TIRANA, July 14 – Albania’s Partizani were held to a 1-1 draw by Hungarian champions Ferencvaros in their Champions League comeback after more than two decades as they replaced banned Skenderbeu in the top European club competition.
Twenty-year-old midfielder Realdo Fili gave Partizani the lead with a long-range shot in the 47th minute but the Hungarian champions equalized 25 minutes later with an important away goal for their second leg fixture in the UEFA Champions League qualifying round on July 20.
Partizani’s new Italian coach Adolfo Sormani praised the team’s performance saying that qualification for the next Champions League round remains open.
“The qualification goal still remains open and I assure you that we will play in Budapest the same way we played in ‘Elbasan Arena.’ The team gave its best on the pitch and this is the greatest thing we achieved in these 90 minutes,” he said.
Ferencvaros coach Thomas Doll described the draw with Partizani as a positive result for his team who can take advantage of their away goal and qualify even with a goalless draw at home.
Partizani entered the Champions League campaign after Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld a UEFA ruling that bans Albania’s champions Skenderbeu from European competition for 1 year over match fixing allegations. The early July decision allowed Superliga runners up Partizani replace the sixth straight Albania champions SkÑ‘nderbeu in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League campaign, while their previous opponents Slovan Bratislava proceeded directly to the UEFA Europa League second qualifying round.
Once the most successful side under communism, Partizani has been trophyless since 1993.
