Albania scored first, lost a player before the half-hour and still created more chances than the home side, and none of it saved them. Finland beat the ten men 2-1 at the Helsinki Olympic Stadium on Saturday in the Nations League, with Walta scoring twice, including the winner with 19 minutes left.
It was the sort of match that looks tidy on the scoresheet and was anything but in the middle. Finland spent most of it with the ball and a one-man advantage, yet had to wait until the 71st minute to take the lead.
Manaj strikes early, then the red card
Albania could hardly have started better. After four minutes Rey Manaj found the net with Kristjan Asllani setting him up, and the visitors were ahead before Finland had settled.
The mood changed on 22 minutes. Berisha was sent off for Albania, and from then on the visitors were playing a man short with more than an hour left. Finland needed only four more minutes to make it count, as Walta equalised on 26 to send the teams in at half-time level at 1-1.
A numerical advantage that took a while to pay off
The second half is where it got interesting. Finland had 60.4% of the possession over the match, and you would expect an eleven against ten to produce a comfortable evening. It did not. Albania ended with 14 shots to Finland's 11 and five on target to Finland's three, and they won more aerial duels and got more touches inside the opposition box. The Finland goalkeeper made four saves, Albania's one.
That tells you how open the game became. Albania did not simply sit back and defend. The shot count suggests they kept looking for a way forward even a man down, and that they had enough chances to hold a point. The difference came down to who took theirs.
Walta decides it
Walta did. On 71 minutes he scored his second of the night to put Finland in front, and the hosts held on from there with the extra man still on their side.
For Finland it is three valuable points in League C Group 1 and a reminder that dominating possession is not the same as controlling a match. For Albania the frustration will be sharper. They led early, played well enough in spells, and left Helsinki with nothing after a first-half dismissal made a hard night harder.
Match facts: Finland 2-1 Albania, UEFA Nations League, League C Group 1, Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Saturday 3 October 2026. Goals: Manaj 4' (Albania, assist Asllani), Walta 26' and 71' (Finland). Red card: Berisha 22' (Albania). Half-time: 1-1. Source: BBC Sport match data.
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