1948! | The National Team in the 10th Balkan and Central European Championship!

This year is full of international meetings.
The Central European Football Championship takes place, in which our representative team also participates together with the representatives of: Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Poland and Czechoslovakia.

On May 2, it will play in Bucharest against the Romanian team at “Giulesti Stadium” in the presence of 20,000 spectators. Romanians know the strength of our team, especially in defense. However, they are calm, their center forward Bonihadi, although he weighs 100 kg, is the best scorer in Romania and one of the well-known “bombers” in Europe.

During the match, only Bonihad’s shadow is visible. Our center back Fagu covers him everywhere. With surprising counterattacks, our team scored through Mirashi in the 11th minute of the second half and even won the whole match 1-0.

The next day, the Romanian press described Fagu with all sorts of high-level epithets, such as the Albanian checkpoint”, “Bonihad’s policeman”.
Yes, they don`t forget to evaluate the defenders as well as the attackers.

TABLE
ROMANIA: Sadowski (81` Marku), Vass, Farmati, Bacut, Pall, Perenyi, Kovacs, Marian – cap-, Bonyhadi, Stiebinger, Badeantju. Coach: Colea Valcov

ALBANIA : Poselli, Dibra (46`Shaqiri), Spahiu, Llambi, Fakja, Parapani, Kavaja, Borici, Bicaku, Mirashi, Fagu. Coach: Adem Karapici

Match referee : Todor Stoyanov (Bulgaria)

(from left to right), Rexhep Spahiu, Muhamet Dibra, Slave Llambi, Bimo Fakja, Bahri Kavaja, Aristidh Parapani, Vasif Biçaku, Pal Mirashi, Besim Fagu, Giacomino Poseli, Loro Boriçi (not included) in the photo frame)

In a duel, the two well-known center forwards Loro Borici and the Romanian Bonihadi. Romania – Albania 0-1 in 1948.

Albania before the match with Romania (from left to right with black jerseys in this photo) Aristidh Parapani, Besim Fagu, Loro Boriçi, Muhamet Dibra, Rexhep Spahiu; (bottom from left) Giacomino Poselli, Pal Mirashi, Bahri Kavaja, Vasif Bicaku, Bimo Fakja, Slave Llambi! Sports Vision / Hour of Champions

Three weeks later, precisely on May 23, 1948, in the “Qemal Stafa” stadium, in the presence of 20,000 spectators, our team hosted the world famous Hungarian team. In this case, it is necessary to make a parenthesis.

On April 1 of the same year, to conduct a “survey” about the level of our football, the representative team of Budapest, made up of footballers from the best Hungarian clubs (“Ferencvarosh, “Ujpest”, “Vasas SC” “MTK” came to Albania ), in other words a variant of the Hungarian national team, which won the first match 2-1.

But two days later, in the second match, our team won 3-1 with the goals of Fagu who has scored a penalty and then of Borici, one goal more beautiful than the other. The Hungarian coach Kiraj would express himself like this: “When I left Budapest, I thought you could beat us with moral and physical preparation, but I didn’t think you would win from the technical side as well.”

And here it is, May 23. Albania and Hungary meet. Although facing a team with authority in Europe, our team played one of its rare matches. The ball circulated throughout the match in all sectors of the field. The tension of the match increased a lot, although the nets were not touched. And here is the last minute. The Hungarian center forward Silagi intercepts and breaks away suddenly. His “silhouette” is located in front of the gate.

Goal! No!

The defenders dictate and restrain him. Dibra finally “kicks” the ball from the penalty area. Our boys embroider a share. A cross into the goal of the Hungarian Tot follows. A matter of seconds. A sudden change in the situation. For the Hungarian goalkeeper, this is completely unexpected, Borici seems to have smelled this. He pours towards the gate. Toti saves the ball, Borici is only one meter away. And… he steppes.

A case that never comes back. However, the scoreboard reads Albania 0 and Hungary 0.

