England the perfect hero, Netherlands the villain of international break
It's the international break, but that doesn't mean there aren't heroes and villains. Iain Macintosh reviews the best and worst of the final round of group stage matches in European Championship qualifying. HEROES
We'll be seeing a host of unfamiliar names next summer, but none more surprising than Albania. Traditionally the whipping boys of the qualifiers, it has proved most unwise to underestimate Gianni De Biasi's side this year. They beat Portugal in Aveiro, they drew twice with Denmark, they beat France in a friendly and, when it really mattered, they took down Armenia to complete the job. This is the first major competition that Albania have ever reached, and with a squad drawn largely from Serie A and the Swiss Super League, they have players talented enough to hold their own in France. No, it wasn't the strongest group that he might have faced, but you have to give Roy Hodgson credit for guiding England to a "perfect ten finish," the only European manager to do so. Hodgson has been bold with his use of youngsters, has cultivated a style of football that is easy on the eye and has found an answer to every question posed by his critics. No one will be under any illusion that their success here is an indicator of probable success this summer, but it's hard to argue that this was anything other than a job well done.
Roy Hodgson's England posted a perfect record in qualifying.Congratulations also to Leonid Slutsky who was parachuted in to rescue Russia and duly obliged, delivering four wins from four games to secure their place in next summer's tournament. Slutsky, who won two Russian titles with CSKA Moscow in 2013 and 2014, had to win over an experienced squad that had stagnated under former boss Fabio Capello. Montenegro, their final opponents, were a tricky proposition, but Russia weren't messing around. They blew their visitors away in the first half, condemning Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Sweden to the play-offs. If ever your nation is relying on someone else's result, hope that that nation is the Czech Republic. That's where Turkey found themselves this week; hoping that Pavel Vrba's men would do them a favour against the Netherlands in Amsterdam. The Czechs had no reason to help Turkey. Already qualified and with no direct bonus to topping the group, they could have just taken it easy and saved themselves for their club sides. Instead, they put three past the hosts and continued to battle even when they were down to ten men. Turkey didn't need their help in the end, but it's always nice to know it was there. We've despaired at their performances all year, so congratulations toGreece for finally winning a game. Substitute Panagiotis Kone secured all three points with a powerful late header to complete a morale-boosting comeback against Hungary. It wasn't enough to prevent the top seeds from finishing bottom, but it might just be enough to give caretaker manager Kostas Tsanas a swing at the job that proved too much for Claudio Ranieri and Sergio Markarian. "We thought it (Group F) would be easy," said Kone after the game. "It wasn't." Dutch self-destruct in qualifying | Heroes & Villains - Hunter: Valencia at crossroads | Laurens: Lass comeback - Cox: Allardyce typical Sunderland | Evans: Klopp pressure - Marcotti: Klopp impresses; Platini must convince; Euros - Delaney: Roman backs Mourinho | Miller: Int'l break woe - Marcotti: FIFA continues to unravel | Blatter, Platini banned - FC TV: Dutch didn't deserve Euros | Bale will never be best - News index | Transfer Talk | Fantasy | FC TV |Podcast | MLS VILLAINS There's no point being angry with the Netherlands. They're suffering enough. From the World Cup semifinals to the extraordinary feat of failing to qualify for the new, expanded European Championships. That takes effort. Tuesday night was horrible. They started so well and then it all went wrong. Like a nervous lead in a bad school play, there was a stammer, a stumble, a blanking of the mental hard drive and then awkward silence as the tears came. In these situations, it's best just to call their parents and send them home, bless them. If you needed a one man example of the Dutch fall from grace, you'd have to turn to Robin van Persie. In 2014, he was one of the players of the World Cup. In 2015, he failed to qualify for the European Championships. In 2014, he was Manchester United's main man. In 2015, he's struggling to get in the Fenerbahce side. In 2014, his header against Spain in Brazil was one of the moments of the tournament, a sublime effort, deft and accurate. In 2015, his header in Eindhoven was one of the moments of the qualifying campaign, and again, it was a sublime effort, deft and accurate. There was just one critical difference....
