They formed a 24-member squad from among 60 Albanian players in Italian, Spanish, French, English leagues and beyond, not to mention local ones. Sylvinho brought in countryman Doriva and Argentinian Pablo Zabaleta as his assistants when he was hired in January.

“It’s unbelievable,” Brazilian head coach Sylvinho said Wednesday. It’s a dream come true for the team’s South American coaches. TIRANA, Albania: Albania qualified for just their second European Championship in style, atop a group that included the Czech Republic and Poland.