1971-1972 | Albanian National Football Championship (Part Two)

The second part (Weeks 17 to 25)

Week 17 March 5, 1972

One of the most important matches of the 17th week of the national championship was the one that was played at the national stadium “Qemal Stafa” on Sunday afternoon. in the presence of thousands of sports fans.
The forces of two teams, “17 Nentori” and Dinamo, are measured. Strong duel and beautiful game. Pernaska day with a double score.

Dinamo: Ahmedani (Rama), Gjinali, Ibershimi, Kodra, Xhafa, Sejdini, Pernaska, Ceco, Hafizi, (Hoxha), Cutra and Ciraku

17 Nentori: Habibi, Huta, Dhales, Kasmi, Kazanxhi, Hatibi , Xhacka, Mema, Cela, (Zenuni), Hyka, Dibra, (Shehu).

Referee: Sh. Gruda (Of international rank), with Karaboja and Qatja .
Scored : Pernaska (D) 16`; 58`. Kazanxhi (17N) 24`; Xhacka (17N) 75`.

Aspects from the main match of this week “17 Nentori” – Dinamo

It was a quiet start from both teams, and it continued like that until they studied each other well. Then the initiative is taken by Dinamo, whose attackers combine skillfully and create an opportunity to take the first advantage with Pernaska. The scored goal mobilized the footballers of the “17 Nentori”, being now clearer tactically and going down to the Dinamo half-field determined to equalize the result. For this purpose, they shoot more often at Ahmadani’s goal. In one of these actions, Kasmi shot hard, and the ball crashed into Dinamo’s goal post. It returned to the game but then the Dinamo defenders removed the danger. It is worth mentioning another case when S. Hyka got into a duel with Ibershimi and avoided the latter but got in the way when he was about to shoot.

In 24` comes to light the goal of the draw for “17 Nentori”, by Kazanxhi, who took advantage of a mistake in Dinamo’s penalty area and sent the ball into the net. 1-1! In these episodes, Dinamo gets oriented, makes mistakes in passes and is unclear in its actions.

In the second half, Dynamo presents another picture of the game. The beautiful combinations of the first line stand out, often with one touch, which lead to the scoring of the second goal, the author of which is again Pernaska. In a duel with Kasmi, Pernaska finds the right opportunity to hit the ball with his head and smash it into the net.2-1!

After this goal, Dinamo continues to play well for a few more minutes, then “17 Nentori” attacks and equalizes with Xhacke’s side. 2-2!

Overall, the game was beautiful, there was rhythm, a strong sports fight, desire for victory. However, it must be said that often in different phases of the game, signs of nervousness were noticed, especially by the defense players, who in some cases went through a difficult game, as did Hoxha, Kasmi, Gjinali or Dhales who made an unpleasant gesture towards a sidekick. There were players who showed signs of fatigue and tactical uncertainty. The defenders did not stay in their places and valuing the one-on-one fight as the most important, they gave the attacks the opportunity to maneuver with ease. The players in the middle of the field did not organize the actions properly, because they were more concerned with their breakdown. It took the intervention of two side attackers, Ciraku and Xhacke, to put “order” in this sector. We think that the weakest part of both teams were the goalkeepers. The tactical scheme used by Dinamo and “17 Nentori” was 4-2-4. The refereeing of the match was at the right level.

Lokomotiva – Vllaznia 0-0
Durres sports fans showed a great interest in their team’s match against Vllaznia, which was played on Sunday afternoon in the stadium of the city of Durres. The 45 minutes of the first half were characterized by a slight superiority of Shkodran and the creation of scoring opportunities on their part. We especially mention the case of Hoxha in the 43rd minute. The net of the Durrës goal was saved by its goalkeeper Dollaku without flinching. In the second half, the team from Durres improved its game but could not score. In this way, the match ended without goals 0-0.

No goals and no good game.
Such was Saturday’s match between Shkendija and Partizan. If we had seen at least one beautiful game even though there were no goals, we would have left the “Dinamo” stadium satisfied. Only two days have passed since the meeting and no matter how much you try to bring to mind any episode or interesting case of the game, attractive things that leave an impression, you can’t. Shkendija mobilized more in the first 45 minutes, she moved more with the ball and after that, she opened the game from the wings, which were not “disturbed” from close range, especially the left one who crossed as often as they wanted to do this. Ground superiority, most accurate passes……..

Aspects from the match Shkendia – Partizani

Other matches :
Labinoti-Luftetari 2-1 / Studenti – Besa 1-1 / Tomorri – Skenderbeu 0-0
Traktori-Flamurtari 0-1.

Classification and the best scorers after the 17th week of the Championship

Week 18 | March 12, 1972

After week 18 of the National Football campaign, some teams take steps forward on the way to a better classification, while others remain where they were. With the victories of the day before yesterday, Vllaznia and Partizani came closer to “17 Nentori” which drew with Shkendija. The difference of points with them is two and three. After the draw in Korce with Skanderbeg, Dinamo is a bit lower; Besa following, although they won with Tomorri.

Isn’t the title for these two becoming more and more distant? Nothing can be said about how the classification table for the top teams will change. What is certain is that there will only be changes, especially since the division of the next few weeks is full of big matches. Of course, the two teams that close the classification table have started to move for the better. Gjirokastrites of Luftetari got their second victory yesterday and beating Tomorri by a point, while the students playing in Vlora tied for 4th.

As for the goals, and they were not in the pack, 18, which means about 2.5 in a game. A good average.

Now let’s take a look at the matches to see how they played out:

“17 Nentori”- Shkendia
“17 Nentori left away another point, this time to Shkendia, in the meeting between them that was played at the National Stadium “Qemal Stafa”. The capital team had the lead in the first half, as well as in more than half of the second 45 minutes. By combining the good preparation with the longer experience, they did not allow, in the biggest time, the new team of Shkendia to play its usual game. In fact, the people of Tirana attacked more densely, took the first advantage through Kazanxhiu, who scored a beautiful goal with a header in the 33rd minute and later missed clear opportunities to deepen the goal difference.

The players move more to control the middle of the field. They made mistakes, especially in the throws, which were inaccurate. Then…the wheel started turning back for them. The picture changed. Around the 74th minute, a greater mobilization of Shkendia was seen, a visible revitalization of its players, which was relieved by a greater pressure in the half-field of “17 Nentori”. The equalizing goal was also scored in these episodes. In this case, the ball traveled a long way before entering the net; it was shot by Bulku, hit the post, touched the ground once, then to the Tirana goalkeeper and went inside.

Earlier, a penalty was executed, but the ball hit without much force was punched by the goalkeeper of 17 Nentori. Sports fans expected more from Shkendia, one of the teams that will represent us in the Balkan Cup this year, since yesterday the participants of the master’s school showed their mastery…only in processing the ball and V. Zeri, before missing the penalty, made some beautiful tries. So very little of the fresh, lively, fast game, full of ideas that we are used to seeing from this team. Of course, the meeting was important, with responsibility and this brings quite a strain to young people.

Vllaznia – Labinoti

In every part of the game and precisely in the last minutes, shkodrans scored one goal each in the match against Labinoti that took place at the “Vojo Kushi” stadium. Many sports fans probably don’t even want to remember the first 45 minutes, as their team’s game was weak in every department, this fact caused dissatisfaction, but I. Hoxha’s goal in the 45th minute was to that which is difficult to forget. I. Hoxha, who hit the ball with his head a few centimeters above the ground, after a cross by Rragami, made a bold throw. The intervention of M. Gjika and the goalkeeper Bakalli did not stop the ball from resting in the net. The second goal was a “gift” from Jolldashi, who caused an own goal in his own gate, in an attempt to pass the ball to the goalkeeper. This happened two minutes before the end of the match.

