# 2018–19 KF Tirana season

The 2018–19 season is Klubi i Futbollit Tirana's 80th competitive season, 78th in the Kategoria Superiore and 98th year in existence as a football club.

## Season overview
### June

On 1 June 2018, Tirana announced to have signed a new two-year contract with manager Zé Maria, making him the highest paid coach in Albania. The defender Erion Hoxhallari agreed a new contract until June 2020 despite interest from several European clubs. Then he was sent on loan at fellow Superliga side Laçi on a short-term contract only for their UEFA Europa League campaign.
On 14 June, Tirana reached a principal agreement with striker Michael Ngoo for the contract renewal. The club announced their first summer transfer nine days later, the Macedonian striker Dejan Blazhevski, who signed a 1+1 contract.
On 29 June, the youngster Ernest Muçi signed his first professional contract that would link him with Tirana for the next three years. The club also presented their second signing of summer transfer window, the midfielder Eni Imami who signed for the next two seasons.

### July

Tirana begun the month by completing the signing of Vincent Atinga on a contract until June 2021. Youngsters Jurgen Çelhaka and Marsel Ismailgeci both signed three-year contracts, their firsts as professionals. The club then announced the next signing, the Ghanaian midfielder Winful Cobbinah, who signed a three-year deal.
The club did not offer a new deal the youngster Patrik Bardhi who left as a free agent and later signed for Kastrioti Krujë. After one season, Alked Çelhaka left the club by terminating the contract by mutual consent.
On 16 July, Asion Daja and Dorian Kërçiku both signed contracts for the new season. On 23 July, Tirana beat the concurrence of their rivals Partizani and signed the midfielder Edon Hasani on a two-year contract. The next days, Tirana announced that they were going to play friendly matches with Apolonia Fier, Flamurtari Pristina and Prishtina.
In the first friendly, Tirana recorded a 2–0 win at Selman Stërmasi Stadium against Apolonia Fier with the goal coming from newcomers Dejan Blazhevski and Edon Hasani. On 27 July, Sedat Berisha was unveiled as Tirana's newest player by signing a one-year contract with an option to renew. In the second one, Tirana won again, this time 3–0 versus Flamurtari Pristina.

### August

Club vice-captain Gentian Muça returned in training after more than a year after healing from the Spinal disc herniation and a neck tumor which he discovered in July of the previous year. In the third and final friendly against Prishtina, Tirana suffered the first loss, as the Football Superleague of Kosovo side won 3–1 with Albi Doka scoring the consolation goal for the team.
On 14 August, Tirana acquired the services of goalkeeper Shpëtim Moçka as a free agent. Moçka, who previously played for Teuta Durrës, signed a contract running until the end of the 2018–19 season. Tirana commenced the Kategoria Superiore season four days later by playing against Kamza at home; the team surprisingly lost via a Sebino Plaku late winner. The following week, Tirana didn't go more than a goalless draw against Teuta Durrës, earning their first championship point.
Players such as Rei Qilimi, Alvaro Bishaj, Jurgen Vrapi, Hardy Binguila and Kenneth Muguna were all released by the club.
On 29 August, Tirana was drawn in the first round of the 2018–19 Albanian Cup against Iliria Fushë-Krujë.
On 31 August 2018, Nnamdi Oduamadi joined the club on a two-year contract.

### September

Tirana begun the new month by playing in the third league match against Kukësi at Loro Boriçi Stadium; youngster Ernest Muçi scored the consolation goal for the team which was defeated 3–1. Two goals from Cobbinah and one each from Blazhevski and Turtulli secured a 4–1 victory in the first leg of the Albanian Cup, first round, over Iliria Fushë-Krujë.
Back in league, Tirana won their first championship match on 16 September by defeating Luftëtari Gjirokastër 3–1 at home; Blazhevski, Turtulli and Greca gave Tirana their first top-flight win after 484 days. The team then played Skënderbeu Korçë away in the matchday 5; despite opening the score with a header from Edon Hasani, the team conceded in the last minutes in a match which was marred by referee's mistakes.
On 25 September, Tirana won comfortably the second leg of Albanian Cup first round against Iliria Fushë-Krujë; Sentamu scored a hat-trick which was followed by Ngoo's goal. The team will play Flamurtari Vlorë in the second round.
Three days later, Tirana played their first derby match against Partizani Tirana after more than a year; the team lost again, making it 14 consecutive matches without winning. The loss also meant the team's worst Kategoria Superiore start since 2007–08 season.

