Albania in the World Cup qualifiers, Mexico `86! (Part Two)

Second Part
Link for the first part here: https://www.sportsvisionplus.com/albania-in-the-world-cup-qualifiers-mexico-86-part-one/

Second phase of group matches.

Albania is at its best.
After December 22nd, the euphoria has reached its peak! To some extent and not without reason. At that time, Poland was much higher as a team than Poland in the 2000s. One of the 8-10 best teams in the world or at least semi-finalist of the last World Cup in Spain 1982.

Belgium was the same valuable team as the Belgium of recent times. The draw of Albania in Poland was perceived as a surprise but after the victory over Belgium, all indicators clearly spoke that this Albanian National Team had been beautifully renovated and did not resemble the one of two years ago!

The last two positive results came after two very dignified defeats (in Germany 1-2 and in Belgium 1-3). In total there are four matches, three away against West Germany, (from the last campaign), Belgium and Poland. In total, one win, one draw and a loss.

For Albania, even in the most wildest and dare dreams it could not be accepted until less than two years ago. To go to the World Cup in Mexico, they have to play two home matches against Greece and Poland and one away, in Athens against Greece. However, so far the Albanians lead the group with four points.

Four points, a win and a draw against Greece and an acceptable draw against Poland, are within Albania’s reach. As we mentioned in the first part, Albania has renewed its representative team with protagonists of the great success of the representative Under 21 (Shpresa) such as Demollari, Zmijani, Josa, Vila but Muça, also at a young age.

Omuri is the great discovery of this national team and together with F. Rragami and M. Josa they create a powerful midfield. The Tirana duo, A. Minga and A. Kola are at their peak. M. Targaj, the eternal captain as always a standard value in defense and goalkeeper P. Musta is at his peak. Without exaggeration, at the moment, one of the best goalkeepers in Europe!

So, the premises are good. The national team in February should travel to Athens for the next match against Greece. Opinion is convinced of a victory but even a draw would not be bad. Always, considering the next two matches that will be played in Albania.

In general, during the early 80s, the sports-loving public was always looking for a possible draw against teams like Turkey or Greece, which at that time were not at the levels they are today.

In the Euro 1984 qualifying matches, Albania found itself in the same group alongside Turkey (also with N. Ireland and the F.R Germany). Both teams back in time were almost the same in terms of level and quality of football, this was also shown in the two matches between them at that time. A 1-2 loss in Turkey and a 1-1 draw in Tirana.

Now, facing the Albanians, Greece was a representative of the same level. At the same time, it was also the last obstacle towards a dream…

What the Albanians knew about Greece were the clashes with Greek clubs in various competitions. Never once had the Albanians won on Greek soil but in general they achieved victories in Albania as is the example of “Dinamo” 3-0 against “Panionios”, “Besa” 1-0 in a “triple final” for the Balkan trophy against “Panionios” (but not with a trophy win), Vllaznia against “Panathinaikos” 1-1, “Flamurtari” 2-1 against A.E.K. during the 70s.

The most recent was the qualification of “17 Nentori” against “Larissa” in the second match in Tirana, 3-0 after losing in Larissa 1-3.
True, in 1981, the U21 “Shpresa” team of Albania was crowned Balkan Champions but in general, Greece did not “give” good memories to Albanians.

From the great euphoria in Albania, no one remembered that, not too long ago, Greece was a participant in Euro 1980. On February 27, 1985, unfortunately, Albania’s great dreams were shattered in Athens. That match, shown on television, for the first time live in Albania from the new Olympic Stadium “Calogiero” in Athens which was officially opened for the Greek national team that day. It was used only once for the 1983 Champions Cup final, Juventus – Hamburg.

So it showed how important that match was for Albania. Albania appeared on the field, surprisingly without nerves, without grit, slow and harmless. So much so that even today, there are often whispers about possible food poisoning of Albanian team or even conspiracies such as the dictatorial government of the country refusing to allow albanians to participate in the World Cup, etc.

February 27, 1985.
At the “Olympic” stadium in Athens “Calogero”, 20,000 spectators are present on the eve of the challenge
Greece – Albania, the judgment of which has been entrusted to a trio from Romania with the main referee Ioan Igna.

Albania has come into this match as the main contender. The surrounding footage captures the presence of the world champion coach, the Italian Enzo Bearzot, with his inseparable pipe!

Both teams face each other with these formations:
Greece: Sarganis Nikolaos, Alavandas Nikolaos, Karoulias Nikolaos, Kirastas Ioanis, Manolas Stylianos, Michos Petros, Saravakos Dimitrios (86′ in Batsinilas Kostas), Andoniou Kostas, Anastopoulos Nikolaos(c), Papaioanou Apostolos (90′ in Semertzidis Yorgos), Kofidis Sevastianos
Coach: Miltos Papapostolou

Albania: Musta Perlat, Zmijani Hysen, Ocelli Adnan, Targaj Muhedin(c), Demollari Suleiman, Hodja Skender (46′ in Hametaj Arian), Josa Mirel, Muca Shkelqim, Bellgjini Haxhi (61′ in Rragami Ferid), Minga Arben, Kola Agustin
Coach: Shyqyri Rreli

Yellow cards :63′ Karoulias Nikolaos (Gre); 36′ Minga Arben, 70′ Ocelli Adnan (Alb.)

