opening contest. Serbia are the final nation in the group but with only five teams, they will have to wait until October 11 to begin their campaign.
There is no Cristiano Ronaldo in the Portugal line-up today as he was omitted from Paulo Bento's squad due to injury concerns. The Real Madrid star lacked fitness at the World Cup and, having sat out the Spanish club's recent 4-2 La Liga defeat to Real Sociedad, Bento has decided not to further risk his knee and thigh injuries. Can Portugal get the job done without their prolific captain? Here are the teams...
The two teams emerge from the tunnel led out by captains Nani and Lorik Cana. Both players read out a FIFA fair play message before the national anthems commence.
After a raucous rendition of the Portuguese national anthem, we are ready to go at the Estadio Municipal de Aveiro. Today's referee is Ruddy Buquet from France.
HT: Portugal 0-0 Albania. Gianni De Biasi will be the happier of the two managers at the break after a first half which lacked quality and clear-cut chances. Albania have been well-organised defensively while they have frustrated their opponents by breaking up the play with a number of tactical fouls. Portugal have had just one shot on target in that first half and without Cristiano Ronaldo, they have looked short of ideas in front of goal.
FT: Portugal 0-1 Albania. Bekim Balaj's stunning volley has sealed a truly remarkable victory for Gianni De Biasi's side and you cannot say that they don't deserve it. Albania were well-organised, well-disciplined and took their chance when it came. As for Portugal, they looked short of ideas without Cristiano Ronaldo and only tested Etrit Berisha three times during the 90 minutes. Portugal's attempts to reach a ninth consecutive major tournament have taken a huge blow this evening.
That result means that Albania join Denmark at the top of Group I on three points, with Portugal and Armenia suffering opening defeats. Paulo Bento's side return to competitive action when they take on Denmark in Copenhagen on October 14 while Albania will go in search of back-to-back wins when they host Denmark on October 11. That's all we've got time for here as Albania secure their first ever victory over Portugal. Thanks for joining us and make sure to come back soon.
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