2011–12 KF Tirana season

The 2011–12 season was Klubi i Futbollit Tirana's 73rd competitive season, 73rd consecutive season in the Kategoria Superiore and 91st year in existence as a football club. Following the title win three seasons ago, KF Tirana added to their 23 titles to make it their record 24th title win.

Tirana

2011–12 season
Chairman	Lulzim Basha
Manager	Julián Rubio
Ground	Qemal Stafa Stadium Selman Stërmasi Stadium
Kategoria Superiore	3rd
Albanian Supercup	Winners
Albanian Cup	Winners
Europa League	Second qualifying round
Top goalscorer	League: Bekim Balaj (13) All: Bekim Balaj (19)
Home colours Away colours

Season overview

The 2011–12 season started very well for now a consolidated Tirana. They added another trophy in their wealthy palmares, the 9th Supercup, by winning the final match against defending champions Skënderbeu Korçë in Korçë, with a single goal of Bekim Balaj.[1]

White and Blues ended the league in the 3rd place, 5 points below crowned champions Skënderbeu Korçë, even though outstanding Spanish coach Julián Rubio had to re-create the squad twice, due to lack of players who left the club by late summer. Additionally, Tirana players and staff had to outface a temporary financial kink, caused from the latter club transformation to sh.a. which had negative influence in the limited number of quality players which approached from the market. At majority of the season coach Rubio had severe difficulties and wasn't able to even to create a proper official squad for a match! Nonetheless, despite all difficulties faced, Tirana finally ended the season in the best possible way earning 2 trophies out of 3, by also winning their 15th Cup trophy. Tirana won the final against their fierce rivals of last 2 seasons Skënderbeu Korçë, with Bekim Balaj becoming again the key scorer, netting the winning goal at 107' at extra-time, since regular time ended goalless draw.[2]

KF Tirana played UEFA Europa League starting from second round against FC Spartak Trnava. Being eliminated by 1–3 in aggregate, after goalless home draw and 1–3 away loss. Tirana finished first half 1–0 ahead in scoreline but conceded 3 goals at second half, saying farewell to Europe after only 2 matches.[3]

12 October 2011 was a key event for club's future. The Municipality Council voted with unanimous consent the transformation of KF Tirana status to a shareholders association. Since then, the club is originally named as KF Tirana Sh.A (Shoqëri Aksionere). Municipality of Tirana will initially hold 100% of shares, however any future private sponsors or donors approaches to share stock would always be welcome.[4]

Coaching staff

As of November 2012[5]

Position	Name
Head coach	Julián Rubio
Assistant coach	Sokol Bulku
Goalkeeping coach	Astrit Nallbani
Technical Director	Alban Tafaj
Club Secretary	Iva Mera
Athletic Coach	Adrian Bekteshi
Physical Therapy	Arzen Voci
OPS	Arba Morina
Reporter	Lorin Burba

Players

As of 31 May 2012[6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player 1 GK  ALB Ilion Lika (captain) 2 DF  ALB Elvis Sina 3 DF  ITA Francesco Pigoni 4 DF  ALB Gentian Muça 4 DF  ALB Renaldo Kalari 5 DF  ALB Arjan Pisha 5 FW  KEN Moses Arita 6 DF  ALB Erjon Dushku 7 FW  ALB Sokol Cikalleshi 8 MF  ALB Arvis Gjata 12 MF  ALB Julian Ahmataj 13 MF  ALB Erando Karabeci

No. Pos. Nation Player 14 MF  KEN James Situma 17 MF  ALB Gilman Lika 18 MF  ALB Nertil Ferraj 19 MF  ALB Ardit Peposhi 20 MF  GER Florent Aziri 21 MF  ALB Klodian Duro 22 GK  ALB Klajdi Kuka 24 MF  ALB Gerald Tusha 25 GK  ALB Xhino Sejdo 26 MF  ALB Afrim Taku 27 FW  ALB Mario Morina

• Italics players who left the team during the season.
• Bold players who came in the team during the season.