### October

Tirana's October begun with a 3–2 win at Kastrioti Krujë for the second win of the season. A brace by Blazhevski and an owngoal from Stijepović sealed the victory for the white&blues. It was Tirana's first away win in Kategoria Superiore since February 2016.
In the next league match, Tirana fell at the hands of Laçi; the guests won 1–0 at Selman Stërmasi Stadium thanks to a goal of Redon Xhixha while Blazhevski missed a crucial penalty in the last minutes. Following the match, striker Nnamdi Oduamadi was sent to hospital with a broken rib due to heavy challenges from Laçi players.

## Players
### Squad information

    As of 28 September 2018
| Squad no. | Name | Position | Date of birth (age) |
| Goalkeepers |||||
| 1 | Ilion Lika | GK | (1980-05-17)17 May 1980 (aged 38) |
| 81 | Alessio Abibi | GK | (1996-12-04)4 December 1996 (aged 21) |
| 89 | Shpëtim Moçka | GK | (1989-10-20)20 October 1989 (aged 28) |
| Defenders |||||
| 2 | Marsel Ismailgeci | LB | (2000-03-14)14 March 2000 (aged 18) |
| 3 | Klisman Cake | CB | (1999-05-02)2 May 1999 (aged 19) |
| 4 | Gentian Muça | CB / DM | (1987-05-13)13 May 1987 (aged 31) |
| 5 | Marvin Turtulli | CB | (1994-10-17)17 October 1994 (aged 23) |
| 17 | Albi Doka | RB | (1997-06-26)26 June 1997 (aged 21) |
| 28 | Erion Hoxhallari | LB | (1993-02-26)26 February 1993 (aged 25) |
| 21 | Vincent Atinga | CB | (1993-10-30)30 October 1993 (aged 24) |
| 23 | Sedat Berisha | CB | (1989-09-03)3 September 1989 (aged 28) |
| Midfielders |||||
| 6 | Tony Mawejje | DM | (1990-12-15)15 December 1990 (aged 27) |
| 7 | Bedri Greca | CM | (1990-10-23)23 October 1990 (aged 27) |
| 8 | Winful Cobbinah | AM | (1991-09-06)6 September 1991 (aged 26) |
| 13 | Erando Karabeci | CM / DM / AM | (1988-09-06)6 September 1988 (aged 29) |
| 14 | Asion Daja | CM / RB | (1990-03-14)14 March 1990 (aged 28) |
| 16 | Edon Hasani | CM / DM / AM | (1992-01-09)9 January 1992 (aged 26) |
| 18 | Dorian Kërçiku | CM / RB / LB | (1993-07-30)30 July 1993 (aged 24) |
| 19 | Eni Imami | CM / LM / CB / LB | (1992-12-19)19 December 1992 (aged 25) |
| Forwards |||||
| 9 | Grend Halili | CF | (1998-05-24)24 May 1998 (aged 20) |
| 10 | Nnamdi Oduamadi | CF | (1990-10-17)17 October 1990 (aged 27) |
| 11 | Yunus Sentamu | CF | (1994-08-13)13 August 1994 (aged 23) |
| 45 | Michael Ngoo | CF | (1992-10-23)23 October 1992 (aged 25) |
| 77 | Dejan Blazhevski | CF | (1985-12-06)6 December 1985 (aged 32) |

#### From youth squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 15 | MF | ALB | Jurgen Çelhaka |
| 20 | MF | ALB | Ernest Muçi |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| 22 | MF | ALB | Jurgen Vrapi |
| 25 | MF | ALB | Andri Stafa |

## Transfers
### Transfers in

| Date | Pos. | Player | Age | Moving from | Fee |
| 23 June 2018 | FW | Dejan Blazhevski | 31 | Vardar | Free |
| 29 June 2018 | MF | Eni Imami | 24 | Free agent | Free |
| 1 July 2018 | DF | Vincent Atinga | 23 | Free agent | Free |
| 4 July 2018 | MF | Jurgen Çelhaka | 16 | Youth team | Free |
| 4 July 2018 | DF | Marsel Ismailgeci | 17 | Youth team | Free |
| 13 July 2018 | MF | Winful Cobbinah | 25 | Free agent | Free |
| 23 July 2018 | MF | Edon Hasani | 25 | Free agent | Free |
| 27 July 2018 | DF | Sedat Berisha | 27 | Free agent | Free |
| 14 August 2018 | GK | Shpëtim Moçka | 28 | Free agent | Free |
| 31 August 2018 | FW | Nnamdi Oduamadi | 27 | Free agent | Free |

