Abrashi surely kills off the remaining time in the game by winning a corner off Grigore. All they have to do is keep possession for the final seconds.
90' +5
Stanciu lines up one last effort for Romania 25 yards from goal, but can only send his effort into the stand behind the net. That could be it for Iordanescu's men.
90' +4
E. Hysaj gets yellow.
Hysaj takes his time over a throw-in down the right and is booked for time-wasting.
90' +3
G. Torje gets yellow.
Memushaj lifts the free-kick into the box, but Cana's header is gathered by Tatarusanu under his bar.
Torje shoves Lila and gets booked by the referee, although the free-kick remains Romania's.
90' +2
Memushaj wins a free-kick for his team, although Abrashi was taking the ball into the corner to kill further time.
90' +1
Albania are doing their utmost to keep the ball in the corner to kill the clock. Frustration is growing in the Romania ranks.
90'
There will be five minutes of added time.
87'
CHANCES! Balaj tees up Abrashi in the right inside channel, but the midfielder can only strike the ball tamely into the legs of Grigore. However, Albania manage to win a corner from the situation and Lila sends the corner in from the right, but Mavraj sends his header wide of the post.
86'
Roshi races the length of the pitch to win his side a corner, which is greeted like a goal by the Albania fans behind the net. It will eat up precious time on the clock.
Abrashi sends the corner to the near post for the run of Mavraj, but the defender strikes the ball into the sidenetting. That could have ended the contest.
85'
C. Săpunaru gets yellow.
L. Memushaj gets yellow.
INTO THE WALL! Torje lines up his strike, but his effort clatters into the Albania wall who remain strong in their bid to close out the game.
Sapunaru heads into the book for not retreating into the wall.
Memushaj is booked for time-wasting.
Minute
Description
83'
L. Cana enters the game and replaces M. Basha.
Cana replaces Basha for the final seven minutes for Albania.
Abrashi tries to win the ball on the edge of the box from Torje, but can only bring down the Romanian midfielder, resulting in a free-kick in a dangerous position.
81'
Stanciu lines up another strike from distance, but again he cannot hit the target as space opened up for the midfielder to shoot. Albania cannot afford to keep giving him chances.
80'
Albania are being forced further and further back towards their own goal. They're in need of an out ball to alleviate the pressure on their backline. De Biasi and his players will have no problem remembering France's late salvo earlier in the week.
78'
Stanciu goes for glory from 30 yards as he is not closed down by the Albania defence sitting on the edge of the box. However, he can only send his strike well over the crossbar.
77'
O. Roshi enters the game and replaces E. Lenjani.
Roshi replaces Lenjani for the final 13 minutes.
76'
OFF THE BAR! Romania come within inches of an equaliser as Andone surges forward into space in the right inside channel and gets his shot away before Ajeti can make the challenge. His effort looks to have beaten Berisha, but clatters off the crossbar and bounces clear. Another let-off for Albania.
75'
Abrashi makes a good run into space to collect Ajeti's ball forward from the back, but he cannot control the ball under pressure, allowing Chiriches to clear the danger.
74'
AJETI TO THE RESCUE! Agolli plays a horrendous pass across the pitch which is intercepted by Stancu. The striker bursts into the box, but Ajeti makes an inch-perfect challenge to dispossess the Romania forward as he was about to pull the ball back across the face of goal.
72'
Albania get lucky as Torje gets in behind and slides the ball across the face of goal for Stancu to convert, but the flag goes up for offside. However, replays suggest that Hysaj was playing Torje onside on the opposite flank.
70'
Albania mount a rare foray forward and from Lila's cross the ball falls to Balaj to strike at a tight angle. However, the forward is unable to test Tatarusanu with his effort.
69'
SHOT! Space opens up for Torje to strike on the edge of the box, but gets his effort all wrong by slicing his strike well wide of the post.
68'
F. Andone enters the game and replaces A. Popa.
Final change for Romania as Andone replaces Popa.
67'
Sanmartean stands over the ball, but can only drive his effort straight into the wall. A wasted opportunity by the Romanian midfielder.
66'
Sanmartean runs through the Albania midfielder and tries to play in Stancu, but he gets brought down 25 yards from goal by Basha, resulting in a free-kick. A good opportunity for Iordanescu's men.
64'
Memushaj sends a long ball into the box for the run of Balaj, but the forward just cannot control the ball inside the six-yard area, allowing Chiriches to clear.
63'
CHANCE! Albania break and Memushaj attempts a strike from the edge of the box which surprises Tatarusanu, but he makes the parry and then gathers the loose ball.
61'
Torje makes an impact for Romania as he commits defenders before sending a pass out to the flank for Sapunaru, who wins a corner for his team as Agolli diverts his cross behind.
60'
A few stoppages are just creeping into the game now as Lila hits the deck hard after an aerial duel with Matel. It is taking the tempo out of the match, which won't suit Albania given their dominance in possession.
59'
B. Balaj enters the game and replaces A. Sadiku.
The goalscorer Sadiku makes way to be replaced by Balaj.
