Flamurtari – Partizani 0-2
The first two matches between the teams this season ended with victories by Flamurtari, which were actually somewhat surprising. But Partizani could not allow losing all thre games and still maintaining its contentions.
A penalty kick by Gjergj Muzaka in the 25th and a wonderful goal by Sokol Bulku were sufficient to give Partizani a win in Vlora. Flamurtari did have its fair share of opportunities to tie the score, most notably with Sasa Delain at the end of the first with a penalty kick awarded by Mentor Sopiani but Delain found only the post. Paritzani’s tactical discipline was in display throughout and it is becoming a staple of the play of Partizani’s young players.
Shkumbni – Tirana 2-1
Last week Shkumbini defeated Vllaznia and this week it repeated the success against the leaders, Tirana. Shkumbini’s experienced coach Faruk Sejdini just might be able to once again keep another modest team in the Superleague. Tirana’s ex striker, Rizvanolli, scored the first goal in the 20 th minute on a quick attack toward Isli Hidi’s goal and closed the half on 1-0 for the hosts.
For Rizvanolli this was the second goal of the season against Tirana along with the one in the first phase, a 2-2 tie.
The second half was filled with scoring opportunities and emotions. The protagonists were the Duro brothers. The young one with a cross for Abert and the older with his goal in the 49 th which tied the score on 1-1.
The winning goal for Shkumbini came in the 67th by Dorian Bubeqi due in large part due the extraordinary work of Alban Byzhyti in midfield. The goal gives Shkumbini an enormously important victory and moves them further away from the bottom of the table and one point behind Luftetari which lost to Vllaznia.
Dinamo – Apolonia 2-1
Dinamo repeated the success of the second phase against Apolonia, by the same score, 2-1. The win for Dinamo re-confirms the team in the middle of the table along with Besa and Elbasani. The loss for Apolonia may have been somewhat undeserved considering the good level of play shown by the team from Fier. The first half was largely managed by the guests and in fact it was Apolonia that had the first scoring opportunity with Geraldino who was stopped by Hoxha. Apolonia again came close to a goal and this time Hoxha was only lucky to avoid the goal. Dianmo’s response would have to wait until the 17 th when Visentic gave a brilliant pass to Qorri but the latter would not be able to capitalize. Most of the action took place in midfield and Apolonia continued to waste chances to punish Hoxha but Visentic did not hesitate to do just that at the other end. In the 37 th minute, on an assist by Poci he found the net.
In the second half, both coaches made several substitutions which gave the game a more aggressive tone but with few real chances. Apolonia’s coach concentrated his team’s attacks on the left which was the right recipe for the goal. Jakimovskin hit the net on a pass by Giraldino in the 15 th of the second half. Dianmo attempted to respond with both Qorri and Mile but they were unsuccessful until the two best players on the field, Ahmataj and Visentic would coordinate with one another to score (Visentic) and give Dinamo the win.
Kastrioti – Teuta 1-2
Teuta’s 2-1 victory over Kastrioti was an important one for the Blues mainly because it serves to keep up and even shorten the distance with Tirana but also to strengthen its position in second place. The first half ended on 0-1 with a goal by Vrapi in the 16th minute. Kastrioti’s response was forceful and when a goal seemed to be imminent, Teuta struck again with Bekim Kuli in the 75 th. Again Kastrioti continued its assault of Teuta goal and it was James Osusi that scored in the 77th but it was all too little, too late. Kastrioti refused to give up until the very last minute but ultimately the game would end in Teuta’s favor. This was the second loss at home for Kastrioti and the 11 th overall and matters will not get any easier. Next week they will travel to Shkodra to play Vllaznia and the pressure from Shkumbini and Luftetari continues to become more daunting.
Vllaznia – Luftetari 1-0
The game between Vllaznia and Luftetari was anything but boring. A penalty kick missed by Arlind Nora, a post hit by Hasalla, a goal denied by the Meta-Guce and tremendous tension at “Gjirokastara” stadium along with a stoppage of play for about ten minutes which ended with Vllaznia’s victory on a goal by Suad Lici and an astounding mistake by keeper Toci.
Luftetari played without its leader, Neritan Novi, suspended, and held its own against Vllaznia which controlled the game for better part of the half. In the second half, Vllaznia’s goal came early, in the third minute, with Lici whose shot was spectacularly mishandled by Toci. Only minutes later Lufteratari tied the score with Shenaj but the lineman signaled him in an offside position which brought on a flurry of unhappiness and complaints by both players and spectators alike and the game was stopped for several minutes.
Ten minutes from the end, Luftetari would get another chance to tie the match from the penalty mark but Nora missed his second penalty kick of the season and failed to give his team a highly contested game. This is the 13 loss of the season which almost certainly sentences Luftetari to relegation also taking into consideration the fact that next week’s match is against Tirana which will not allow itself a second consecutive loss.
Elbasani – Besa 3-0
Not only did they win, they won by a three to nothing score. After the very first minute, Samir Patushi gave his team the advantage and they continued to attack even after the goal. The opportunities were numerous but were wasted by Elbasani in truly amateurish manner. After an extended period of pressure, Elbasani found the second goal with Albert Kaci. The first half ended on 2-2 with two substitutions by Bici who saw his team struggling, but that would not change all that much. The start of the second would look much like the first, with Elbasani in control and Besa struggling. After another long period of total domination by Elbasani, Kaci found the third goal, his second for the game and third in the last two matches. Elbasani dominated every aspect of the game and deservedly won a match which is not only valuable but also needed considering its position in the charts.