In general, Vllaznia played a lackluster game, with an anemic attack, which revived somewhat in the second half after the transition of R. Rragami to the first line. The people of Elbasan persevered and sweated a lot. In some cases, they had the upper hand, they even controlled the middle of the field. In the 28th and 43rd minutes, they created difficult situations in the goal of Ndoja, however they lost 2-0.

Partizani – Lokomotiva
Both teams have had it more difficult than the others. Their game took place in a torrential rain and the field of the “Dinamo” stadium, which was slippery before, became even heavier from the water. But here too lies the credit of the footballers of both teams, the game started beautifully and remained so until the end. It was also fast, with 4 goals and exciting moments. Partizan deservedly won it 3-1, scoring Berisha in the 15th minute, Xhafa in the 43rd and Shaqiri in the 81st. Their friends from Durres scored their only goal in the 67th minute through Allaj.

The champion team played on Saturday differently than other times, that is, it presented itself better, fought more, tried to weave attacks, creating a numerical advantage over the “opponent” and also defending itself. Great was the mobilization and desire for victory. The players could practice switching places more often and stick to the game from the wings. Lokomotiva was not far from the locals. The bad thing was that they stuck his foot in the attack with very little strength and tried to shoot where they couldn’t, in the center of Partizan’s defense. Even in the field it was not well secured, as the return of the players to their places to close the paths was delayed.

After scoring the first and last goal, despite being at a 1-3 disadvantage, there were attempts to further reduce the difference, even in one case the Durres attackers even hit the Partizan`s post. The attackers of both teams did not properly use the slippery ground to shoot from afar.

Skenderbeu – Dinamo
Dinamo therefore equalized in Korce with a game of an average level. The most distinguished departments of both teams were the defenses, which carried the heaviest burden on their shoulders. They were broken once in the 45 minutes of the first half. The locals scored the first goal in the 14th minute with Xhambazi and a minute later, before the echo of the goal had faded in the crowd of spectators, Dynamo equalized. Ceco shoots a corner, Ibershimi intervenes and passes the ball into the net. It must be said that both goals were scored through headers. Dinamo had a chance to change this result, but Pernaska hit the ball hard and it flew over the post.

Other matches: Besa won against Tomori with the classic score of 2-0. If we were to count the many cases that were created from Pagria , Kashami, Bishtaja, etc. we say that the local team should have won in depth result. One of the reasons that the chances were not used was the underestimation of the opponent. Kavajas attacked in the first minutes. We sew two strong shots from Kariqi, the attacks continue without interruption until the 30th minute, when the ball arrived with precision from a winger, Merhori coolly sent it into the net. Tomorri suffers from a lack of technical-tactical preparation. They put a lot of hope in Zaho, as a midfield player, and in Hodo, in attack as a fast footballer. These two, although tried hard, they just had nothing to do. In the last 25 minutes, Beratas came out of defense and in this way gave more beauty to their game. In the 85th minute, there was a scoring opportunity. Besa had superiority over friends in all directions. For this they used only one more time, when they scored the second goal by Dule, the result of a beautiful combination of Kashami-Kariqi.

The first 45 minutes of the Flamurtari – Studenti match ended 1-0 in the home team’s victory, for which Haxhiu scored with a header. Both before and after, “vlonjates” continued to have the lead, they played in the opponent’s half field, but they did not have the opportunity to increase the number of goals. During a quick counterattack, the universities equalized with Aseki’s side. In addition, in the end, they had a chance to win.

Luftetari reaped his second victory. They played in his home field against Traktori and scored no less than three goals, two of which in the first half. Authors were Braho and Vaso. After the break in the 61st minute, the new player Rodha scored the third goal. Then the “lushnjares” score the only goal with the author Mergjyshi and lose the game 1-3.

At the end of this week we can note: The more weeks pass and the championship is getting closer to its end, the stronger the sports fight is, the greater the efforts of the teams to win. In general, these efforts are accompanied by beautiful games, where the mobilization of the players stands out, their desire to demonstrate to the sports fans the best possible technical-tactical level. However, it is the place to emphasize once again that attention should be paid to the normal development of the matches and to be played as correctly as possible. The desire to win is always accompanied by good game and behavior both among the football players and in their relations with the referees.

The shows of the heavy game, the sick fan, the unsportsmanlike gestures, the tendency to win with impure games, not only have nothing in common with cultured behavior, but are alien to our football. If we repeat these well-known things, we can say that even in the match the day before yesterday (17 Nentori – Shkendija e Vllaznia – Labinoti), there were similar scenes. Some football players from Elbasan spoke to the referee. The gesture of Shkendisa’s goalkeeper towards a football player of the opposite team should be severely punished. Likewise, one should not close one’s eyes against the repeated acts of Dhales, who does bad things and addresses the side. It is good to remind all the “amateurs” of uncivilized behavior in the field that popular saying that says “strong vinegar spoils its own vessel”.

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Weeks 19,

Week 19 March 26, 1972

In this week, the leader of the standings remains “17 Nentori”, but now Vllaznia has shortened the distance by only 1 point.

Dinamo – Besa 1-0
In the national stadium “Qemal Stafa” of the capital, one of the most important matches of the 19th week of the championship took place, which pitted Dinamo and Besa against each other. In general, it can be said that both teams fought to secure both points. In the first 45 minutes, the game was mainly concentrated in the middle of the field. Any incursion made was fruitless, because there was no shot on goal and at the end of the game it did not cause any problem for the two goalkeepers.

During the development of the game, it was also noticed that Dinamo wanted to play in the center and used Cutra for this purpose, while the Besa played on the wings, mainly with Bishtaja and Kashami. To be mentioned in this half of the game is a cross by Cutra inside the penalty area, where the ball is thrown incorrectly by Shapllo.

Only in the second half of 45 minutes does Dinamo breathe freely. The two shots of Cutra and Xhafa awaken the hopes of Dinamo sports fans for victory, so to speak. And this is achieved in the 61st minute when Hafizi solves in his favor a tangle that was created in front of Besa’s goal. The many sports fans who filled the steps of this stadium saw that Besa played its best game mainly in the last 10 minutes, when Dynamo closed in defense to preserve the result. Its attackers created some difficult situations in front of the goal protected by the dynamic goalkeeper Ahmedani, among which the most dangerous was the one in the 85th minute, created by Kashami. His shot, after lightly touching the hands of the Dinamo goalkeeper, went slightly over the post. The judging of the match by a capital trio led by Ramiz Pregja (of the International rank) had flaws. A good lack of coordination of his decisions with the side was also noticed.

Luftetari – Vllaznia 0-3

The match played at the Gjirokastra sports field was characterized by a game of a satisfying technical-tactical level. In the first minutes, Shkodran organized a quick descent, where the ball shot by Canga in the distance landed in the net. Although at a disadvantage, the footballers of Luftetari did not stop their efforts to equalize, but such a thing was not achieved as they are against opponents who score again through Hoxha and thus end the first 45 minutes with a 2-0 win.

Although with two goals down, girokastrites started to mobilize in the second of 45 minutes. In this part of the game, S. Braho stands out, who twice alone with the goalkeeper Ndoja was not able to score. 10 minutes before the end of the game C. Ndoja raised the number of goals for his team to three.

Lokomotiva – “17 Nentori” 1-1

The first 45 minutes of this meeting, which was played in the stadium of the city of Durres, were characterized by a weak game, with many mistakes from both sides. Perhaps the importance of this match had an effect in this direction. The tactical variants used by both teams in this part of the game showed that they had given more importance to the defense, without forgetting the counterattacks. This is more pronounced for the visitors’ team. In this part of the game, although the locals took the first advantage over Allaj, they played poorly.

“17 Nentori”, tried to play clearly. He takes advantage of the mistakes of the locals, owns the middle of the field, and from there organizes a series of deductions, but to no avail. Only the action of Hyka, who played quite mobilized in this meeting, made the visitors equalize. This happened in the 20th minute. The second half gave a completely opposite picture.

