Albania, Poland, England and some memories!

Not even 24 hours had passed since the terrible night of Heysel.
On June 29, with the Juventus – Liverpool final, football history closed a chapter forever! The protagonist in lifting the first trophy of the Champions Cup for Juventus was the Pole Zbigniev Bonjek, who won a penalty that was converted into a goal by Michel Platini.

Immediately after the match, during that horrendous European night with 40 victims, Bonjek would take a charter flight to arrive in Tirana. Shortly after lunch, Poland would play in Tirana against Albania, the big final in the group for the qualifiers of the Mexico 1986 World Cup. Either Poland would go to Mexico, or Albania. The first game in Mielec, Poland, 2-2! Bonjek would score in “Qemal Stafa” the only goal of the Poles in the 0-1 victory. Unfortunately for Albania, the dreams of participating in the World Cup in Mexico were cut short with that loss. Never before or after, the National Team has not been so close to such a great success…

All matches between Albania and Poland

27.05.2008 Friendly Albania – Poland 0-1 Maciej Żurawski 3′
29.05.2005 Friendly Poland – Albania 1-0 Maciej Żurawski 1′
15.11.1989 Qulaifyings for the World Cup, Italy 1990 Albania – Poland 1-2 Ryszard Tarasiewicz 45′ Jacek Ziober 83’/Sokol Kushta 63′
19.10.1988 Poland – Albania 1-0 Krzysztof Warzycha 78′
30.05 .1985 World Cup qualifiers 1986, Mexico Albania – Poland 0-1 Zbigniew Boniek 24′ 31.10.1984 Poland – Albania 2-2 Włodzimierz Smolarek 23′, Andrzej Pałasz 80’/ 55′ Bedri Omuri, 75′ Agustin Kola
12.05.1971 Qualifyings for the European Championship, Belgium 1972
Albania – Poland 1-1 Jan Banaś 7’/Medin Zhega 32′
14.10.1970 Poland – Albania 3-0 Robert Gadocha 19′, Włodzimierz Lubański 83′, Zygfryd Szołtysik 90′
29.11.1953 Friendly Albania – Poland 2-0 Loro Boriçi 9′, Refik Resmja 35′
01.05.1950 Friendly Albania – Poland 0-0

… and here we are again in the same group with Poland. Even with England. We were in the same group with both of these teams as opponents during the qualifiers for the World Cup Italy 90. Back then it was different, completely different from the qualifiers of the two years 1984-1985. It was no longer the same National team as four years ago. Both the Polish and the English won in both round-trip matches.

* * *

Maybe this is the most beautiful memory of the challenges Albania – England!
March 8, 1989 Albania – England 0-2 Qualifyings, World Cup
April 26, 1989 England – Albania 5-0
March 28, 2001 Albania – England 1-3 Qualifyings, World Cup
September 5, 2001 England – Albania 2-0.
May 27, 2007 England (B) – Albania 3-1 Friendly

England`s John Barnes with Albanian left wing Zmijani!

Against the English, there is no room for much discussion. They are always the great team, one of the main contenders to win every event. They are England! From the clashes with them, little is left to remember. That unjustly canceled goal of Demollari and the debut at the age 17 of goalkeeper Blendi Nallbani on April 26, 1989, Rraklli’s goal in the 1-3 loss in Tirana on March 28, 2001, a beautiful goal by Besart Berisha in the friendly loss to England second team, 1-3 in May 2007 and … hey! Do you remember Pitkin ?! His movies, “The square peg” (Pitkini ushtar)”, “A stich in time (Pitkini ne spital)”, … Pitkin like this and Pitkin like that …? Well, regarding the match of March 28, 2001, in the full sense of the word we can also remember the arrival of Pitkin (Norman Wisdom) with the meaningful title “Pitkin in Tirana”!

Albania, today’s national team, is of a completely different level. Nowadays, football, everything is completely different. Are we hopeless?
Maybe yes, and maybe not!

Albania is the team that no one underestimates today. It is the national team with the newest and one of the most modern stadiums in the Balkans, and above all, it is the national team which, every time it plays, brings half of the fans to the stadium, in every city in Europe!