FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
With a goal of his own and an assist for Minga, he is one of the absolute protagonists in that epic qualification. "With Ben, we are two footballers who qualified four times on November 17 in the European Cups in that period", says the former striker and the famous white-and-blue scorer for "Panorama Sport".
mr. Kola, do you remember the goal of "Qemal Stafa"?
While the game was heading towards a goalless draw, it is the last 15 minutes when in an action from the southern gate, a confusing situation was created in the area. Gjuan Omuri, the defense recovers, Minga hits, the defense reacts again. The ball ends up at me, who shoots with the left, and 1-0.
Go to Belfast, what kind of atmosphere will you find there?
The goal favored us, so the result of Tirana. The meeting, I remember, did not take place early in the evening. It was a small stadium, but filled with spectators who had high hopes for an upset and qualification. November 17, Albanian football was little or not known there.
Minga's goal, you are also an "assist"...
It was the middle of the first half. From the right side of the attack, I quickly dodged two defenders and at the entrance to the area, I saw Minga discovered, close to the five-meter line. I passed the ball to him and he sent it into the net without giving the keeper any chance to intercept it. A goal that stunned everyone. After 1-0 in Tirana, the hopes were already high for us. We were one step closer to qualifying.
Arben Vila says that they proposed you to stay in Linfield?
"The one with number 11"... That's what they called me, no name, nothing else. Yes, true, after the meeting I was offered to stay in Belfast, where those from Linfield guaranteed me everything. Ben spoke English. They had seen me in Tirana and then in Belfast. I had liked them. "Don't go back to Albania, stay here!", they insisted. How I would love to, but it was impossible. "I have the whole tribe in Tirana, they will persecute them if I don't return", I explained, but they didn't understand.
What happened in Vienna when you were waiting for the lottery?
It has fallen on us like a bomb. We were in the lobby of the hotel, when we saw that after the name November 17, that of Dynamo Kyiv appeared. What despair engulfed them all. On Saturday we returned to Tirana, following the championship. Qualification was forgotten. You were a player of 17 November, the most successful Albanian club in Europe... In four exceptional qualifications, two of them were taken in difficult transfers, as in Belfast and for the Cup of Cups in Bucharest with Dinamo.
Two more in Tirana, with Hamrun Spartans, Champions Cup, 1988-1989 season. We lost 2-1 in Malta, won 2-0 in Tirana. And the last one, the Champions Cup 1989 – 1990 with Sliema W. Yes team from Malta. We lost 1-0 on the road, we won 5-0 on the return leg and I scored 2 goals. We qualified by playing Bayern Munich in the second round.
Results, important qualifications for my career, for those footballers, coaches, the history of the club, but the one in Belfast remains special. It was the first and like all first things it is not forgotten. I am talking about my time, because after SK Tirana there are other European qualifications.
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