The activation of Filjari in this part of the game for the Lokomotiva greatly enlivened the attack of the locals. During this time, it is worth mentioning a strong shot by Puka that hit the post. While the attack exerted pressure on the goal of the friends, the defense developed a memorable game, as “17 Nentori”, he began to engage more in front of the goal, plays well with his wings and misses scoring opportunities. Entered only because the goalkeeper is not able to put his team ahead. With all the pressure they exerted in the last minutes, the visitors could never take the lead, thanks to the defense of the locals. “17 Nentori”, even after this meeting, continues to lead alone in the classification table, but the difference in points between them and Vllaznia is only one point.

Shkendija – Skenderbeu 1-0

11-meter penalty in the 89th minute as well as its successful execution by Gjoni, the central defender of Shkendija, these are remembered from the match that was played last Saturday at the “Dinamo” stadium in the capital. Contrary to what was expected, the game between these two teams was far from their real possibilities and was characterized by many mistakes. For several minutes, the game was concentrated in the middle of the field, where a large gathering of players in a narrow area was observed, as well as several attempts by the attackers to penetrate.

Although the “vojokushas” team were more clear in their demands, this did not bring them any great benefit, as the excessive holding of the ball as well as the wrong actions in the area of the Skenderbeu did not allow them to conclude. The activation of the wings by both teams was insufficient. The chronicle of the 90 minutes is poor with the exception of the two chances created by Shkendia through Bulku, who headed a ball given by Hafiz and Gurma’s shot that was punched by goalkeeper Dinella.

Recently, the team of Shkendia has not satisfied its sports fans enough, as the matches played are far from those played in the first weeks. It is not seen at a high pace, the strong fight for the first ball, its turnover often with a meeting. Meanwhile, Skanderbeg’s improved team played to defend the draw. In this team there are many young and promising players. The meeting was judged by a trio from Shkodra, led by Bakir Dibra of the international category. His judgment, as well as that of the supporters, was flawed.

The most flagrant was the 11-meter award in favor of Shkendia. When this referee was asked about this, he gave this impression: “I don’t know who caused the penalty, I do know that the ball touched a white jersey”. This expression needs no comment.

Labinoti – Partizani 0-0

The history of meetings between Labinoti and Partizani has been bitter for the locals, who, although they played better, lost in the end. So a change was expected in this history. But the wishes were not fulfilled properly. The meeting was of an average level and at the end of the 90 minutes, the score was 0-0. Nothing changed even in the last 2 minutes when Rudi, who was alone with the goalkeeper Muhedini, 5 meters away from him, could not pass the ball into the net. Labinoti had a clear lead in the first half. Attacked densely as usual from the wings, created scoring opportunities, such as Ibershim’s in the 4th minute and some dangerous situations in front of Muhedini’s goal. The beauty of the game is only added by the goal, but there were no goals, as the many crosses that were made from the end were directed in front of Muhedin and the Partizan’s stout defense kept them away with ease.

Partizan this time chose another option. He also tried to cut from the wings with the side of the counterattacks. His footballers had two chances to score with Xhafa and Kalluci in the 8th and 13th minutes. In the second half, the pace of the game dropped a lot. It is clearly dangerous to play against visitors. Xhafa and Balluku fought twice with Bakalli, but the latter was more determined and won. Then comes the 88th minute for Labinoti, the last chance, but Rudi, as mentioned above, could not score.

Partizani, in which young footballers play with a stable formation, played well. In these last two meetings, Labinoti shows growth and promises beautiful matches in the future.

In other matches: The first victory of the Studenti after 1710 minutes of play during this championship was achieved by defeating Traktori 2-1 in Lushnje. In the 7th minute, Troqe scored the first goal for the Student’s colors and this is the only goal that ended the first 45 minutes. The second half, especially the last 5 minutes, were richer and full of goals. Skenderi made the score 2-0 for his visitors with a penalty, while Gogoni reduced it to 1-2. Flamurtari won in Berat 1-0 with a goal scored in the first half, against the locals of Tomorri.
(references “Sporti Popullor” : March 28, 1972 / p. 3)

Week 21, April 18, 1972

We have entered the 21st week of the championship of the 1971-1972 season. This week, Vllaznia tied with 17 Nentori, and thanks to the better goal average, it is placed at the top of the ranking.

Vllaznia – Partizani . Two mistakes, two goals!

In Shkoder, was presented the match Vllaznia-Partizani duel, the most important match of the 21st week, was expected with more interest. Posters informing sports fans that the match would take place at the “Vojo Kushi” stadium at 3:30 p.m. had been placed for some time in the four corners of the city. And the sports fans, trusting the organizers, went to the stadium with all the pouring rain, long before the start of the game.

When the clock struck 3:30 p.m., the voice of the announcer announced that this meeting would take place at 4:00 p.m. Regardless of the reasons that led the stadium management to act in this way, its attitude is not serious and shows disregard for the thousands of sports fans who had filled the steps of the city’s stadium.

However, let’s see how the match unfolded. Despite the rain and the rough terrain, the first half of the game was played at a high pace and with a satisfactory technical-tactical level. The locals play a varied game, coordinate their actions better and create some difficult situations for the visitors defense and goalkeeper Muhedini. In one case, the goal of the visitors was saved by the post. After the first 15 minutes, the visitors recovered and counterattacked quite dangerously. Shkodran` goalkeeper Ndoja, very brave, is twice forced to take the ball from the legs of Partizan’s attackers.

Meanwhile, Xhafa hits the crossbar of the home goal with a hard shot in the upper range. There were many attempts by both sides to score even though the result of the first 45 minutes remained 0-0.

The second 45 minutes were more fruitful in terms of goals. The spectators saw two goals that the defenders “gave” to the attackers and the latter were very ready to take advantage of the mistakes of their colleagues. Visitors were wrong before. A defender, trying to remove the ball from the area, finds it to Bizi, who has no difficulty in scoring. Three minutes before the end of the whole match. Duraj and Dedja exchange the ball between them in parallel lines. The ready and attentive Balluku takes the ball from them and scores a goal. 1-1!

The second half was duller. After the advantage of Vllaznia, the impression was created, as if the locals would score again, but it didn’t happen like that because they play a more defensive game. Knowing how to defend yourself is a good thing, but when you pay attention to it and you don’t know how to organize yourself, then the consequences weigh you down. Partizan persevered for twenty-five minutes in a row to equalize and finally achieved the goal. The judging of the match, which was done by a trio of referees from Durres, led by M. Myshku, was at the right level.

Luftetari – “17 Nentori”. Well -deserved victory.

Although the field where this meeting took place was damaged by the heavy rain that fell these days, the game did not lose its beauty. The commitment of the football players from Gjirokastra was seen only in the first ten minutes, when they played their best game. The later minutes belonged to the visitors, who, although they attacked a lot, scored only one goal through Shehu in the 21st minute. The attack of “17 Nentori” moved a lot, creating other chances to score, but the tight defense of Luftetari and the good form of goalkeeper Guri did not allow them to hit the net.

Dinamo – Studenti. The game is weak!

The match between which started the series of meetings in the framework of the 21st week of the national championship. Both teams played a weak game, with many mistakes especially in terms of passes, changes of places between players, combinations and incorrect shots. The students started the game more mobilized, they tried to protect the middle of the field with the aim of starting an attack from there and, to some extent, they achieved this goal. Well, in the area of 16m of Dinamo, the penetrating power of the attackers slowed down, the members of the first line of Studenti, managed to get into the area, but they did not shoot hard and accurately. Only once did Skenderi hit the ball with more force, but it touched the legs of a defender and went into the corner. Dinamo tried to improve the game only in the middle of the second half, when its players moved more on the field and opened the game from the wings and Pernaska, Cutra and Hysi got a little more involved. The only goal that gave the victory was scored by Hafizi with a shot from outside the Student’s penalty area, catching goalkeeper Kika by surprise.