Robin van Persie's own goal on Tuesday night against the Czech Republic capped the Netherlands' abysmal qualifying campaign.When Ireland failed to reach the 2010 World Cup, they were able to use Thierry Henry as a scapegoat. But if they fall short in the play-offs next month, they'll only be able to blame themselves. Victors over the world champions at the weekend, they were blunt and uninspired against Poland when a win would have sent them to France. This was a nasty group and there's no shame in third place, but it should be a source of great concern to Martin O'Neill that his players looked so flat when it counted. It has been a miserable campaign for Serbia and the only positive is that it's finally over. Beaten by Portugal in their final game, Serbia also lost Aleksandr Kolarov and Nemanja Matic to red cards. Ill-discipline has been a feature of their failure to qualify, though not necessarily from the players. The response of Serbian supporters, and one steward, to a provocative Albanian drone in 2014, saw them forfeit the game and cost them three points. Serbia have the players to qualify for tournaments. They certainly shouldn't be finishing second bottom of their group. Strange times for Germany, who took top spot in Group D, but without ever really convincing. A wobbly win over Scotland last month was followed up by defeat against Ireland and an entirely unconvincing win over Georgia. Max Kruse sealed the win with 11 minutes left, but not before a period of unsettling Georgian supremacy had the world champions on the ropes. In a way, it might benefit coach Joachim Loew to experience a few games like this and shake the complacency out of his players, but he will be alarmed at what he's seen this week.
Cristiano Ronaldo scores late winner for Portugal; Germany held to draw Cristiano Ronaldo scored in the closing seconds to give Portugal a 1-0 win over Denmark in a Euro 2016 qualifier in Group I on Tuesday.
Portugal, who were recovering from a shock 1-0 home loss to Albania last month, made the better start in Copenhagen. But the home team had the best chance of the first half when a curling shot by Denmark striker Michael Krohn-Dehli hit the far post.
Ronaldo headed home in the 95th minute following a shot from Ricardo Quaresma, crushing the Danes' hopes of a draw.
Also in Group I, the match in Belgrade between Serbia and Albania was abandoned after pitch skirmishes involving players and fans over an Albanian flag that was flown above the stadium by a drone.
In Group E, Switzerland had little problem in San Marino, winning 4-0 thanks to two goals from Haris Seferovic, while Blerim Dzemaili and Xherdan Shaqiri also scored.
In Group D, John O'Shea scored in the fourth minute of stoppage time to give the Republic of Ireland a 1-1 draw with Germany as the World Cup holders suffered another setback in their campaign.
Toni Kroos scored in the second half to put Germany ahead as they sought to bounce back from a loss to Poland.
Kroos hammered home a low drive in the 71st minute with what was then Germany's 17th shot. Ireland only had managed one until then, but O'Shea's late strike stunned Joachim Low's team.
In Warsaw, Polanddrew 2-2 with Scotland to remain top of Group D on goal difference over Ireland.
Poland and Ireland have seven points from three matches, while Germany and Scotland have four each.
In the other Group D match, Georgia won 3-0 at Gibraltar.
Northern Ireland continued their surprise run in qualifying by beating Greece2-0 for their third straight win in Group F.
Jamie Ward fired in a corner kick taken by Oliver Norwood in the ninth minute, with the ball crossing the line after a slight deflection off Greece defender Loukas Vyntra.
Kyle Lafferty scored the second after a solo run six minutes into the second half, giving him goals in all three of his country's group matches.
The injury-plagued Greeks had their best chance in the first half with Nikos Karelis, who misplaced his lob for the 2004 European champions.
In Tuesday's other Group F games, Hungarywon 1-0 in the Faroe Islands, while Romania beat Finland2-0 in Helsinki.
Adam Szalai netted Hungary's only goal in the 21st minute, the Hoffenheim striker left unmarked at the far post to turn home Roland Juhasz's cross.
Romania remained unbeaten in their qualifying campaign and moved up to second in Group F as Bogdan Stancu's second-half goals handed 10-man Finland their first defeat.
EURO 2016 QUALIFIERS INJURY REPORT
With teams taking part in the Euro 2016 qualifiers, Ben Dinnery from Physioroom.com gives us the lowdown on six players who are currently struggling with injuries.
Germany: Mesut Ozil -- Arsenal Injury: Lateral collateral ligaments
The Arsenal midfielder was conspicuous in his absence when the German national team gathered for training on Tuesday -- Ozil and Andre Schurrle remained in the team hotel -- but there was no suggestion of any serious problem despite the player complaining of knee pain. After agreeing to send Ozil to Munich for a precautionary scan, though, national team doctor Hans-Wilhelm Muller-Wohlfahrt later confirmed that Ozil had a partial tear of the lateral band -- a knee stabiliser preventing sideways movement -- which is expected to take around three months to heal. Arsenal will examine the player further before making any official announcement on his expected period of absence but, again, the likely outcome will see a return early next year.
