Tirana take Albanian crown
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Article summary
A 2-1 victory for KF Tirana on the final day of the season against title rivals KS Vllaznia earned the capital club their 24th Albanian crown and a place in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round next season.
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Article body
A 2-1 victory for KF Tirana on the final day of the season against title rivals KS Vllaznia earned the capital club their 24th Albanian crown and a place in the UEFA Champions League second qualifying round.
Top scorer
A point ahead of Vllaznia at kick-off, Tirana captain Devi Muka gave his team the perfect start when he fired in from inside the penalty area after only two minutes. Migen Memelli, the Kategoria Superiore's leading scorer, doubled the hosts' advantage on the half-hour mark with his 21st goal of a prolific loan spell from Sweden's GAIS Göteborg. Xhevahir Sukaj halved the deficit two minutes from time but there was to be no comeback as Tirana deservedly held on for all three points and stretched their unbeaten league run to 17 matches.
Title record
Tirana's triumph was defender Abraham Alechehwu's fourth consecutive Kategoria Superiore title, a feat the 23-year-old has achieved with a record three different clubs – KS Elbasani (2006), Tirana (2007, 2009) and KS Dinamo Tirana (2008). Refik Halili, Tirana's main sponsor, said: "We deserved to win and I am very happy for this team, who have been strong all season long. At the end, we were the better side."