Lokomotiva – Besa. “Durresakes” are played better.

These two teams have always played beautiful matches between them. Thus, the last meeting, which took place on Sunday in the presence of thousands of viewers from Durres, left nothing short of the previous ones. The teams enter the field of play quite mobilized for victory. The game started quickly and its pace kept growing. Both teams work well with the wings, while the defenses have a lot of work to do. Locals are more clear in their attacks, while visitors gather in front of the gate. In the beginning, Besa creates a territorial advantage by owning the middle of the field as a result of a very poor game by the locals. But this didn’t last long because the latter took over and created superiority. The trio of attackers Puka, Ballgjini and Leshteni organize a very nice action in the 4th minute and the latter scores. Not even 6 minutes have passed but it is Qerolli who, taking advantage of a mistake by the local defenders, happened face to face with the goalkeeper, equalizes, 1-1.

The second 45 minutes were more balanced. The attacks of the locals, rarer in number, started from the left and right of their attack, but they “disappear” as they cross the half-field of the Besa from the artificial “offsite” of the latter. Visitors attack until the 70th minute is fruitless, at which time Karriqi executes a penalty kick and scores. Although at a disadvantage, the natives do not fall morally, but on the contrary, they fight better than Besa. The players in the middle of the field of Lokomotiva, Qolje, Filjari and Ballgjini, give the participants of the first line the opportunity to create scoring opportunities. In the 72nd minute, Leshteni equalizes with a header and it is this same player who ten minutes later scores the third goal, the winning one for his team, after an individual action and avoiding the intervention of the goalkeeper Feshti. 3-2!

Labinoti – Skenderbeu. Superiority not concretized.

90 minutes of continuous attacks, complete superiority over the opponent, numerous scoring opportunities and the rush of the local attackers. A common thing for them. The goal was defended with courage and determination by Dinella, not only for his merits, but also for the insecurity of the local attackers. These are the main characteristics of the Labinoti – Skenderbeu match, which took place on Sunday at the “Labinoti” stadium in Elbasan. The Korcars found it difficult, even very difficult, to reach their only goal… the draw.

From the beginning, considering that they were playing against a strong team, they preferred to defend better and take advantage of any surprise attack, as happened with Kacani and Xhambazi, which they risked twice. The locals persisted in searching for the goal. It seemed as if he would not be late as Ibershimi, Ducka and Rudi were on a good day. They come down continuously, with beautiful connections, and attacks on the flanks and center. The goal was expected, but Ducka headed, and then Himci, and again Ducka, facing the goalkeeper Dinella, were not able to bring it to light.

Even after the break, the same situation. Even heavier and more complicated for the visitors. The visitors attack in the second half did not even manage to “caress” the goal protected by Gudo. They left only one wedge, Vaso, but Gjika, Jorgaqi and Gugu were in the full will. The attack from Elbasan was carried out with a counterattack. However, the minutes passed without goals. Dembo and Dinella kept their goal intact. They were the best in the defense and have the main credit for the scorless 0-0 result. This also came as a result of the wrong crosses of the local attack, which preferred to cross the ball to ……Dinella who always came out victorious. Such a game with battery shooting and ball delays, as Skanderbeu did, did not honor the visitors team. They played better in the first half and tried to organize an attack, while in the second 45 minutes all their efforts were to preserve the result. This was also the 12th draw between these two teams.

Traktori – Tomorri. The final result in the “myzeqar” derby.

This meeting was followed with great interest by thousands of local sports fans who filled the steps of the stadium in the city of Lushnja. The first 45 minutes were characterized by a slight superiority of the locals, who concretized it by scoring a goal by Stefe. The scoring of the goal had a positive effect on the further development of the game as the footballers of both teams became more involved. In the last fifteen minutes of this half, the “beratas” persevered more, but they could not equalize as Dalipi’s shot was blocked by the crossbar and Ahmeti’s was blocked by Shefa.

Visitors enter the second half quite mobilized and persistently search for the equalizing goal. But without results as the shots of Zaho, Mates, Dalip and other attackers were inaccurate or were skillfully saved by goalkeeper Stefa. Traktori only recovered in the last few minutes and attacked heavily. Three minutes before the end, Stefa almost scored the second goal, but the visitors` goalkeeper took the ball out in the corner.

Shkendia – Flamurtari. Shkendia in seventh place.

With the clear 2-0 victory achieved on Sunday at the national stadium “Qemal Stafa” against Flamurtari, Shkendija climbed to seventh place in the classification table. The young footballers of Shkendia enter the field very mobilized and they showed this with their beautiful game that they played for almost 90 minutes. From the beginning, they gave it a strong offensive character where they stood out especially for the pleasing rhythm in the fight for the ball in front as well as for their movements with and without the ball.

The defense department and the half defense department gave a great help to their friends in the front line and strongly helped them in their actions. As before, this Sunday also in the middle of the field stood out the very efficient game of Gurma and Zeri, who were the two main organizers. Ballco was also tireless and quite hardworking, who, with his individual actions, on the left side of the attack, proved to be a dangerous and rather annoying attacker. As a result of the great pressure of the successive attacks, the “vojokushas” players scored their first goal in the 12th minute with Sulo’s side, after a dangerous pass given by Zeri.

Even after scoring the goal, they continued to have the lead, creating other scoring opportunities, which were not realized mainly due to haste in the decisive casts, incorrect shots, and in one case the ball was prevented from entering the net by the goal post of Flamurtari.

At the beginning of the second half, it was again Sulo who doubled the number of goals as a result of an individual action. After scoring the second goal, the pace dropped somewhat, but the game did not lose its beauty. And the merits for this once again go to the “vojokushas” players. Flamurtari appeared weak. His footballers played a dull game with many mistakes, especially in passing. The members of the defense and midfield did not perform their duties properly and in general they were the ones who negatively affected the game of the their team. (Sources: “Sporti Popullor” April 16, 1972 / p. 3)

Week 22 May 7, 1972

The “marathon” of 14 teams of the first category of the national championship is coming to an end, however, it is still not possible to say which team could deserve the high title of national champion. This question remained even after the last most important meeting of the week of the 22nd, which took place on Sunday afternoon at the “Qemal Stafa” stadium in the capital between the two main claims, “17 Nentori” and “Vllaznia”.

The interesting match ended with the nets intact. In this way, both of them remain at the top of the table with equal point, 33.

The schedule of the upcoming meetings is this: “Vllaznia” will face the teams of “Skenderbeu”, “Besa”, “Flamurtari” and ” Studenti”. “17 Nentori” will play against “Partizan”, “Traktori”, “Skenderbeu”, “Besa”.

We mention this remain schedule with the aim that the reader himself can judge the possibilities of one or the other team on the way to winning the title.

Dinamo benefited from the draw of these teams this week, who strengthened their position in the classification table after their hard-fought 2-1 victory against “Tomorri” in the latter’s field. Now they are in third place with three points less than Vllaznia and Tirana.

The draw of “Partizan” last Saturday against “Traktori” caused it to go down to the 4th place. “Labinoti” climbed to the 5th place, after a clear 3-0 victory against “Besa”, which remained nailed in the quota of 25 along with “Shkendia”. Even the latter, thanks to the best goal difference, is now in 6th place. They are followed by “Flamurtari” (23), “Lokomotiva” (22), “Skenderbeu” (22) and “Traktori” (16).

With a difference of two points, “Luftetari”, “Tomorri”, “Studenti” are lined up, occupying the 12th, 13th and 14th places respectively. “Luftetari” took another step forward. He climbed to the quota of 10 points, while “Tomorri” and “Studenti” keep the same positions.