England: John Stones -- Everton Injury: Ankle ligaments
The unfortunate Everton defender damaged ankle ligaments during the closing stages of Sunday's Premier League defeat at Old Trafford and was immediately ruled out of this week's Euro qualifying matches, with the versatile Calum Chambers drafted into the England squad in his place. Everton boss Roberto Martinez has confirmed John Stones will undergo a surgical procedure to repair the lateral (outer) ligaments after a scan revealed a Grade 3 rupture (extensive fibre damage) with rehabilitation typically taking three to four months. Although Martinez did speculate that a return may be possible within 10 weeks, a realistic target would see Stones back in 2015.
Croatia: Dejan Lovren -- Liverpool Injury: Abdominal strain
A statement by the Croatian Football Federation on Wednesday confirmed the immediate return of Dejan Lovren to Merseyside for further testing following injury. Initial findings by the national team doctor revealed an abdominal tear, the full extent of which is not yet known. The injury, which occurred during a light training session, could keep Liverpool's summer signing out for two to four weeks in the first instance, with the defender potentially targeting a return against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been struggling with a heel problem for a while.Sweden: Zlatan Ibrahimovic -- Paris Saint-Germain Injury: Achilles
Sweden captain Ibrahimovic was an unused substitute during Thursday night's game with Russia having failed to recover from an ongoing heel problem that has restricted the striker's game time since September. Although the issue wasn't thought to be serious, PSG have been monitoring the player daily in an attempt to get him fit as quickly as possible, but his current progress has not been satisfactory, making his participation against Liechtenstein on Sunday night extremely doubtful.
Belgium: Thibaut Courtois -- Chelsea Injury: Concussion
Courtois collided with Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez during last weekend's London derby at Stamford Bridge. The goalkeeper appeared unconscious following the coming together -- any confirmed loss of consciousness, and the player must be removed from the field of play and not be allowed to return. After his initial assessment, the Chelsea No. 1 was permitted to continue for a further 10 minutes before he was replaced with blood trickling from his ear. Fortunately the blood came from a small cut and was nothing sinister but Courtois was sent for further testing. He was released from hospital later that evening with a clean bill of health.
New rules for the 2014-15 season have been introduced by the FA for the management of concussion and head injuries in football, including "return to play" rules stating a player must be assessed daily, with a minimum period of six days, before he may be eligible to return. Courtois was selected to play in the qualifier against Andorra on Friday after the goalkeeper was given the all-clear to return to competitive play.
Given the well-documented troubles on Tyneside, Newcastle boss Alan Pardew can ill afford to lose Janmaat -- the full-back has been one of the few highlights this term. Following his return to Newcastle, additional tests revealed his thigh injury is not as bad as first feared, with a scan confirming minimum fibre damage. Providing Janmaat suffers no reaction on his return to training next week, the Netherlands international will be available to face Leicester City on Saturday. Defensive partner Paul Dummett, who also missed the qualifiers because of a thigh injury, is also in line for a return.
Euro 2016 action
Wayne Rooney edged one step closer to Sir Bobby Charlton's scoring record by hitting the decisive goal as Englandwon 1-0 in Estonia.
Rooney is now just six shy of becoming England's all-time top scorer thanks to his 74th minute free-kick, which eased England's growing frustration after they had failed to make the most of their opportunities at the A. Le Coq Arena.
Roy Hodgson's team dominated possession, but wasted chances despite playing against 10 men for almost all of the second half following the dismissal of Estonia captain Ragnar Klavan for two yellow cards.
Danny Welbeck and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain were guilty of missing chances, but the biggest culprit was Rooney, who spurned three good opportunities. England, though, did enough to secure their third straight Euro 2016 qualifying win.
Diego Costa needed his fair share of opportunities to open his goalscoring account for Spain in a 4-0 victory in Luxembourg.
The Brazil-born striker fluffed countless first-half chances to score, with David Silva and Paco Alcacer stepping up to relieve some of the early pressure with a goal apiece.
