Albania beat the freeze in Norway
Friday, March 22, 2013
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Norway 0-1 Albania
Hamdi Salihi found the net from the edge of the box to bring the visitors to within a point of Group E leaders Switzerland.
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Albania moved to within a point of FIFA World Cup Group E leaders Switzerland, as a neat Hamdi Salihi strike earned them a 1-0 win on a bitterly cold evening in Oslo.
The Jiangsu Sainty forward, 29, found the top corner of the net from the edge of the box on 67 minutes after some slack Norwegian defending, with Egil Olsen's men having struggled to create clear-cut chances aganst a determined Albanian rearguard.
Norway might still have salvaged something from the game. Mohammed Abdellaoue found an opening with 13 minutes left, but Albania goalkeeper Etrit Berisha produced a fine save. While Astrit Lila was sent off late on for a foul on Abdellaoue, there was no time for the home side to take advantage.
The sides meet again in Albania in their next qualifying game on 7 June.