May 23, 1948. Albania’s second match in the Balkan and Central European Cup. The picture from the match Albania-Hungary 0-0. The Hungarian goalkeeper avoids a 1-0 loss with his exit ……

The teams go down to the field with these formations:

ALBANIA: Poselli, Dibra, Fagu, Spahiu, Llambi, Vathi, Parapani (74′ Mr. Gjinali ), Borici, Bicaku, Mirashi, Kavaja. Coach: Adem Karapici

HUNGARY : Toth, Kovacs, Kispeter, Konya, Horvath, Zakarias, Illovszky, Kubala, Szilagiu, Kaszthelyi, Pinter (60`Szabo). Coach: Tibor Galowich

Referee of the match : Leo Lemesic` (Split-Yugoslavia)

One month later, on June 27, 1948, in the “Beogradski SK stadium”, Albania meets Yugoslavia in Belgrade, which two years later, in the World Football Championship, with almost the same team, slavis would qualify for the final stage, which would take place in distant Brazil.

And again 0-0, after a dignified game by our players.

YUGOSLAVIA: Sostaric’, Brozovic’, Broketa (34’Petrovic’), Cajkovski, Jovanovic’, Atanackovic’, Mihajlovic’, Mitic’, Golob, Bobek, Vukas’ Coach: Arsenijevic’ and Tirnanic’

ALBANIA : Pozeli, Dibra, Fagu , Spahia, Llambi, Vathi, Parapani, Gjinali, Borici, Bicaku, Mirashi. Coach: Adem Karapici

Referee : Nikola Gelev (Bulgaria)

Albania, which was ranked second until after the match with Yugoslavia, had made a dignified appearance in this edition of this Balkan Cup which was interrupted in the middle of November 1948, not only because of the breakdown of relations between Albania and Yugoslavia, but also for other reasons and decisions made.

The remaining matches do not take place. The Balkan Championship would restart in 1973 to be interrupted again in 1980.

These are the other matches that did not take place in 1948:
Yugoslavia – Hungary / Yugoslavia – Romania / Albania – Bulgaria / Albania – Poland Albania – Czechoslovakia.

Anyway Albania against Yugoslavia will play the last match in this event and with the last three matches played for us it will open the most beautiful pages of our football, where the protagonists were Dibra, Fagu, Spahiu, Llambi, Fakja, Parapani, Gjinali, Borici Bicaku etc.

The foreign press would read like this: “Albania is a dangerous team. The Albanian team has an iron physique and defense. Albania is a small country with great football”.

1948 | Competition held as the Balkan and Central European Cup
4-4-1948 Sofia, Bulgaria 1-1 Poland
18- 4-1948 Warszawa, Poland 3-1 Czechoslovakia
2- 5-1948 Bucuresti, Romania 0-1 Albania
23- 5-1948 Budapest, Hungary 2-1 Czechoslovakia
23- 5-1948 Tirana, Albania 0-0 Hungary
6- 6-1948 Budapest, Hungary 9-0 Romania
20- 6-1948 Bucuresti Romania 3-2 Bulgaria
27- 6-1948 Belgrade, Yugoslavia 0-0 Albania
4- 7-1948 Sofia, Bulgaria 1-3 Yugoslavia
4- 7-1948 Bucuresti, Romania 2-1 Czechoslovakia
25- 8-1948 Warszawa, Poland 0- 1 Yugoslavia
29- 8-1948 Sofia, Bulgaria 1-0 Czechoslovakia
19- 9-1948 Warszawa, Poland 2-6 Hungary
10-10-1948 Chorzów, Poland 0-0 Romania
24-10-1948 Bucuresti Romania 1 -5 Hungary
7-11-1948 Sofia Bulgaria 1-0 Hungary

The competition was interrupted in November 1948. The best scorer until the interruption was a well-known name in the international arena and in the history of world football, the Hungarian Ferenc Puskás with 5 goals noted in this event.

February 2021

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Sports Vision + / The Hour of The Champions – since 2013

Resurces: “Historia e Futbollit” (with corrections), Publishing House “8 November” – 1980 /S. Kelici /p. 76-78 / EuFootball.info / IFFHS statistics.