Competitions

Albanian Supercup

Main article: 2011 Albanian Supercup

  Win   Draw   Loss

Skënderbeu Korçë v Tirana

18 August 2011 Final	Skënderbeu Korçë	0–1	Tirana	Korçë
20:00 CET	Bicaj  25' Orelesi  82'	Report	Muça  22' Balaj  63'  87' Ahmataj  86'	Stadium: Skënderbeu Stadium Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Enea Jorgji

Kategoria Superiore

Main article: 2011–12 Kategoria Superiore

League table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Skënderbeu (C)	26	17	6	3	45	16	+29	57	Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round
2	Teuta	26	17	5	4	33	18	+15	56	Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round[lower-alpha 1]
3	Tirana	26	16	5	5	33	21	+12	53
4	Flamurtari	26	13	7	6	42	20	+22	46
5	Kastrioti	26	11	5	10	37	30	+7	38

Source: Albanian Football Association (in Albanian), Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) points in head-to-head matches; 3) goal difference in head-to-head matches; 4) goals scored in head-to-head matches; 5) total goal difference; 6) total goals scored; 7) draw
(C) Champion.
Notes:

1. Tirana qualified for the Europa League first qualifying round by winning the 2011–12 Albanian Cup. Since they finished third in the league, the fourth-placed team of the league also qualified for the Europa League.

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
26	16	5	5	33	21	+12	53	10	3	1	16	5	+11	6	2	4	17	16	+1

Last updated: 2 December 2015.
Source: Competitive matches

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26
Ground	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H
Result	L	W	W	W	D	W	W	D	W	W	L	W	D	W	W	W	W	D	L	W	L	W	L	D	W	W
Position	10	5	4	2	2	2	2	2	3	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	3

Source: Competitive matches
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Tirana v Teuta Durrës

12 September 2011 1	Tirana	0–1	Teuta Durrës	Tiranë
17:00 CET		Report	Marković  14'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Enea Jorgji

Kastrioti Krujë v Tirana

17 September 2011 2	Kastrioti Krujë	2–3	Tirana	Krujë
15:00 CET	Inkango  40', 78' Pashaj  42' Hoxha  87' Muçollari  90'	Report	Sina  40' Balaj  47' G. Lika  66' Morina  87' Dushku  90+2'	Stadium: Kastrioti Stadium Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Elvis Peza

Tirana v Pogradeci

25 September 2011 3	Tirana	3–1	Pogradeci	Tiranë
14:00 CET	Balaj  22'  52', 78' G. Lika  41' (pen.)  69'	Report	Eminhaziri  8'  64' Çipi  41' Binishi  73'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 800 Referee: Emirjon Sino

Tirana v Flamurtari Vlorë

2 October 2011 4	Tirana	2–0	Flamurtari Vlorë	Tiranë
16:00 CET	Velu  11' (o.g.) Ferraj  22' Sina  42' Morina  69'	Report	Sakaj  35' Brkić  66'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Enea Jorgji

Vllaznia Shkodër v Tirana

15 October 2011 5	Vllaznia Shkodër	2–2	Tirana	Shkodër
15:00 CET	Smajli  14' Sukaj  51'  71' Petrović  61'	Report	Ahmataj  28' Sina  41' Dushku  71' Morina  76' Duro  79' Taku  89'	Stadium: Loro Boriçi Stadium Attendance: 7,500 Referee: Emirjon Sino

Tirana v Bylis Ballsh

23 October 2011 6	Tirana	3–2	Bylis Ballsh	Tiranë
12:00 CET	Pisha  30' Balaj  31', 52', 90+3' Dabulla  35' Taku  69' I. Lika  74'	Report	DImo  27', 69' (pen.) Teqja  47'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Sokol Çekaj

Apolonia Fier v Tirana

30 October 2011 7	Apolonia Fier	1–2	Tirana	Fier
12:00 CET	Gerxho  11'  44' Ndoni  35' Mehmetaj  83' Agastra  89'	Report	Naçi  40' (o.g.) Sina  65' Pisha  89'	Stadium: Loni Papuçiu Stadium Attendance: 2,100 Referee: Edvin Hoxha

Tirana v Skënderbeu Korçë

6 November 2011 8	Tirana	0–0	Skënderbeu Korçë	Tiranë
17:00 CET	Duro  59' Ferraj  79' Karabeci  90+3'	Report	Muzaka  38' Arapi  52' Orelesi  73' Radaš  81'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 6,500 Referee: Lorenc Jemini

Tomori Berat v Tirana

20 November 2011 9	Tomori Berat	0–1	Tirana	Lushnje
13:00 CET	Bakiu  70' Muça  90'	Report	Dushku  33' Balaj  62'	Stadium: Abdurrahman Roza Haxhiu Stadium Referee: Laver Alla
Note: The match was held at Abdurrahman Roza Haxhiu Stadium due to reconstruction of Tomori Stadium.