The match from the beginning spoke for the Greeks. Musta from the beginning with a spectacular jump stops a cross that was headed towards Anastopoulos. Then, in the 9th minute, Saravakos on a day when he could not hold back, with a diagonal shot he passes the ball between Musta’s legs and into the net.
1- 0.

Albania does not react. No one expected such a momentum from the Greek side. At least not from the team of the last place in the group.

In the 18th minute, Antonio scores with a header from close range, taking advantage of Musta’s punch which he had just barely managed to clear prevented a goal after a shot inside the area.
2 – 0

From that moment on, Albania stopped resisting on the field. Everything slowly flowed towards the logical end of that gloomy afternoon. The hope for a quick rematch after two months that would once again keep us in the competition, faded away with the death of communist leader Enver Hoxha on April 11 and the Federation of the Albanian F.SH.F requested the postponement of the match due to the impossibility of development.
Among other things, history had just raised the bar of fierce clashes with neighbors in football.

This time, the Greeks won and it was a pain for the Albanians. But after 19 years, the albanians defeated Greece 2-1, by hitting them in the pride of being European Champions. This time and even now the Greeks are in pain of that defeat…

* * *
12 hours after Brussels.

On May 1, at the “Heysel” Stadium, Poland lost against Belgium 1-0 and remained tied with Albania in the standings, both with 3 points.
Meanwhile, Albania comes after a missed chance against Greece (which would have been enough for a draw to continue their World Cup dream in Mexico)
Albania – Poland. Both face each other on May 30.

If the revanche had been played in Tirana, soon after the loss in Athens, and the Albanians had won (this was the opinion at the time), they could have been 2 points ahead of Poland, but the calculations had to be done differently.
Feeling that empty-handed return from Greece, for Albania it was now clear that a final with Poland in Tirana, on their own soil, was coming.
Then, the calendar for both teams would reserve a home match for each. Albania – Greece and Poland – Belgium.

On May 1, Bonjek might have left “Heysel” disappointed. He knew that he would return there in 28 days to play the dramatic and catastrophic European Champions Cup final against Liverpool.

He also knew that the next day, in the afternoon, he had to be in Tirana, ready to play in another final. That with his national team Poland against Albania for a possible ticket to the World Cup in Mexico.

What he could not know was everything that happened at the “Heysel” stadium in Brussels. Also, the odyssey of a private jet trip after 01.00 AM local time.
His arrival in Tirana is around 02.00 AM Albanian time. At 1.00 PM local time, Zbigniev Boniek is ready in the center of the field of the “Qemal Stafa” stadium to start the final Albania – Poland.

During that extraordinary month for Zbigniew Boniek, his Poland wins on the May 19th, against Greece 4-1 and with 5 points, is in second place right after Belgium with 7 points. Poland has passed in the ranking Albania, which is still at the three-point quota.

Poland comes to Tirana with an advantage. Even a draw keeps them in the top two. With a win, they move into first place on goal difference.
In Albania, although interest is great and there has been no talk of anything else for a long time, think about it, we are less than two months after the death of the communist leader E. Hoxha, in the National Party (PPSH), the anxiety is clear.

Tirana: May 30, 1984
“Qemal Stafa” stadium
20.000 Spectators
Albania – Poland 0-1 (24` Boniek)
Referee: Yordan Zezov (BUL); Assistant referee:Ivan Yossifov (BUL),
Bogdan Dotchev (BUL)
Albania: Musta Perlat, Zmijani Hysen, Omuri Bedri, Targaj Muhedin(c), Jera Fatbardh, Hodja Skender, Muca Shkelqim (62` Mile Kristaq), Demollari Sulejman (81` Marko Andrea), Josa Mirel, Minga Arben, Kola Agustin.
Coach: Shyqyri Rreli
Poland: Mlynarczyk Jozef, Pawlak Krzysztof, Wojcicki Roman, Przybys Kazimierz, Ostrowski Marek, Buncol Andrzej, Matysik Waldemar, Urban Jan (88` Tarasiewicz Ryszard), Dziekanowski Dariusz, Boniek Zbigniew(c), Smolarek Wlodzimierz
Coach: Antoni Piechniczek

The loss in Athens still hurts and it is the feeling that it was there that “the ticket” to Mexico was lost. At least that cloudy afternoon on the eve of summer on May 30, 1985, this was the feeling that the game of the Albanian National Team left during that 0-1 loss to Poland. Now officially, it was the end of a dream that did not last long, only two months but that Albanian football, had never dreamed so beautifully.

For further info about this match, click the link beside: https://www.sportsvisionplus.com/mexico-86-fifa-world-cup-qualifyings-albania-poland-0-1/

Four months later, on September 11, Poland draws 0-0 in Warsaw against Belgium and, as the first team in the group, secures a direct ticket to the World Cup. Belgium, in the play-offs, eliminates the team that would be declared European Champion two years later: the Netherlands!

Finally, for the great Zbigniew Boniek, fate turned May 1985 into the most beautiful part of his career. In three out of four games, he scored against Greece, won the penalty in the Champions League that gave Juventus its first title, scored for Poland in the other final in Tirana, paving the way for his country to the World Cup.
Fate? Or skill?
After all, fate favors the brave!

Link for the first part here: https://www.sportsvisionplus.com/albania-in-the-world-cup-qualifiers-mexico-86-part-one/

© Second Part by Arian Muraj
Translated to English and edited by Pjerin Bj
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Sports Vision +Plus | Champions Hour since 2013

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