Let’s see specifically how this week’s meetings took place:

“17 Nentori” – Vllaznia 0-0

After experiencing the emotions of the finals of the Republic`Cup in Kavaje and Shkoder, the football players of “Vllaznia” came to Tirana to “discuss” with “17 Nentori” in the most important match of the 22nd week of the championship. Even sports fans were not absent in this important meeting. They fill the steps of the national stadium “Qemal Stafa” in the capital. Their enthusiasm increased even more when the football players of both teams entered the green field. The teams start the game with each having 32 points and …. a great desire to win that they win two more, to create a visible advantage on the way to secure the championship title.

The first ones attacked were the visitors from Shkoder. They were shot twice by C. Ndoja and the goalkeeper Habibi was forced to send the ball to the corner. To be mentioned is also the case of Bizi, who “stole” the ball from the hands of the local goalkeeper and almost score but……

After that, Vllaznia lost the liveliness of the first minutes and the match was balanced. Later, the “17 Nentori” players, who have been gradually raising the level of their game, attack more densely and in a more organized manner. In the 27th minute, Xhacka, after a combination with Hyka, comes face to face with goalkeeper Ndoja, but is late in shooting. In the 29th minute, Hyka has the clearest chance to score. He takes a personal action, enters the visitors` zone, avoids the intervention of the goalkeeper, but is late in shooting and a shkodrans` defender takes the ball.

The pressure of the Tirana team became even more visible, especially in the second 45 minutes when they played most of the time in attack and persistently searched for the winning goal. And the opportunities to take advantage were presented several times to the participants of the first line, especially Hyka, Kazanxhiu and A. Mema. The second one, was very close, but Ndoja took the shot of the third one into the corner with an acrobatic dance. Shkodran’s attempts to score in the second half were the fewest. Regardless of the cases and the flaws that we will briefly mention below, the meeting between these teams as a whole was of a good level, it was characterized by interesting phases both in the middle of the field and in respective areas of severity, created great emotions among football players and many sports fans. Let’s start with visitors. Their desire for victory was great, but at the same time they had to be careful in defense. Precisely we think that they attacked with fewer players, although the game in the first line included Rragami, who later was mainly devoted to defense. The attack could give more if all its members would play the same. Canga did not give the usual performance, and Kocabashi, who was replaced, did not have a good effect on the first line. Rakiqi and I. Hoxha could give more. The defense was also uncertain, while Ndoja made some good saves, so to say, he did his job.

“17 Nentori” presented itself in a more organized ensemble. He played determined to reap the victory. The players demanded the goal with insistence. Hyka made a good appearance this time, as he was so mobilized that he was dangerous for the friendly defense. By mentioning Hyka, we do not want to underestimate the other attackers of “17 N”, regardless of the fact that their flaw in not concluding actions damaged the team as a whole. The people of Tirana worked carefully in defense, except for some moments of insecurity on the part of Dhales in the first minutes of the match. Mistakes in receiving the ball, which could have cost the team two points, were also made by Habibi. Hatibi and Cela also gave a good contribution in their midfield. This was the 47th meeting between the teams in the framework of the national championships. Of these, 20 have been won by Vllaznia, 14 by Tirana and 13 have been tied.

CLASSIFICATION AFTER WEEK 22

Partizani – Traktori 1-1

It happens that although you play better than the “opponent” and have an advantage, you still do not enjoy the fruits of your hard work and sweat. This also happened last Saturday in the Partizani-Traktori meeting. The match between these two teams was played at the “Dinamo” stadium in the capital and ended with the result 1-1. Partizan played the entire game in the visitors` half. But despite the great pressure and numerous opportunities to score, “Partizani” took the lead only once, in the 38th minute with Murati. Concentrating the game in the center, not activating the wings, inaccurate shots, ball circulation and the tight defense of the greens of Traktori, did not allow Partisan to deepen the result.

Even in the second half, the same picture was observed, but the players did not have the same calmness as in the first 45 minutes. After “Traktori” equalized through Gogoni in the 63rd minute. Some of the visitors did not play a fair game, especially Gogoni became an instigator for heavy games. Yes, this player has been criticized several times for a difficult game, and yet, he continues to walk on this wrong path…..

Tomori – Dinamo 1-2

The meeting between “Tomori” and “Dinamo” was expected in Berat with great interest. The first half of the game did not please the attendees. Dinamo used long balls, while the locals practiced more short passes, but in both cases different mistakes were noticed. To be mentioned is the loss of a scoring chance by the local footballers as well as the mistake of a “Tomorri” defender, which allowed Pernaska to score the first goal for his team’s colors.

After the break, this same player doubles the number of goals for “Dinamo”. For the locals, the distance is shortened by Hodo, who scored after executing a penalty kick. This goal encouraged the Berat players to continue their attacks in search of a draw, while the visitors paid more attention to the defense, but they did not achieve their goal and “Dinamo” thus won in Berat 2-1.

Flamurtari – Lokomotiva 1-1

Two goals were scored in this meeting that was played in the stadium of the city of Vlora, and both goals came after the break. The game started fast and strong from both sides. In the 16th minute, Haxhiu hit the post of the friendly goal. After that, the local people take the initiative and for several minutes they organize successive raids, which do not give any concrete conclusion. The first half ended 0-0.

In the second 45 minutes, the locals continued their attacks and within the first five minutes they created several dangerous situations in the goal of their friends. The latter, with the help of a quick counterattack, managed to score the first with the side of Ballgjin. Vlonjat equalized in the 60th minute with the side of Haxhiu. Thus, both teams are separated by one point.

Besa – Labinoti 0-3

The Kavaje sports fans are very disappointed by their sports field, not so much by the loss as by the poor game that “Besa” played. This was the first loss during this championship in its field and the first victory of “Labinoti” since 1969 against Besa. The Elbasan` attack scored three goals. Himci started their series in the 6th minute and then came the cases of Pagria and Merhori, but they remain just like that. “Labinoti” plays with a tight defense and fights hard for the first ball. He practices long passes and one of these Hysi scores the second goal for the people of Elbasan. This happened in the 35th minute. “Besa” tries to shorten the distance but loses, but also misses the clearest chance presented to Qerolli in the 59th minute. Six minutes later, Himci hits the post and it is this same player who raises the result of this match to three in the victory of the people of Elbasan.

“Besa was seen below her level. They played with a weak and rather confused defense, left empty areas and her defenders often lined up on the parallel line. Placing Mili as a left back was out of place. The attackers of Kavaje did not coordinate their actions and thus the defenders from Elbasan acted quietly and were given the opportunity from time to time to help the attack. The football players and leaders of the Kavaje team should see if some previous good results have awakened the spirit of complacency and arrogance?

If this is the case, then these harmful phenomena should be criticized in order for “Besa” to remain a beloved team for its sports fans. As for “Labinot”, he fully deserved the victory. His defense played organized, mobilized and often went on the attack. Himci was the best player on the field. The entire team from Elbasan fought to the end with great fighting spirit.

Skenderbeu – Luftetari 0-1

“Luftetari” from Gjirokastra secured two very valuable points during the match played in the stadium of the city of Korce with the local “Skenderbeu”. Braho scored the only goal in the victory of the visitors.

Shkendia – Studenti 1-0

“Shkendia” secured the victory with a goal in the match that took place last week in the capital with “Studenti”. The author of the goal was Sulo. It must be said that the football players of “Studenti” played better and had many chances to score.

(Resurces: “Sporti Popullor” May 9, 1972 / page 3; Personal Collection)

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Week 23

May 14, 1972

This week’s commentary.
The 23rd week of the national football championship for the first category brought changes in the classification table, especially in the leading teams. The football players of Vllaznisa won last Wednesday 3-2 in the “Vojo Kushi” stadium of their city against Skenderbeu. This victory gave them not only two very valuable points, but later with the defeat of “17 nentori” also the 1-st place in the classification table.

