Goals from Chris McKee and Jack Scott saw Linfield prevail in their first leg tie, the home side dominated the game, and take a commanding position in the tie heading in to next week.

The home side endured a frustrating opening 45 minutes, as they enjoyed complete control but were unable to make it count on the scoreboard. They were able to turn their domination into goals in the second half, however, scoring three goals to take a commanding victory over their Albanian visitors. Vllaznia were able to resuce a goal back at the death, how important could that goal be?

The first half began at a frantic tempo, as Linfield looked to stun their opponents straight out the gate. Linfield manager David Healy must have spotted something about the Vllaznia defence during training, as it was clear from the first minute that Linfield would look to send dangerous crosses into the box, challenging the Vlazznia defence, who were clearly uncomfortable in the air.

The boot of Kirk Miller produced some wonderful crosses and set pieces throughout the opening half, finding Danny Finlayson in the opening minute, his header just inches wide. Four minutes later, Matthew Fitzpatrick also found himself on the end of a Kirk Miller cross, this time his header flashed across the face of goal, and Vllaznia could breathe a sigh of relief.

Fitzpatrick would prove to be a handful for the Vllaznia defence throughout the half, using his physicality and excellent hold-up play to get the better of his marker. The striker should have been awarded a penalty in the 13^th minute after he was hacked down inside the box after knocking the ball past Milos Stojanovic, but the referee waved play-on, much to the disbelief of Fitzpatrick and the home fans inside Windsor Park.

Chris McKee’s half-volley from 25 yards out in the 30^th minute was Linfield’s best chance of the half, the midfielder striking the ball cleanly after Fitzpatrick had teed the ball up for him following a cushioned chest pass. McKee’s effort was just inches above the crossbar, but what a goal it would have been!

Linfield continued to dominate the opening half, controlling 75% of the possession, and being awarded 7 corners to Vlazznia’s nil. They were unable to make this dominance count on the scoreboard, but they headed into half time hungry for goals to reflect their control.

The visitors looked uncomfortable from the offset, unable to match Linfield’s physicality in the air. Some time-wasting tactics by Kristi Qarri in the Vllaznia net were deployed as early as the 29^th minute, as the visitors were desperate for the half-time whistle. They were suffocated of any possession and had no chances on goal for the first 45 minutes, barely stepping foot into the Linfield half.

5 minutes in to the second half, completely against the run of play, Vllaznia striker Bekim Balaj found himself one-on-one with Chris Johns in the Linfield net after a mix-up in the home side’s defence. Balaj seemed to panic, however, finding himself through on goal, and had more time that he believed he had. Balaj took a first-time shot that was easily dealt with by Johns in the end, but was a real wasted opportunity for the visitors.

This mistake frightened Linfield, as they ran the risk of dominating the game but going a goal down, and responded just six minutes later with a goal to break the deadlock. A powerful run from Kyle McClean saw the midfielder glide through the heart of the Vllaznia defence before taking a shot at goal. His effort was deflected and almost caught out Qarri in the Vllaznia net, who had creeped off his line, but was able to smack the ball off the line. The ball rebounded to Chris McKee, who powered the ball emphatically into the left-hand side-netting and Linfield took the lead in the tie.

Just 11 minutes later, McKee added to his tally for the night with a wonderful volley from just inside the box sailed into the bottom-left corner, leaving Qarri in the Vllaznia net no chance. Earlier in the move, McKee won back the ball in the Vllaznia half after a sloppy pass, before offloading the ball to Joel Cooper who ran at the left side of the visitors defence. Cooper then whipped a beautiful cross to the back post, where it was met with a first-time volley from McKee, who took his finish excellently.

Jack Scott made it three for Linfield on the night, scoring an excellent goal from 20 yards out. The attacking defender was played through by an excellent ball from Chris McKee, who split two defenders to find his teammate. Two quick touches from Scott set the ball up perfectly, as he then struck the ball cleanly past Qarri, making it a very long way back for the visitors in this tie.

Vllaznia scored a late goal through Marko Juric after a controversial second yellow card was awarded to Finlayson, who was forced to leave the pitch. It was a rather soft tackle, but the referee didn’t hesitate to show the defender his second yellow of the night. From the resulting free kick, Juric was able to power the ball into the back of the net following a series of rebounds and bobbles in the Linfield box.

Linfield closed out the game to win 3-1 in the end in what was a dominant performance from the home side, who know take a commanding lead in the tie ahead of the reverse fixture in Albania next week. An excellent second-half scoring display from Linfield ensured their control in this game was reflected on the score line.