But Costa registered his first Spain goal in scruffy fashion on 69 minutes, and there was still time for debutant Juan Bernat, a Bayern Munich defender, to score the fourth after coming on as a substitute.
A late exchange of goals saw Russia and Moldova share the points in a 1-1 draw in Moscow.
Fabio Capello's side struggled to break Moldova down for over an hour until Artem Dzjuba was handed the chance to open the scoring from the penalty spot in the 72nd minute.
However, Alexandru Epureanu levelled with a header within two minutes to earn Moldova a share of the spoils.
Sweden picked up the first win of their qualifying campaign, beating Liechtenstein2-0 in their Group G encounter at the Friends Arena in Solna.
In a quiet first half, Erkan Zengin found the target for Sweden, who were missing leading scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic due to an Achilles problem.
Jimmy Durmaz doubled their advantage a minute after the break for a Sweden side desperate to register their first win of the campaign after draws against Austria and Russia.
Austria moved clear at the top of the Group G standings as they edged out Montenegro1-0 at home.
Rubin Okotie's first-half strike was all that separated the teams on the night in Vienna, but it was enough to send Austria two points clear as Russia were held.
While victory by a single goal hardly looked convincing, Austria dominated possession and were worthy winners against a team level on points with them before kick-off.
Milivoje Novakovic's first-half double gave Slovenia a 2-0 win in Lithuania.
The Shimizu S-Pulse striker notched twice in five minutes to decide a match in which his side were deserving winners. The result leaves the two teams level on six points in second place in Group E, three points behind England.
Serhiy Sydorchuk's first-half goal proved enough as Ukraine recorded their second win in four days with a narrow 1-0 victory over Macedonia at Arena Lviv.
Sydorchuk struck just before the break, moments before team-mate Andriy Yarmolenko missed the chance to double their lead as he sent a penalty over the bar.
Mykhaylo Fomenko's Yellow-Blue, who saw off Belarus on Thursday, now have six points from their opening three Group C fixtures.
Captain Marek Hamsik scored two goals as Slovakia registered their second win in four days with a 3-1 victory over Belarus at the Borisov Arena.
Jan Kozak's men claimed a shock 2-1 triumph over Spain on Thursday and maintained their 100 per cent record to stay top Group C, while their opponents remained winless with just one point.
After an uninspiring first half, Hamsik broke the deadlock 20 minutes after the break before Timofey Kalachev struck back for the home side, but Hamsik's second and a late third from Stanislav Sestak sealed the victory.
Euro 2016 qualifiers
A calamitous late error of judgement by Netherlands defender Daryl Janmaat presented Czech Republic's Vaclav Pilar with the simplest of finishes for a 2-1 victory in Tuesday's Euro 2016 qualifier in Prague.
The substitute could not miss when Newcastle's summer signing, in trying to deal with Borek Dockal's cross, headed past goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen and could only watch as Pilar anticipated the rebound off the post to convert from a couple of yards.
It was a poor way to end the match for the team which had finished third at the World Cup as they had got themselves back into the game when Stefan de Vrij cancelled out Dockal's stunning volleyed opener and looked like finishing the stronger.
Dimitris Christofi netted a brace as Cyprus struck back to claim a 2-1 victory over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the opening match of their Group B qualifying campaign.
Vedad Ibisevic gave the home side an early lead before Christofi levelled for the visitors just before the break, adding his second midway through the second half.
The hosts had the chance to clinch a late equaliser but Miralem Pjanic suffered a penalty miss as Safet Susic's men left the Bilino Polje empty handed.
Simone Zaza scored his first goal for Italy as they kicked off their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 victory over Norway.
Striker Zaza -- the first ever Sassuolo player to receive an Azzurri call-up -- impressed on his debut in last week's friendly win over Netherlands but made a much bigger impact in Oslo.
His powerful finish in the 16th minute of Tuesday night's Group H encounter gave Antonio Conte's side the upper hand and Leonardo Bonucci's second-half header confirmed the outcome at the Ullevaal Stadion to hand Antonio Conte a win in his first competitive match in change.
Gareth Bale saved Wales from severe embarrassment in Andorra as Chris Coleman's side began their campaign with a nervy 2-1 victory.
Andorra, ranked 199th in the world and without a goal in competitive football for four years, stunned Wales inside five minutes when they were awarded a controversial penalty which Ildefons Lima tucked away for his nation's first goal in over four years.
