Pristina (AFP)
Who would've believed that? Kosovo's neophyte on the international stage challenges Britain on Tuesday to qualify for Euro 2020, the Group A second after victories in Bulgaria and the Czech Republic.
Taxi in Pristina, Agim Neziri ignites after this success (2-1) on the Czechs, who had yet opened the score on Saturday: "Our team is Brazil Balkans!"
A small, poor country of some 2 million people in southeastern Europe, Kosovo is a newcomer on the international scene. Declared in 2008, the independence of this ex-Yugoslav territory mostly inhabited by Albanians, is still not recognized by Serbia until 2016 to close the doors of UEFA and FIFA.
First campaign of its history, the qualifications for the Russian World Cup were a way of cross: a draw, nine defeats, three goals scored, 24 conceded.
But the arrival of Swiss coach Bernard Challandes in early 2019, stabilized the team. For the country's leading newspaper, Koha Ditore, he is the man behind (this) extraordinary emergence.
The Kosovars present themselves at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton in a series of fourteen games without defeat, started with the first victory of their history against Madagascar in March 2018 (1-0).
Their opponents have not been stooges. The Challandes team defeated Denmark in friendly (2-2) and won their group in the League of Nations to win its promotion.
- The Diaspora -
Above all, she managed two master shots in the Euro qualifiers in Sofia, snatching the win in the final seconds (3-2), then toppling the Czechs in front of the hot, hot crowd at the Fadil-Vokrri stadium (2-1). ).
A victory achieved without two pillars, injured midfielder Arber Zeneli (French Reims / L1) and forward Milot Rashica (German Werder Breme / D1).
Against the Bulgarians and Czechs, the striker Fenerbahçe Vedat Muriqi scored. With midfielder Swansea (Premier League) Bersant Celina, he will be one of the strengths of his team in England.
This team resembles Kosovo: it is composed of players from a large diaspora, pushed out of Kosovo by the yoke imposed by the regime of Slobodan Milosevic in the 1990s, then by the war of independence against the Serb forces (1998 -99) and finally by a fragile economy. A diaspora present in Switzerland, Germany, Austria or Scandinavia. In the current formation, fourteen championships are represented. None of the players who triumphed on Saturday evolve in Kosovo, many were not even born there.
The training is also very young: against the Czechs, she had 23 years of average age.
- 'Do not panic!' -
These players do not set limits: "United, with the help of our supporters, Kosovo can achieve great things," says captain Amir Rrahmani, defender transferred this season to Hellas Verona (Serie A) after four seasons in Croatia.
"Our victory against the Czech Republic has been very important in the perspective of an unprecedented participation in the Euro (...) Now the turn of England!" Warns Bersant Celina.
"It will be difficult," tempers midfielder Besar Halimi, who plays D2 in Germany, his country of birth. "England have an amazing squad with players competing in the Champions League every year, take it as an experience, give the best and hope to take points."
Before flying to Southampton, Challandes had only one message, quoted in the local press: "Before the game against the Czechs, I said we had to fight like crazy (...) beat England, we'll have to fight like crazy. "
Agim the taxi believes in a new miracle of its "Balkan Brazilians": "England is strong, it can beat us, but do not panic!" Brazil is sometimes beaten, but rarely. come!".
© 2019 AFP