### Transfers out

| Date | Pos. | Player | Age | Moving to | Fee |
| 8 July 2018 | MF | Alked Çelhaka | 23 | Free agent | Free |
| 1 August 2018 | MF | Rei Qilimi | 22 | Free agent | Free |
| 1 August 2018 | DF | Alvaro Bishaj | 26 | Free agent | Free |
| 9 August 2018 | FW | Patrik Bardhi | 20 | Kastrioti Krujë | Free |
| 19 August 2018 | MF | Kenneth Muguna | 22 | Gor Mahia | Free |
| 29 August 2018 | MF | Jurgen Vrapi | 19 | Dinamo Tirana | Free |
* ↑ Following Bardhi's departure he joined Kastrioti Krujë.

### Loans out

| Start date | Pos. | Nationality | Name | To | End date | Ref. |
| 14 June 2018 | LB | | Erion Hoxhallari | Laçi | 3 August 2018 | |

## Competitions

| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Competition | First match | Last match | Starting round | Final position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| Kategoria Superiore | 18 August 2018 | 30 May 2019 | Matchday 1 | 7th | 36 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 44 | 35 | +9 | 033.33 |
| Albanian Cup | 12 September 2018 | 2 June 2019 | First round | Runners-up | 9 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 19 | 9 | +10 | 055.56 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | Total | 45 | 17 | 12 | 16 | 63 | 44 | +19 | 037.78 |
Last updated: 2 June 2019 Source: Soccerway

### Kategoria Superiore
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| 5 | Flamurtari | 36 | 15 | 9 | 12 | 35 | 32 | +3 | 54 | |
| 6 | Laçi | 36 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 33 | 30 | +3 | 49 | Qualification for the Europa League first qualifying round |
| 7 | Tirana | 36 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 44 | 35 | +9 | 47 | |
| 8 | Luftëtari | 36 | 13 | 8 | 15 | 37 | 39 | −2 | 47 | |
| 9 | Kastrioti (R) | 36 | 12 | 6 | 18 | 35 | 53 | −18 | 42 | Relegation to the 2019–20 Kategoria e Parë |
* ↑ Flamurtari failed to obtain a UEFA license.
* ↑ Since the winners of the 2018–19 Albanian Cup, Kukësi, qualified for European competition based on league position, the spot awarded to the cup winners was passed down to the sixth-placed team, Laçi, since the fourth-placed team and the fifth-placed team failed to obtain a UEFA license.

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 30 May 2019. 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 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
| Ground | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H |
| Result | L | D | L | W | D | L | W | L | L | D | L | D | L | D | L | W | L | W | W | D | W | D | W | W | L | D | L | W | W | L | D | W | L | D | W | W |
| Position | 10 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 |

#### Matches

* ↑ The match was originally scheduled to be played on 9 March, but it was delayed due to the boycott of the Union of Albanian football referees due to insecure conditions at the stadiums.
* ↑ The match was awarded due to the exclusion of Kamza.

### Albanian Cup
#### Final
## Statistics
### Squad stats

| | League | Cup | Total Stats |
| Games played | 24 | 5 | 29 |
| Games won | 7 | 4 | 12 |
| Games drawn | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Games lost | 9 | 1 | 10 |
| Goals scored | 28 | 13 | 41 |
| Goals conceded | 25 | 2 | 27 |
| Goal difference | +3 | +11 | +14 |
| Clean sheets | 6 | 3 | 9 |
Last updated: 13 March 2019 Source: Soccerway

### Top scorers

| No. | Pos. | Nation | Name | Kategoria Superiore | Albanian Cup | Total |
| 77 | FW | | Dejan Blazhevski | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 11 | FW | | Yunus Sentamu | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| 8 | MF | | Winful Cobbinah | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | DF | | Marvin Turtulli | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 7 | MF | | Bedri Greca | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 16 | MF | | Edon Hasani | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 20 | FW | | Ernest Muçi | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 45 | FW | | Michael Ngoo | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| # | Own goals | Own goals | Own goals | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTAL | TOTAL | TOTAL | TOTAL | 8 | 8 | 16 |
Last updated: 3 October 2018

### Clean sheets

The list is sorted by shirt number when total appearances are equal.
| Rnk | No. | Player | Kategoria Superiore | Albanian Cup | Total |
| 1 | 81 | Alessio Abibi | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 2 | 89 | Shpëtim Moçka | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| TOTALS | TOTALS | TOTALS | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Last updated: 25 September 2018