But Real Madrid star Bale, so often as he has done before, dragged Wales out of trouble and equalised with a fine header from Ben Davies' 22nd minute cross, and settled the game with a magnificent free-kick nine minutes from time.
Iceland got their Euro 2016 qualifying going in style with an emphatic 3-0 win at home to 10-man Turkey.
Jon Dadi Bodvarsson's first-half header set the hosts on their way and their task became easier when their opponents had Omer Toprak sent off for two yellow cards in five minutes soon after the break.
Two goals in three second-half minutes from Gylfi Sigurdsson and Kolbeinn Sigthorsson sealed an impressive win for Iceland against one of their expected rivals for qualification from Group A.
Croatia carved out a 2-0 victory over a resolute Malta in Zagreb, who were reduced to 10 men in the first half.
The visitors did well to limit Croatia to half-chances early on, but the 30th-minute dismissal of Malta defender Steve Borg swung the Group H contest in Croatia's favour, and second-half goals from Luka Modric and Andrej Kramaric secured victory for Niko Kovac's side.
A late header from Ventsislav Hristov meant Bulgaria began their qualifying campaign with a 2-1 victory over Azerbaijan.
Iliyan Mitsanski had given the visitors to the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium a first half lead before the hosts, who struggled to create opportunities in the opening period, levelled early in the second through Dimitrij Nazarov.
Bulgaria pressed for a winner and it finally came in the 86th minute through Hristov's effort.
Kazakhstan ended a run of two successive defeats to Latvia after securing a draw with a 0-0 stalemate in the Astana Arena.
The two fellow former Soviet republics met for the first time competitively, though neither side could find a breakthrough despite the home side having managed just one draw in three previous friendlies.
International Round Up
The first round of qualification matches for Euro 2016 continued on Monday night, with clubs from groups C, E and G all in action. Here's how each team fared in their respective fixtures.
GROUP C Luxembourg 1-1 Belarus: Luxembourg nearly made an historic start to their qualifying campaign after giving Belarus a scare in Group C. Their first half goal was cancelled out by a late strike from Stanislav Dragun, leaving the spoils shared.
Spain 5-1 Macedonia: Spain got back to winning ways following a poor World Cup campaign, thrashing Macedonia in Valencia. A 'Panenka' style penalty from Sergio Ramos kicked off proceedings, with Paco Alcacer, Sergio Busquets, David Silva and Pedro adding the rest of the goals. An Agim Ibraimi penalty was Macedonia's solitary reply.
Ukraine 0-1 Slovakia: Ukraine fell to something of a surprise defeat at home to Macedonia, with Robert Mak's early goal separating the teams. The game was a fiery affair, seeing nine yellow cards.
GROUP E
Switzerland 0-2 England:A second half brace from Danny Welbeck gave England a morale boosting victory in their opening game of the group phase. The speed of Welbeck and Raheem Sterling capped a good counter attacking performance from the Three Lions, and Welbeck staked his claim for a regular centre forward spot with his double. England's toughest game is out of the way, and they have three points to show for it.
Estonia 1-0 Slovenia: A late goal from Ats Purje gave Estonia a big win over Slovenia, taking them level on points with England
San Marino 0-2 Lithuania: Lithuania join England at the top of Group E after a win against minnows San Marino. Two first half goals from Deivydas Matulevicius and Arvydas Novikovas proved the difference.
GROUP G
Russia 4-0 Liechtenstein: Two own goals and a penalty set Russia on their way to a 4-0 win over lowly Liechtenstein in the early kick off of the day, with Artem Dzyuba netting a fourth in the second half.
Austria 1-1 Sweden: Zlatan Ibrahimovic was lucky not to be sent off after aiming a powerful elbow at Bayern Munich star David Alaba during Sweden's 1-1 draw in Austria. Alaba put the home side ahead from the penalty spot before Erkan Zengin equalised five minutes later.
Montenegro 2-0 Moldova: Montenegro didn't miss injured Manchester City striker Stevan Jovetic during their win over Moldova, after a goal from Mirko Vucinic and Zarko Tomasevic in either half gave them a comfortable 2-0 win.
Germany Edge Out Scotland
Thomas Muller struck twice as world champions Germany started their bid to reach Euro 2016 with a 2-1 Group D win over a plucky Scotland. A 4-2 friendly defeat to Argentina on Wednesday raised alarms in the Germany camp and, although Joachim Low's men were far from their best in Dortmund, an improved performance earned the hosts three points.