For this reason, the meeting Partizani – “17 Nentori”, which took place last Sunday at the national stadium “Qemal Stafa” in the capital, was followed with great interest by thousands of sports fans who had filled its steps. After 90 minutes of play, Partizan not only caused Tirana’s second defeat during this championship, but displaced them from first place to second with 33 points. Also, Partizan’s victory tied them with Dynamo and because of the somewhat weaker goal difference, they are in 4th place with 31 points.

Dinamo drew 1-1 in Lushnje against the local Traktori. Labinoti, is doing pretty good too, these last weeks of the championship. Last Sunday they beat Flamurtar 3-1 in Elbasan. “vojokushasit” have one point less than the people of Elbasan, who won 2-0 against Tomorri. Gjirokastrites reached the quota of 11 points after the 1-1 draw in their field against Besa. Studenti climbed to the quota of 7 points after the goalless game (0-0) against Lokomotiva.

Partizani – “17 Nentori” 2-1 (Dibra 16′; Xhafa (Pa.) 25′; Kalluci (Pa.) 71′)

There is no doubt that the most important meeting of the week was the one that took place at the national stadium “Qemal Stafa” in the capital, where two old and worthy rivals faced each other. The 2-1 victory of the partisans reduced the hopes of the Tirana team for the title. “17 Nentori”, started the game quite mobilized and gave it a strong attacking character from the beginning. Partizan’s own turbulent game helped this to some extent. The quick circulation of the ball as well as the good activation of the wings, especially the right, gave results. In the 16th minute, A. Mema took a personal action, entered the penalty area, passed close to the end line and crossed in front of the goal protected by Muhedini. There, Dibra hit the net with his head.

1-0 1 Tirana in advantage. Even after taking the lead “17 Nentori”, created other notable occasions, the clearest of which was Shehu’s, after his combination with Dibra. Only Muhedini’s determined intervention prevented the second goal from conceding.

Precisely in this period, Partizan’s game takes a turn. His players start and organize themselves well, their game becomes more fluid, more harmonious. The attackers are directed more and more towards the goal by Habib. Not even ten minutes after conceding the goal, Pano beautifully executes a free kick in the direction of the goal of “nentorasve”. The ball goes to Xhafa and he hits it with his head, leading it into the net. Now the score is tied 1-1.

Until the end of these first 45 minutes, there were other scoring opportunities from both sides, which were not used good by the football players on the field.

In the second 45 minutes, Partizan’s attack became more dangerous. The replacement of Pano with Leskaj seemed to liven up the game. The members of the first line circulate the ball quickly and constantly raise the tempo. Although based mainly on the quick counterattack with few players, they often caught the defense of “17 Nentori” by surprise. This also happened in the 71st minute, when after a cross from Xhafa, Kalluci managed to score the second goal, the one that would give victory to the Partizan team.

2-1! It is characteristic of the fact that the goals were all scored from the same wing – the right wing and all three with headers. After conceding the second goal “17 Nentori”, stuck his foot in his efforts to equalize, so they attacked heavily. In the last minutes, they created several scoring opportunities, such as Xhacka’s and in the last seconds of the game when the ball was stopped by a defender just as it was about to cross the fatal line.

Overall, we can say that Partizan deserved the victory. After the weak game in the first twenty minutes, he came by raising the pace, improved the game in the middle of the field, fought for the first ball, circulated it more than the opponent and tried to conclude the actions with as few meetings as possible. “17 Nentori” put more pressure in the first twenty minutes. The possession of the middle of the field, the opening of the game on the wings, and especially on the right, created difficult situations in the area for the opposite team . Later, they reduced the pace and the attack did not have great penetrating power. There were times when the defense played very open and this gave Partizan’s attackers the opportunity to take risks often. Lack of seriousness, a delay of 15 minutes due to the fact that the net of one gate was not in order!!!

Vllaznia – Skenderbeu 3-2 (Kocobashi (V); Toshi (S) 76′; Rragami (V) 81′; Rragami (V) 85′ Xhambazi (S) pen. 89′)

Unusual start in this match. We say this because earlier a simple ceremony was held at the “Vojo Kushi” stadium in Shkodra, on the occasion of the retirement of two members from the local team. F. Capaliku and S. Dani.

The first part of the match was characterized by the superiority of the Shkodra footballers, and especially the first thirty minutes were a real duel between the home attack and the friendly defense. However, this lead was not concretized with any goal because the crosses of Rakić and Ndoja were wrong and the shots of Rragami or other attackers were easily received by the friendly goalkeeper Dinella. Visitors use the rare but dangerous discounts.

In one case, Xhambazi was very close to scoring a goal, but goalkeeper Ndoja took away that opportunity. After the break, Vllaznia scored the first goal through Kocobashi and in the 76th minute Skenderbeu equalized with Toshi. Naturally, the locals did not agree with this result and five minutes later, Bizi crossed in front of Dinellas’ goal, where Rragami headed the ball into the net. A few episodes later Rragami again scored the third goal for the colors of Vllaznia. In the 89th minute, Skenderbeu shorten the distance to 3-2 with Xhambazi, who transformed an 11-meter shot in favor of his team.

Labinoti – Flamurtari 3-1 (Zilja (F); ??? (L) pen 16′; Jorgaqi (L); Hysi (L) )

The teams played a strong and beautiful game between them. The sports fans warmly applauded Rudi, who in one case, to protect , the visitors` goalkeeper, did not fight for the ball to score. This happened in the 63rd minute. He ran beautifully and got in front of the goalkeeper in a clear scoring position. The visitors` keeper stretched his arms boldly forward. Rudi pulled his leg to protect him, protecting the opposite keeper in this case seriously injured himself.

It was Flamurtari who started the game better, they played well, with beautiful passes, which were also accompanied by shots. They scored a clear goal, by Zilja . The locals equalized the result in the 16th minute with a penalty. Fifty minutes had to pass, for the game to take a different look, more favorable for the locals. During a corner kick, Hysi hits the ball that smashes into the post, Jorgaqi, one of the best in the field, intervenes and scores the second goal. Now sports fans see Labinoti in his true shape. They organizes continuous attacks that start from both wings, more from the left, which bring clear scoring opportunities, of which Hysi’s is crowned with success. Labinoti thus won 3-1.

Traktori – Dinamo 1-1 (Burizani (T) 17′; Pernaska (D) 38′)

In the presence of thousands of sports fans, the meeting between Traktori and Dinamo took place in Lushnje. From the beginning, the game started strong and with many counterattacks. The locals play quietly and are quite mobilized for the first ball. They, after processing it well in the middle of the field, started attacking Gogoni, Sefa and Burizani several times. In the 17th minute, Haxhiu passes to Sefa who crosses in front of the goal and Gogoni, after avoiding two defenders, shoots hard. The ball touches the feet of J. Rama`s and is put back into the net by Burizani.

Dinamo attacks densely from the wings and in the center, especially with Ceco. In the 38th minute, Pernaska equalized the result, after a heavy shot. The remaining 45 minutes did not change the result.

Lokomotiva – Studenti 0-0

Fans from Durres did not see any goals during the match Lokomotiva – Studenti, which was played in the stadium of their city. In this way, the students got a point from the locals in their field, who, despite their great efforts, did not manage to score this thanks to the merits of the goalkeeper friend Kika, who stood out for his beautiful receptions in the decisive moments. Lokomotiva did not play very mobilized and the first line went through moments of uncertainty, kept the ball a lot and practiced short passes too much. These last two flaws gave the friendly defense time to organize better. As for the Student, he appeared in the field mobilized, and fulfilled the goal he had set for himself.

Luftetari – Besa 1-1 (Merhori (B) 62`; S. Braho (Lu.) 65`

Luftetari won another point, this time in its own field, drawing 1-1 against Besa. They were ahead thanks to Merhori in the 62nd minute. Three minutes later, S. Braho equalized the result.

