After almost 10 years, history repeats itself for Berisha, today’s red card brings back the 2016 episode!

There are moments football forgets quickly, but the statistics keep them in the archive. And the red card received today by Albania’s goalkeeper brings back an episode that seemed to belong to another era of the national team.

To find the last time an Albania goalkeeper was sent off with a red card, we must go back to 12 November 2016, in the Albania-Israel match in Elbasan, valid for the 2018 World Cup qualifiers. In that challenge, which ended 0-3, Etrit Berisha was punished with a red card in the 55th minute. The Albanian goalkeeper was subsequently suspended for two matches, also missing the next encounter with Italy.

Since that evening until today, 9 years, 10 months and 21 days have passed. So, almost a decade without seeing a national team goalkeeper sent off the field. Berisha also has a special statistic, as he is the goalkeeper who has received two red cards in Albania’s shirt. Meanwhile, today’s episode ends a run of almost ten years without such a sending-off.

Albanian football has changed a lot since 2016, but one such statistic remained unchanged for almost a decade. Today, the goalkeeper’s red card brought that rare record of the national team back into the spotlight again.