Albania didn't come to play football, but to provoke us. On the pitch they knew they didn't have much chance. Nemanja Matic on Serbia's fiery Euro 2016 qualifier against Albania

"While some people like to believe that football and politics should never mix, that is not a realistic stance in the current global landscape. And while international football can throw up some highly-charged contests between neighbours and rivals, few matches in recent history descended into chaos in the manner of Serbia's Euro 2016 qualifier against Albania in October 2014. The match was abandoned before half-time when a drone carrying a pro-Albania banner was flown on a drone above the stadium, causing crowd trouble in the stands."

"They were smarter and our fans were stupid. They fell for the provocation and jumped on the pitch, then the Albanian team went inside and their federation said they didn't want to continue, which they could do. UEFA then awarded them the three points and punished us, so any hope we had of qualifying was done. We played in Albania after that and beat them 2-0."

A Euro 2016 qualifying match between Serbia and Albania in October 2014 was abandoned before half-time after a drone carrying a pro-Albania banner flew over the stadium and triggered crowd trouble. Stefan Mitrovic grabbed the flag from the drone as disturbances unfolded. Nemanja Matic, playing in Serbia's midfield, recalls that the visitors sought provocation and that the home fans reacted by invading the pitch. The Albanian team withdrew to the dressing room and their federation refused to continue. UEFA subsequently awarded Albania the match, deducted Serbia points, and ended Serbia's qualifying hopes. Serbia later defeated Albania 2-0 in a return fixture.

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