Shkendia – Tomorri 2-0 (Sula; Hafizi)

Shkendia won the match 2-0. in the “Dinamo” stadium, where the first goal was scored by Sula, and in the second half, Hafizi doubled the score to 2-0. The game was generally average and often characterized by counterattacks.

(Reference: “Sporti Popullor” – May 16, 1972 / page 3; personal collection)

Week 24

May 21, 1972

Comment of the week.
The 24th week of the national football championship for the first category gave us 18 goals, 12 of which only in the stadiums of the capital. The title of the champion continues to be discussed again, since this week, “17 Nentori”, Vllaznia came close by one point after a goalless draw with Shkodra at the Kavaje sports field.

Tirana, with their heavy victory in the capital against Traktori, strengthened their positions in the classification table. No change of places was noticed between Dinamo and Partizan after both won respectively against Shkendia and Skenderbeu.

Labinoti, after two victories, scored his 13th draw, this time against Studenti last Friday in the capital. The equalization of the students not only raised them to the quota of 8 points, but thanks to the best goal average, it also gave it the penultimate place in the ranking table. Tomorri is also in the same quota of points, which anyway, together with Studenti, have few opportunities to stay in the first category. The footballers of Luftetari of Gjirokastra, who have one game less, have more chances in this direction.

Besa – Vllaznia 0-0

Although Besa did not win, its fans remain satisfied with the game played by their team. In this meeting, it stood above the visitors team both in terms of physical preparation and technical-tactical. This match was followed with great interest and the sports field of Kavaja was filled as usual. It was known that Vllaznia in this meeting would fight for points regardless of the game and it achieved its goal. The many sports fans present in this challenge do not remember any occasion of marking for them. Their attacks faded as early as 30 meters in front of the home goal. The defense lined up in most cases with 6-7 players taking care only to remove the balls. Vllaznia was waiting for the attacks in the area and did not come out from there. Even their organizer Rragami was neutralized by Qerolli. The latter was the best player on the field, not because he kept Rragami, but because he stood out both in defense and attack. Bizi tried to connect the defense with the attack, but the latter worked with only 2-3 players. So Shkodra team did not do well. The complete opposite can be said for Besa who gave priority to the attack, not forgetting the defense where they played hard for the first ball and for sure. In this direction, Hushi and Mullaliu stood out more. Coach Muhamet Vila, in the analysis before the match, instructed his players: “Today we will all play one by one, hard, correct with balls in depth and on the wings and from here to the center. We will give this game the spirit of mobilization. This is the only way we will play real football like other times and if we play like this we will have chances to score”. And in fact, in minutes 5′, 9′, 16′, 20′, Kashami, Pagria, Karriqi and Qerolli missed clear opportunities to score. Their mistake was rushing in front of the goal.

In the 25th minute, Karriqi skillfully executes a penalty kick, which the visitors` goalkeeper Ndoja takes out in the corner with great difficulty. Even later, Besa has the upper hand. The second 45 minutes were mostly headers. The Kavaja attackers increased their efforts. Kapidani, Hushi, Bishtaja had chances to score, but the match ended 0-0.

Dinamo – Shkendia 4-1 (46`Ciraku (D); 62`Cutra (D); 77`Pernaska (D); 83` Hafizi (D); Zeri (Shk.)

Dynamo won last Saturday in their stadium a heavy and well-deserved victory against Shkendia, defeating it with the result 4-1. The two shots on the post by Pernaska and Cutra, as well as other opportunities to score, did not give any concrete result, so the first 45 minutes ended in a draw. 0-0.

Before the second half started well, the Dynamo team scored the first goal by Ciraku, who sent a ball into the net after a shot by Pernaska. This goal had a positive effect on the further development of the game The good coordination of the actions between the departments, the strong and correct fight for the first ball, the careful coverage of the opponents as well as the good possession in the middle of the field made them have an advantage in almost all directions. The attack, especially Pernaska, made a lot of work for Shkendia’s insecure defense. In the 62nd minute, Cutra, with a personal action, raised the number of goals to two.

Shkendia reacted weakly even after this goal. The departments were separated in their actions and in this way they had no possibility to help each other. The defense played quite openly while the side defenders were easily passed by the opposite wings. The tight circulation of the ball, the short passes and in a straight line, as well as the excessive holding of the ball, negatively affected her game.

Stages from the match Dinamo - Shkendia 4-1

Quite the opposite happened with Dinamo, which raised the level of the game by scoring two more goals with Pernaska and Hafizi, respectively, in the 77th and 83rd minutes. The only goal of Shkendia was scored by Zeri with a long shot.

“17 nentori” – Traktori 4-1 (Shehu, Xhacka, Dibra, Cela; 88′ Gogoni (Tr.)

This match that took place last Sunday at the national stadium “Qemal Stafa” ended with the same result. The first 45 minutes , although without goals, were more beautiful and aroused a lot of interest. During this part of the game, a greater mobilization of the football players was noticed and there was no lack of efforts to give the fans a match of a level to be satisfied both teams, especially Gogoni and Xhaja for the visitors team and Xhacka for the locals, miss several clear chances to score. Of these, it is worth mentioning the one in the 8th minute when Xhacka was alone with the goalkeeper Sefa from Lushnja and did not score after this exit. Sefa was on time and the intervention was quite decisive. Two minutes later, the defender Huta headed away a ball that was crossing the fatal line.

The second 45 minutes present a completely different picture, not so much from the developed game the goals scored. Until the 55th minute, both teams lose from a clear chances of scoring. After these come the four consecutive goals of the locals, with Shehu, Xhacka, Dibra and Cela as authors. Gogoni scored the only goal for Traktori in the 88th minute.

Skenderbeu – Partizani 0-1 (15`Balluku)

Partizani secured the victory in Korce from the beginning of the match that was played in the city’s stadium in the presence of many spectators. The winning goal was scored by Balluku in the 15th minute. Before the goal, as well as after it, the players of Partizan had superiority in all directions over the local team. They moved the game to Skanderbeg’s half-field, organized continuous descents and the attackers entered the home team’s area several times.

After the break, the Korcars tried to balance the game and achieved the goal. Partizan, however, they managed to preserve the victory that gave them two points through the combination of defensive and offensive play. Skanderbeg’s efforts to equalize did not bring any goals.

Tomorri – Lokomotiva 2-3 (7`, 46` Leshteni (Lo.); 25` Nuri (To); Ahmeti (To.); Puka (Lo)

It must be said that this match took place in Elbasan. “Beratasit” lose this one too against visitors from Durres. This loss came as a result of the 11’s poor performance. The defenders often lined up bad.

In general, the team showed a lack of physical preparation. From the defense, they often found themselves in front of the goal. In the 25th minute, Nuri of Tomorri scored a beautiful goal with a header. They were used by Leshteni who scored the second goal. A little later, Ahmeti of Tomorri hit the post and a minute later this same player equalized the result, 2-2.

Other cases of note that both parties created did not bring anything to light. The minutes passed and everyone had the impression that this match would end in a draw, but it didn’t happen like that because towards the end of the match, Puka with a strong shot sealed the result 3-2 for the colors of Lokomotiva.

Studenti – Labinoti 1-1 (Rudi (L); Guri (S)

Both sides, last week, measured their strength in the capital’s “Dinamo” stadium in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw. For visitors, Rudi scored in first and then the locals equalized with Guri’s side.

RANKING TABLE AFTER WEEK 24

Flamurtari – Luftetari 2-1

We should also remember the backward meeting valid for this week held in Vlora between Flamurtari and Luftetari. The locals won 2-1 with the goals of Curi and Haxhiu, while S. Braho scored for the friends. (“Sporti Popullor” – May 23, 1972 / page 3; personal collection)

Week 25

May 28, 1972

Comment of the week!
One more week separates us from the end of the 26th National Football Championship for the first category. Next Sunday, it will be finally decided which team will win the honorary title. Vllaznia has the biggest opportunities. Not only does it lead by one point more than its nearest opponent, “17 nentori”, but it has a relatively more favorable calendar of matches of the week of the 26th of that final. While the team from Shkodra will play in the capital with Studenti, the people of Tirana go to Kavaje to compete with the locals of Besa.