Muller headed Germany in front in the 18th minute of a first half that they dominated, but Scotland greatly improved after the interval and levelled through Ikechi Anya.
The visitors' joy lasted just four minutes, though, as Muller's scrappy second – bundled home from five yards after Scotland failed to clear a corner – proved enough to see off Gordon Strachan's brave side, who had Charlie Mulgrew sent off for a second yellow card in second-half stoppage time.
Now without retired trio Philipp Lahm, Miroslav Klose and Per Mertesacker, Germany have much room for improvement, and they will soon be boosted by the returns from injury of new captain Bastian Schweinsteiger, Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira.
Marco Reus' late ankle injury may put a dampener on Germany's win, but the fact they withstood a bout of second-half pressure to prevail will undoubtedly please Low.
Muller and World Cup hero Mario Gotze headlined Germany's four changes while Scotland captain Darren Fletcher made his return to international football, following ulcerative colitis that had kept him out since October 2012.
David Marshall was preferred to Allan McGregor in goal for Scotland and he would have been relieved to see an unmarked Muller nod wide from eight yards early on.
Muller then had a header cleared by Russell Martin in the ninth minute and while Germany controlled the early stages, they were given a warning by Mulgrew, who rattled the crossbar from an offside position shortly after Barry Bannan's effort had been deflected wide.
Marshall was called upon to turn an Erik Durm effort around the post in the 16th minute but he could do nothing about Muller's opener.
The Bayern Munich forward – who scored five goals at the World Cup – was sandwiched in between Martin and Alan Hutton but rose highest to loop a header from Sebastian Rudy's chipped cross over Marshall and in.
The goal triggered a spell of German pressure; Reus and Rudy both shooting at Marshall, while Martin's well-timed block kept out Andre Schurrle and Grant Hanley almost turned a cross into his own net, with his goalkeeper sparing his blushes.
Anya caused occasional problems for the home side with his pace but hurriedly hit an effort straight at Manuel Neuer on the stroke of half-time and Steven Naismith was denied by the outside of the post when play resumed.
Hutton burst down the right to feed Naismith, who beat Jerome Boateng and Benedikt Howedes, but his shot glanced agonisingly off the upright with Neuer beaten.
An unmarked Naismith then missed the target from 12 yards as Strachan's charges continued to press and, just after Marshall had kept out Reus, the visitors got their equaliser when Steven Fletcher found Anya in acres of space.
The Watford man stormed forward and held his nerve, coolly slotting past Neuer to level proceedings with 24 minutes left.
Germany's response was swift, though, as Muller's instinct around goal proved decisive.
The goal still did not deter Scotland, with Naismith hauled down by Durm in a good position and James McArthur screwing a shot at Neuer.
But Germany, who saw Muller hit the post in the dying stages, did enough to hang on for victory - albeit one that may be soured by Reus' late ankle injury - as Mulgrew was given his marching orders for kicking the ball away.
Portugal stunned by Albania
A superb volley from Bekim Balaj earned Albania a stunning 1-0 win over Portugal in their Euro 2016 qualifying opener on Sunday. Gianni De Biasi's men started the game as heavy underdogs against a side widely expected to dominate Group I, but they left Aveiro with all three points as Balaj stole the show on a memorable night for the visitors.
Portugal were without talisman Cristiano Ronaldo after head coach Paulo Bento deemed him not physically up to being included in the squad.
And in the absence of the Real Madrid forward they struggled for invention and guile, as their campaign got off to a disastrous start.
Bento has been tasked with restoring Portugal's standing following their disappointing group-stage exit at the World Cup, and they were well in control of the first half - Nani wasting arguably their best chance when he shot wide when free in the area.
But Albania also carried a threat and after racing out of the blocks brightly after the restart, they were rewarded in the 52nd minute when Balaj thumped Odise Roshi's delivery past Rui Patricio for the winner.
Bento's men turned the screw in search of an equaliser and substitute Ricardo Horta hit the woodwork late on, but there was no way through.
Unsurprisingly, Portugal started on the front foot and Nani fired an early warning when he linked well with Joao Moutinho to find space on the right of the area, only to shoot past the far post.
