Lorenc Leskaj (born 2 October 1968) is an Albanian retired footballer who played as a defender for Partizani Tirana.

Lorenc Leskaj
Personal information
Date of birth (1968-10-02) 2 October 1968 (age 56)
Place of birth Tirana, Albania
Height 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Defender
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1986–1991 Partizani Tirana
International career
1990 Albania 2 (0)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Club career

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Leskaj played for Partizani Tirana in an infamous September 1987 European Cup first leg in Lisbon against Benfica that saw Partizani lose 4–0 and end the game with 7 men as 4 players were sent off and with Leskaj himself getting a yellow card.[1][2] Partizani were punished by UEFA for the incidents, and they were knocked out of the competition following a walkover victory for Benfica in what would have been the second leg, and they were also banned from Europe for 4 years.

International career

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He made his debut for Albania in a September 1990 friendly match against Greece and earned a total of 2 caps, scoring no goals.[3]

His second and final international was a November 1990 European Championship qualification match against France.[4]

Defection

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Leskaj, alongside national team members Genc Ibro and Eduard Kaçaçi, disappeared from the national team squad in March 1991 in Geneva on their way to Paris to play a European Championship qualifier against France.[5] At the time, Albania was still ruled by the communists. The players were later reported to have sought asylum in Switzerland.[6]

Honours

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1987[7]

References

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  1. ^ Albanski klub jedini uspeo da zaradi 4 crvena kartona za poluvreme: Najprljaviji mečevi u istoriji Kupa i Lige šampiona (VIDEO) - Telegraf (in Albanian)
  2. ^ uefa.com. "UEFA Champions League 1987/88 - History - Benfica-Partizani Lineups – UEFA.com".
  3. ^ "Player Database".
  4. ^ Report - UEFA
  5. ^ SE PERDIERON 3 JUGADORES - El Tiempo (in Spanish)
  6. ^ Kuzhe therret 23lojtare kunder Frances - Info Arkiva (in Albanian)
  7. ^ Albania - Championship Winning Teams - RSSSF
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