If there is still a question mark regarding the team that will win the championship title, the problem will be solved next week. While the issue has been resolved for the teams that were “sailing” at the bottom of the ranking for those who will be relegated. The duel held by the Luftetari, Studenti and Tomorri was won by the “gjirokastrites”. Thus, after beating Studenti 1-0 yesterday, they climbed to the 13-point quota, out of any danger and happy that next season they will still play with the 14 teams of the first category. Besides, they need to prepare seriously in order not to repeat the many mistakes that were noticed in their game during this championship.

Dinamo safely continues the path of consolidating positions and is fighting for a better place. Now it is in the quota of 35 points, occupying the third place. Partizani went down a notch after dropping two points in the capital against Besa on Sunday. Shkendia suffered its 9th loss, this time in Lushnje, but still kept the 7th place in the classification. Even the other teams, regardless of the points won or lost, remain in their previous positions.

Vllaznia – Flamurtari 2-0 (7` C. Ndoja; 51` Bizi)

Vllaznia is heading towards a beautiful final. She won, with a strong sports fight, 2-0 against Flamurtari, after 90 minutes of play in the Shkodra “Vojo Kushi” stadium. This 14th victory is another step forward for the Shkodra footballers on the road to completion, to their particular goal; winning the title of national champion and the place of honor in the championship.

The game of both teams started fast. In the 7th minute, the visitors goalkeeper, wanting to be the initiator of a counterattack by the front line of Vlorë, passes the ball with his hand to one of the defenders of Flamurtari, who cannot control it. Local striker C. Ndoja intervened quickly and after shooting he passed the ball into the net, 1-0 for Vllaznia. Shkodra did not stop their attacks for a while. During the 45 minutes, the clean case of Ismet Hoxha in min. 21st as well as two very fast and strong shots by Bizi and Dedja, which were skillfully received by the “vlonjat” goalkeeper Dariu.

After the break, Shkodra increased their advantage. Around the 51st minute, Rakiqi and Bizi exchange headers and the latter, after approaching the Flamurtari area, scores the second goal. Until the end of the match, the visitors goalkeeper stood out for two beautiful saves. Shkodra deserved the victory. They tried and achieved their goal of showing elastic football, although they made mistakes several times in passes. Dedja was the best football player on the field. Flamurtari played not quite well. The first line of Flamurtari, when helped by the midfield, worked well and several times endangered the local defense from Shkodra.

Partizani – Besa 0-2 (16` Qerolli; 22` Dyli)

The match played on Sunday afternoon at the “Dinamo” stadium, in the framework of the penultimate week of this championship, aroused great interest among sports fans. The game started quietly from both sides, although there was no shortage of descents and counter-descents. In the 2nd minute, Besa went down from the left wing, Hushi hit the ball with his head but without result. A few moments later, Karriqi took a risk with a strong shot. Not even three minutes passed after that and Partizan went down from the right wing. One of his players crosses the ball in front of the goal of the visitors and Pano, from outside the penalty area, shoots dangerously. It was the merit of the goalkeeper Feshti that the ball did not cross the fatal line. As the minutes pass, Besa plays more persistently, supporting her game mainly on Karriqi and Qerolli. Both of them, especially the first one, with their individual skills allowed them to maneuver in the middle of the field and gave Besa’s game its characteristic features: first the processing of the ball and then the transition to the attack. In the 16th minute, Qerolli, penetrated with momentum towards the opposing area, shot hard, the ball hits the vertical post of the locals’ goal and Pagria, with his intuition, scored. A minute later, Mullaliu fired a shot. Meanwhile, Partizan rarely goes forward, its attacks fade away in front of Besa’s goal both for the merit of the defense and for the lack of imagination of its own attacks. It is worth mentioning a combination of Cani with Balluku, which did not give a conclusion.

Besa continued to dominate the game, attacking especially from the right, where he took advantage of Kashami’s dynamism. In the 22nd minute, we see another descent from Besa. This time Dyli, by surprise, comes out of the defense, shoots from 26 meters and misses an avoidable goal.

After the break, Partizan intensified its attacks and created chances to score, but it is not able to change the result. Kalluci and Thaka had chances to score in the 55th and 62nd minutes. 78′ and Pano in 83′ (only face to face with the opposite goalkeeper). Besa, apparently satisfied with the result of the first 45 minutes, went forward with rale and paid more attention to the defense. Both teams circulated the ball excessively, causing passing errors. Out of 183 passes, Partizan made 56 errors. He shot 13 times on goal. Besa had 278 passes, of which 64 were wrong and shot 11 times on goal. The game was played correctly anyway. The referee Sh. Caslli helped to finish the match.

Lokomotiva – Dinamo 0-2 (Pernaska 31′ and 43′)

As soon as the match started, Pernaska visited Dollak’s goal once, but the ball shot by him ended up just over the post. A few minutes later, keeper Dollaku took a shot from Xhafa. These were the clearest of Dinamo chances until the 7th minute, when Leshteni barely overtook Lokomotiva. The timely intervention of the goalkeeper Rama avoided shaking the net.

Then the game has no beauty, it is pale and unclear. Both sides use high balls and can’t settle the game. Dinamo makes more efforts to get out of this game situation and succeeds in being more clear in attack and in possession of the middle of the field. In one of its counterattacks, from the 31st minute, Pernaska, taking advantage of a mistake by the defenders, scores the first goal. Now Dinamo leads 1-0.

Two minutes before the end of the first half, this same player raised the score to 2-0 for Dinamo. Puka’s two chances near the goal didn’t give any result.

The second half was very “cold”. Dynamo withdrew to defense, leaving only Pernaska in attack and trying to counterattack in surprise, but without scoring. The locals, although in the second 45 minutes they attacked, they were very tired and as a result they never threatened the goalkeeper of Dinamo Rama. Lokomotiva`s attack lacked decisive power in front of the goal and many passes were given incorrectly, at the opponents’ feet.

“17 nentori” – Skenderbeu 3-2 (Kasmi (Ne); Xhambazi (Sk.); Hyka (Ne); Xhambazi (Sk.); 89` Mema pen. (Ne)

In the capital, forces are measured this week between “17 Nentori” and Skanderbeu. The match was played in the “Dinamo” stadium. The game was played at a high level, but its technical and tactical level was unsatisfactory. Mistakes were noticed in the direction of ball control and distribution of forces on the field, tight and the transition from defense to attack was not done properly and in time. The first half was tied with the goals of Xhambazi and Hyka. In the second half, friends from Korca tied the score at 2-2. One minute before the end of the game, Mema scored a penalty to win 3-2. Some footballers reacted badly, demonstrating unsportsmanlike gestures.

Luftetari – Studenti 1-0 (54′ S. Braho)

Sports fans from Gjirokastra are looking forward to the match and they were right because this match was also decisive for their team. The first 45 minutes were characterized by a low-scoring game and more mistakes by both teams. With the beginning of the second half, you can see a greater persistence of the local footballers for victory. In the 54th minute, after a combination with Gushi, Braho scored the only goal of the match, which gave his Luftetari team the opportunity to stay in the first category. The visitors had the clearest chance to score in the 85th minute, but goalkeeper Guri’s bravery prevented the net from shaking.

Labinoti – Tomorri 4-0 (Ibershimi (2); Rudi (2)

Tomorri lost the match in Elbasan and said goodbye to the first category. The goals for the locals were scored by Ibershimi, twice, one with a penalty and Rudi also scored a double.

Traktori – Shkendia 1-0 Even Shkendia, who played in Lushnje, lost the match with a narrow result.