Albania then had Amir Abrashi booked for tugging down Nani in the 22nd minute and from the resulting free-kick, the unmarked Vieirinha met Moutinho's delivery but he glanced his header straight at Etrit Berisha.
A lull in proceedings followed as Portugal dictated possession - although they struggled for fluency against a series of robust Albanian challenges.
Portugal finished the half strongly, though with Mergim Mavraj deflecting Nani's 20-yard goalbound shot wide, before Pepe headed over at the back post after Vieirinha had flicked on Nani's free-kick.
Having scarcely threatened in the first half, Albania gave Portugal a scare shortly after the restart when Roshi escaped the attentions of Fabio Coentrao and his ball across the six-yard area narrowly missed the outstretched foot of Balaj.
However, Portugal did not escape twice as the same combination handed Albania a shock lead in fine fashion.
Roshi evaded the attentions of Ricardo Costa thanks to some neat footwork before crossing into the area, where Balaj showed superb athleticism to lean back and smash a first-time volley past a despairing Rui Patricio.
Stunned into action, Portugal upped the pressure and Coentrao dragged a shot narrowly wide shortly after the hour mark when he found space at the back post.
The hosts then went even closer as substitute Horta crashed a 20-yard strike against the crossbar and Pepe blazed the rebound over the from eight yards.
Nani wasted a great chance when he met Coentrao's centre but headed wide from the middle of the box, before Andre Gomes forced Berisha into a fingertip save in the closing stages.
Bento must now pick his side up ahead of next month's friendly with France before they prepare for their next qualifier in Denmark.
Meanwhile, Albania - whose next Group I contest is also against the Danes - can revel in one of the greatest triumphs in their history.
EURO ROUND-UP
Aiden McGeady launched Martin O'Neill's competitive reign as Republic of Ireland boss in style with a match-winning double in a 2-1 victory inGeorgia.
The Republic looked likely to have to settle for a point at the Boris Paichadze Dinamo Arena in Tbilisi after Tornike Okriashvili's piledriver had cancelled out McGeady 24th-minute opener.
But with time running down, the Everton winger -- who worked under O'Neill during his time as Celtic manager -- curled home a 90th-minute winner which ensured Ireland headed back to Dublin with the opening night win upon which they had set their hearts.
McGeady turned in arguably the best performance of his international career on a night when he collected his 70th cap, and he undoubtedly made the difference between two well-matched sides in a game which see-sawed throughout.
Kyle Lafferty and Niall McGinn were the late heroes as Northern Irelandsecured a dramatic 2-1 win in Hungary.
Hungary had looked set to take the points on their first outing at the new Groupama Arena when former Watford striker Tamas Priskin headed home a 74th-minute corner.
But Michael O'Neill's men ripped up the script as Lafferty's brilliant run and pass left McGinn with the simplest of tap-ins with 10 minutes to go.
The pair then swapped roles with three minutes left, McGinn ghosting into the box and crossing for Lafferty, who willed the ball over the line as he tangled with Vilmos Vanczak and somehow got the job done from the most ungainly position.
Denmark were spared another home embarrassment at the hands ofArmenia as goals from Pierre Emile Hojbjerg and Thomas Kahlenberg secured the Scandinavians a come-from-behind 2-1 victory.
Playing a nation who had pulled off a famous 4-0 victory over them at Parken during World Cup qualifying in 2013, the Danes looked set to be humbled by the Armenians in Copenhagen once again when Borussia Dortmund midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan's strike put the away side 1-0 up in the 50th minute.
Portugal slumped to an embarrassing defeat at home to Albania in their opening Euro 2016 qualifier, while Germany needed two goals from Thomas Muller to help them see off Scotland.
Any hopes of bouncing back from a miserable World Cup were shattered for Portugal after they suffered a shock 1-0 loss to Albania.
A stunning volley from Bekim Balaj early in the second half decided the match, with the hosts -- without the rested Cristiano Ronaldo -- unable to muster a response.
The Portuguese crashed out in the group stages in Brazil and this was another setback for a team which still included a host of household names.
Scotland put up a spirited show, going down 2-1 to world champions Germany.
Thomas Muller gave the hosts a first half lead in Dortmund, only for Ikechi Anya to level midway through the second half.
However, Gordon Strachan's men were undone by Muller's second goal of the night four minutes later before Charlie Mulgrew was dismissed in the closing stages when he kicked the ball away and received a second yellow card.