Serbia faced Albania in a World Cup qualifying match amid ongoing political tensions between the two countries, which affected the atmosphere on the field.
Late in the first half, the game changed when Manaj scored from a set piece. The Al-Sharjah striker ran towards his team’s bench and made the double-headed eagle gesture, a symbol of Albania. This led to the referee issuing a yellow card for what was deemed an inflammatory celebration.
For background, a previous match between these teams 11 years ago ended in chaos and was called off before halftime after visiting fans flew a drone that displayed a map of “Greater Albania,” which included parts of current Serbia.
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