Tirana v Dinamo Tirana

26 November 2011 10	Tirana	1–0	Dinamo Tirana	Tiranë
14:00 CET	G. Lika  20' Taku  40'	Report	Arifaj  34' Deliallisi  52' Peqini  55'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Migen Masha

Shkumbini Peqin v Tirana

5 December 2011 11	Shkumbini Peqin	3–2	Tirana	Peqin
13:00 CET	Mustafaj  31' Dervishi  53'  74' Lundraxhiu  65' Gjata  78' Sulkja  78'	Report	Dabulla  40' Balaj  53', 64' Tusha  76' Dushku  86'	Stadium: Shkumbini Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Emirjon Sino

Tirana v Laçi

17 December 2011 12	Tirana	1–0	Laçi	Tiranë
13:00 CET	Dushku  75' Pisha  77' Morina  80'	Report	Emurlai  75'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 300 Referee: Laver Alla

Kamza v Tirana

23 December 2011 13	Kamza	0–0	Tirana	Kamëz
13:00 CET	Belchev  20' Tafaj  87'	Report	G. Lika  24' Pisha  53' Elvis Sina  74'	Stadium: Kamza Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Enea Jorgji

Teuta Durrës v Tirana

10 February 2012 14	Teuta Durrës	1–2	Tirana	Durrës
17:00 CET	Çota  21'  45+1' Stafa  62'	Report	Balaj  12' Morina  21' Dabulla  53' Stafa  55' (o.g.) Sina  80'  84'	Stadium: Niko Dovana Stadium Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Enea Jorgji

Tirana v Kastrioti Krujë

4 March 2012 15	Tirana	1–0	Kastrioti Krujë	Tiranë
14:00 CET	Gjata  26' G. Lika  43' Dushku  57' Kalari  83'	Report	Inkango  27' Muçollari  32' Ćetković  70'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 500 Referee: Emirjon Sino

Pogradeci v Tirana

11 March 2012 16	Pogradeci	1–2	Tirana	Elbasan
13:00 CET	Drazanin  3' Eminhaziri  55'  64' Çajku  65' Idrizi  78' Begaj  90+3'  90+3'	Report	Aziri  18' Kalari  60' Dushku  79'	Stadium: Ruzhdi Bizhuta Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Sokol Çekaj
Note: The match was held at Ruzhdi Bizhuta Stadium due to reconstruction of Gjorgji Kyçyku Stadium. In addition the match was played behind the doors closed.

Flamurtari Vlorë v Tirana

18 March 2012 17	Flamurtari Vlorë	0–2	Tirana	Vlorë
13:00 CET	Pezo  60'	Report	Pisha  13' Morina  22'  51'	Stadium: Flamurtari Stadium Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Bardhyl Pashaj

Tirana v Vllaznia Shkodër

26 March 2012 18	Tirana	0–0	Vllaznia Shkodër	Tiranë
17:00 CET	Karabeci  85'	Report	Gjini  34' Petrović  44' Vujadinović  65'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Elvis Peza

Bylis Ballsh v Tirana

31 March 2012 19	Bylis Ballsh	1–0	Tirana	Ballsh
14:00 CET	Teqja  11'  40' Bola  90+4'	Report	Sina  30' Dushku  33'  71' Morina  90+4'	Stadium: Adush Muça Stadium Attendance: 2,000 Referee: Laver Alla

Tirana v Apolonia Fier

8 April 2012 20	Tirana	1–0	Apolonia Fier	Tiranë
16:00 CET	Pisha  16' Balaj  69' Tusha  90+3'	Report	Moçka  9' Salievski  61'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 300 Referee: Sokol Çekaj

Skënderbeu Korçë v Tirana

14 April 2012 21	Skënderbeu Korçë	2–0	Tirana	Korçë
18:00 CET	Xhafaj  51' Allmuça  62' Arapi  83' Plaku  87'	Report	Morina  15' Sina  28' Karabeci  43'	Stadium: Skënderbeu Stadium Attendance: 8,500 Referee: Enea Jorgji

Tirana v Tomori Berat

22 April 2012 22	Tirana	1–0	Tomori Berat	Tiranë
12:00 CET	Dushku  66' Pisha  77'  82' Balaj  90+2'	Report	Ofoyen  82'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Referee: Laver Alla