57'
G. Torje enters the game and replaces D. Alibec.
Alibec is forced from the pitch due to his injury and is replaced by Torje. Romania have one substitution remaining.
56'
Alibec falls awkwardly on his knee in a tussle with Basha for the ball. He requires treatment on the pitch, and the stretcher comes out for the forward.
55'
Memushaj takes the set-piece, but arcs his cross over everyone in the penalty area, wasting the opportunity to threaten.
54'
Abrashi continues his pressing from the resulting throw-in and this time he does win the ball from Matel, forcing the defender to pull him down. The referee awards Albania a free-kick next to the corner flag on the right flank.
53'
A. Mățel gets yellow.
Good pressing from Albania as Abrashi closes down Matel in the corner, refusing to let the left-back out until he smashes the ball off the Albania midfielder for a throw-in.
Matel is booked for his tug on the shirt of Abrashi.
51'
Albania win a free-kick and Memushaj lifts the ball into the box from 35 yards rather than striking at goal. Mavraj tries to glance his header into the path of Sadiku, but can only send the ball out of play.
50'
Memushaj breaks forward into the Romania half, but unselfishly sends the ball out to Sadiku. However, the striker cannot bring the ball under control on the edge of the box, allowing Chiriches to quell the opening.
48'
Alibec tussles with Hysaj down the left for Romania, but grabs the shirt of the Albania defender and sends him tumbling to the deck. The referee blows for a free-kick, much to the fury of the striker.
47'
Mavraj meets the ball from Lila's corner from the right, but sends his header just over the bar.
46'
L. Sânmărtean enters the game and replaces A. Prepeliță.
We're back underway in Lyon.
Lila races away down the right flank to collect a long ball from the kick-off, winning a throw-in for his side deep in Romania territory.
Grigore sends the throw-in behind for a corner. Albania have a decent chance to threaten all from that little forward run from Lila.
Prepelita did seem to be struggling with an injury in the first half and has been replaced by Sanmartean.
45' +2
The referee brings an end to the first half.
45' +1
Alibec sends an effort towards the net, although he cannot generate any power on the strike. As a result, Berisha can watch the ball safely into his hands.
45'
There will be two minutes of added time.
43'
A. Sadiku has scored a goal for Albania! Assist by L. Memushaj.
Sapunaru lifts the ball over the Albania backline for the run of Alibec, but the ball skips off the surface and just goes out of play as he attempted to swing his foot at it.
GOAL!!!!! Sadiku hands his side the lead just before the break with a sublime header from close range. The striker peeled off his marker at the back post to latch on to Memushaj's cross to guide the ball past the hapless Tatarusanu into the net.
A good cross from Memushaj finds Sadiku at the back post for the forward to send his side into the lead.
41'
Sadiku collects a pass from Abrashi on the edge of the box, but his first touch lets him down and allows Grigore to clear the danger.
39'
Mavraj makes a good covering tackle down the right inside channel to stop the run of Popa, sending the ball out for a corner. Space almost opened up for Romania in the final third.
38'
Ajeti splits the Romania defence open with a perfect throughball for Sadiku, but the forward is marginally offside with only Tatarusanu to beat.
35'
CHANCE! From the resulting corner Hysaj plays the ball short for the run of Basha, who has time to launch an effort at goal. However, he can only blast his strike well over the bar. Will Albania come to rue these missed chances?
34'
CLOSE! Memushaj cuts open the Romania defence with a forward run into the right inside channel. He has options around him after beating the challenge of Grigore, but opts to go for goal and can only win a corner as Tatarusanu parries his strike from a tight angle behind.
33'
Prepelita goes down clutching his leg, but he appears ok to continue. Romania may just have been surprised by the quality of the Albania team in the middle of the park.
32'
Space opens up for Hysaj in the final third, but he opts to pass the ball into the feet of Lenjani. The winger tries to carve out room for a strike, but gets crowded out and loses possession, although De Biasi screams for a foul on the edge of the box.
30'
Albania are making life very difficult for the Romanian flair players to build an attacking rhythm. As soon as they take possession in the Albania half they're put under pressure immediately leading to mistakes. Iordanescu's men need to raise the level of their game in the final third.
28'
Tricolorii are struggling to keep the ball at the moment and are allowing Albania to gain a foothold in the match. The Eagles have seemingly grown in confidence since Lenjani's miss.
27'
Memushaj sends an inviting ball over the top of the Romania defence, but Sadiku just mistimes his run and is flagged offside.
25'
For all their possession in the early stages of the match, Romania have not been able to unlock the Albania defence. The plan of attack from De Biasi's men seems to be play on the counter, but that miss from Lenjani could be very costly.
23'
Sadiku clears the ball away with ease as Stanciu's cross fails to beat the first man. Albania break away on the counter.
CHANCE! Lenjani misses a golden opportunity to hand his side the lead by blazing his strike over the bar from six yards. He helped create the opening with neat backheel and Hysaj put the ball on a plate for him at the back post, but he lost his composure by failing to hit the target.
22'
Romania win a free-kick down the right and pile men forward into the box for the set-piece, with Stanciu standing over the ball.