Dinamo Tirana v Tirana

25 April 2012 23	Dinamo Tirana	3–2	Tirana	Tiranë
15:00 CET	Djarmati  30' Kuli  50', 90+1' (pen.)	Report	Balaj  9' Kalari  45' I. Lika  65' Dabulla  90+1'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 800 Referee: Bardhyl Pashaj

Tirana v Shkumbini Peqin

29 April 2012 24	Tirana	1–1	Shkumbini Peqin	Tiranë
12:00 CET	Sina  35' Cikalleshi  70'  71'	Report	Mustafaj  67' Lundraxhiu  71' Magani  89'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Kreshnik Cjapi

Laçi v Tirana

5 May 2012 25	Laçi	0–1	Tirana	Krujë
16:00 CET	Sefgjinaj  35' Suljan  87' Xhafa  88'	Report	Balaj  27'  33' Ferraj  52' Duro  55' Taku  83' Pisha  90+2'	Stadium: Kastrioti Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Edvin Hoxha
Note: The match was held at Kastrioti Stadium due to reconstruction of Laçi Stadium.

Tirana v Kamza

12 May 2012 26	Tirana	1–0	Kamza	Tiranë
16:00 CET	Cikalleshi  68'	Report		Stadium: Selman Stërmasi Stadium Attendance: 200 Referee: Albano Janku

Albanian Cup

Main article: 2011–12 Albanian Cup

First round

Himara v Tirana

21 September 2011 First leg	Himara	0–3	Tirana	Himarë
16:00 CET	Sako  40' Sinaj  89'	Report	Balaj  36', 51', 65'	Stadium: Petro Ruci Stadium Attendance: 100 Referee: Armando Kamberaj

Tirana v Himara

28 September 2011 Second leg	Tirana	7–1 (10–1 agg.)	Himara	Tiranë
15:30 CET	Morina  12', 23', 27', 49', 76' Duro  57' Ferraj  69' Taku  70'	Report	Telushi  45' Leonardo Martins  57' Sako  58' Cycllari  77'	Stadium: Selman Stërmasi Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Skerdi Greca

Second round

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Tirana	6	6	0	0	13	4	+9	18	Advance to quarter-finals
2	Laçi	6	2	2	2	7	5	+2	8
3	Apolonia	6	2	1	3	11	13	−2	7
4	Shkumbini	6	0	1	5	10	19	−9	1

Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Tirana v Shkumbini Peqin

19 October 2011 1	Tirana	3–1	Shkumbini Peqin	Tiranë
14:00 CET	Duro  27' (pen.) Balaj  29' Hepple  79'	Report	Magani  53'	Stadium: Selman Stërmasi Stadium Attendance: 500 Referee: Laver Alla

Laçi v Tirana

26 October 2011 2	Laçi	0–1	Tirana	Laç
14:00 CET		Report	Balaj  90+2'	Stadium: Laçi Stadium Attendance: 700 Referee: Laver Alla

Tirana v Apolonia Fier

23 November 2011 3	Tirana	3–0	Apolonia Fier	Tiranë
14:00 CET	Ferraj  23' Hepple  38' Ndoni  81' (o.g.)	Report		Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 500 Referee: Ditmar Jubica

Apolonia Fier v Tirana

30 November 2011 4	Apolonia Fier	1–2	Tirana	Fier
14:00 CET	Ribaj  55'	Report	Balaj  39' G. Lika  80'	Stadium: Loni Papuçiu Stadium Attendance: 400 Referee: Hermal Llapra

Shkumbini Peqin v Tirana

14 December 2011 5	Shkumbini Peqin	2–3	Tirana	Peqin
13:00 CET	Sulkja  54' Lluca  90+2'	Report	Ferraj  9', 16' Tusha  55'	Stadium: Shkumbini Stadium Attendance: 300 Referee: Kreshnik Cjapi

Tirana v Laçi

20 December 2011 6	Tirana	1–0	Laçi	Tiranë
13:00 CET	Morina  32'	Report		Stadium: Selman Stërmasi Stadium Attendance: 100 Referee: Andi Koçi

Quarter-finals

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification
1	Tirana	6	3	2	1	8	4	+4	11	Advance to semi-finals
2	Kastrioti	6	3	1	2	9	9	0	10
3	Bylis	6	2	3	1	11	7	+4	9
4	Kamza	6	0	2	4	3	11	−8	2