21'
Basha brings the ball forward through the middle and has plenty of support down the right. However, he chooses to launch a shot on goal from distance, which is comfortably saved by Tatarusanu.
20'
Popa attempts to weave his way through the wall of black shirts on the edge of the box. He beats the challenge of Basha, but Agolli slides in with an inch-perfect tackle to dispossess the Romania midfielder.
19'
Sapunaru battles to win the ball for Romania in the middle of the park and does well to retain possession under pressure from Lenjani and Memushaj to launch a counter for his team.
18'
Matel tries an ambitious strike from 35 yards and sends his effort well over the bar into the stand behind the goal. His team-mates and manager don't look to impressed with the left-back.
17'
Berisha does well to race off his line to cover his back four from a long ball into the box. The keeper knocks the ball away from Popa and out for a throw as the midfielder attempted to send a pass back for Alibec.
15'
Hysaj raids forward for Albania down the right and lines up space for a strike, but the imposing figure of Hoban stops his strike in its tracks.
14'
CHANCE! Alibec beats the attention of Mavraj and races towards the edge of the box. The striker attempts to curl his strike beyond the reach of Berisha, but sends his effort narrowly wide of the post.
12'
Chiriches sends the ball long to the forward run of Hoban, but Ajeti battles the midfielder well to win the aerial duel and allows Berisha to gather the loose ball.
10'
Romania are controlling proceedings at the moment especially in the middle of the park. They've yet to cut open the Albania defence, who are sitting quite deep on the edge of their own box.
8'
CHANCE! Stancu strikes the ball with venom towards the net, but Berisha reacts to palm the ball away and Albania clear the danger from the box. Either side of the keeper and that was a goal for Iordanescu's men.
6'
M. Basha gets yellow.
Basha is one lucky man to remain on the pitch as he clatters Hoban with a high boot. The Romania man requires treatment due to the severity of the challenge.
Basha goes into the book for his challenge on Hoban.
4'
Romania put the pressure on and Hoban has a strike from the edge of the box, which should be saved with ease by Berisha. However, the keeper fumbles and allows Popa the chance to pounce, but he reacts just in time to smother at the midfielder's feet.
3'
Matel does extremely well down the left to keep the ball in play from Hoban's pass. The left-back gets tackled, but the ball falls into the path of Stanciu, who fires an effort at goal, only to see his strike sail well over the bar.
2'
Sadiku wins the ball in the Romania half, but his attempted pass to Lila is misplaced and allows Tricolorii to clear the danger.
1'
We're underway in this Group A clash.
Good evening and welcome to the live commentary of the Euro 2016 Group A clash between Romania and Albania at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais.
Both teams are in dire need of a victory this evening in order to advance to the knockout phase of the competition. Neither has claimed victory in their opening two matches, but there is still hope of securing a third-place spot.
Romania were denied a point in their opening match against France due to the brilliance of Dimitri Payet in the last minute, while Admir Mehmedi's goal pegged them back in the second half of their clash against Switzerland. Anghel Iordanescu's men have played some decent football, but will need to raise their game to secure the win tonight.
The team news has been announced and we'll start with Romania.
Albania saw skipper Lorik Cana dismissed in their opener against Switzerland, which prevented them from hitting back after Fabian Schar's opener. They were dealt a huge blow after a heroic performance against France as late goals from Antoine Griezmann and Payet stole the three points for Les Bleus. However, Giovanni De Biasi's men have proven they are a solid outfit and will be up for the challenge today.
The players are making their way out on to the pitch, so we should be underway shortly.
Romania subs: Pantilimon, Rat, Moti, Chipciu, Pintilii, Torje, Keseru, Andone, Gaman, Filip, Sanmartean, Lung.
HALF-TIME: ROMANIA 0-1 ALBANIA
History for Armando Sadiku as he becomes the first player to score for Albania at a major tournament. His headed effort has sent Giovanni De Biasi's men into the break with a deserved lead due to their exploits in the first half. They have been by far the better team and had they been more clinical in the final third, the scoreline could be further in their favour.
Romania are on the brink of being dumped out of the competition following their poor display in the opening 45 minutes. They've not been able to match the intensity of Albania across the pitch and have struggled with their positioning at the back, leading to opportunities for De Biasi's men. Tricolorii have to improve in all areas to get back into this game.
The players are back out on the pitch, so we should be back underway shortly.
FULL-TIME: ROMANIA 0-1 ALBANIA
Albania make history by winning their first match at a major tournament thanks to Armando Sadiku's first-half strike. Giovanni De Biasi's men were by far the better team this evening and outbattled Romania all over the park to clinch the three points. It may not be enough to secure a place in the second round of the tournament, but they have made a strong statement in Lyon. An anxious wait is ahead of them, but Albania will never forget this night.
Thanks for joining our commentary this evening. Until next time, goodbye.
Romania crash out of Euro 2016 with a whimper. They offered next to nothing in the final third and were outcompeted in every position by Albania. They deserved to be beaten and can have no complaints about their exit based on their display tonight.
Commentary
More…