Source:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Bylis Ballsh v Tirana

29 January 2012 1	Bylis Ballsh	0–0	Tirana	Ballsh
13:00 CET		Report		Stadium: Adush Muça Stadium Attendance: 1,200 Referee: Remzi Sadiku

Tirana v Kastrioti Krujë

4 February 2012 2	Tirana	2–0	Kastrioti Krujë	Tiranë
14:00 CET	G. Lika  74' Aziri  81'	Report		Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 600 Referee: Lorenc Jemini

Kamza v Tirana

23 February 2012 3	Kamza	1–2	Tirana	Kamëz
14:00 CET	Manuka  10'	Report	G. Lika  80' Morina  90+1'	Stadium: Kamëz Stadium Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Edvin Hoxha

Tirana v Kamza

7 March 2012 4	Tirana	2–0	Kamza	Tiranë
14:00 CET	Balaj  55' Cikalleshi  84'	Report		Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 500 Referee: Remzi Sadiku

Tirana v Bylis Ballsh

14 March 2012 5	Tirana	1–1	Bylis Ballsh	Tiranë
14:00 CET	Aziri  51'	Report	Abazaj  30'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 500 Referee: Remzi Sadiku

Kastrioti Krujë v Tirana

21 March 2012 6	Kastrioti Krujë	2–1	Tirana	Krujë
15:00 CET	Sefa  65' Inkango  83'	Report	Ferraj  90+3'	Stadium: Kastrioti Stadium Attendance: 1,000 Referee: Hermal Llapra

Semi-finals

Flamurtari Vlorë v Tirana

4 April 2012 First leg	Flamurtari Vlorë	0–3	Tirana	Vlorë
16:00 CET	Veliu  54' Alechenwu  58' Çela  69' Telushi  90+1'	Report	Dushku  4' Ferraj  60' Cikalleshi  69' Tusha  90+3'	Stadium: Flamurtari Stadium Attendance: 1,500 Referee: Enea Jorgji

Tirana v Flamurtari Vlorë

18 April 2012 Second leg	Tirana	2–2 (5–2 agg.)	Flamurtari Vlorë	Tiranë
15:30 CET	Cikalleshi  6' Ferraj  29' Duro  72'	Report	Pejić  21' Pezo  78'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Albano Janku

Final

Skënderbeu Korçë v Tirana

17 May 2012 Final	Skënderbeu Korçë	0−1 (a.e.t.)	Tirana	Tiranë
20:00 CET	Radaš  35' Arapi  43' Shkëmbi  90+2' Allmuça  102' Kërçiku  103'	Report	Pisha  13' Ahmataj  60' Tusha  98' Balaj  107' Kalari  111' I. Lika  115'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Lorenc Jemini

UEFA Europa League

Main article: 2011–12 UEFA Europa League

Second qualifying round

Tirana v Spartak Trnava

14 July 2011 First leg	Tirana	0–0	Spartak Trnava	Tiranë, Albania
20:00 CET	Taku  31' Kërçiku  57'	Report	Gogolák  73' Vyskočil  89'	Stadium: Qemal Stafa Stadium Attendance: 4,000 Referee: Vladimir Kazmenko (Russia)

Spartak Trnava v Tirana

21 July 2011 Second leg	Spartak Trnava	3–1 (3–1 agg.)	Tirana	Trnava, Slovakia
19:00 CET	Tomaček  18'  41', 85' (pen.) Vyskočil  56' Procházka  66' Petráš  70'	Report	Karabeci  3'  90+2' G. Lika  22' Kalari  45+1' Pashaj  64'	Stadium: Štadión Antona Malatinského Attendance: 6,182 Referee: Dawid Piasecki (Poland)

Notes

References

1. "Luftë në Korçë Tirana fiton Superkupën". Shqipëria.com (in Albanian). 18 August 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
2. 2011–12 Albanian Cup#Final
3. "Spartak Trnava–Tirana". UEFA.com. 21 July 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
4. ""Tirana" vlen 5 miliardë lekë". Top Channel (in Albanian). 13 October 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
5. "KF Tirana staff". Soccerway.com. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
6. "2011–12 KF Tirana squad". Football Database. Retrieved 17 November 2015.

External links

• Official website