Saxony U18 in Kosovo: drama, duels and a 7-1 defeat!

Saxony U18 in Kosovo: drama, duels and a 7-1 defeat!

From June 3rd to 7th, 2025, the U18 state team from Saxony traveled to Kosovo, where they took part in a friendly international tournament. The temperatures during our stay were a summery 34 °C. The host was the FFK (Kosovar Football Association), with whom the Saxon footballers were able to have important encounters and encounters. Highlights of the trip included meetings with Agim Ademi, the President of the Kosovo Football Association, as well as Jörn Rohde, the German Ambassador, and Faruk Ajeti, the Kosovo Ambassador.

The first game took place in Pristina, at the Kosovars' new national training center. Here the Saxon selection met the Kosovo U18 national team. Although Saxony took an early 1-0 lead, Kosovo turned the game around and ultimately won 7-1. A notable point was that Kosovo changed all their players at half-time, which had a positive impact on their performance.

Exploration and return play

On Thursday, an exploration of Kosovo was on the agenda, during which the Saxon players visited the town of Preßen. The two teams competed against each other again in the second leg on Friday. Although Saxony reported absences due to illness, the team was quickly able to take a 2-0 lead. In the end, however, the game ended in a 2-2 draw.

Another highlight of the trip was the visit to the international match between Kosovo and Armenia, which the Saxon selection then witnessed. At the end of the week, the organizers and supporters were thanked, especially the FFK, the German Embassy and Riad Ismajli, for their valuable support.

Kosovo in the European Championship qualification

Parallel to the activities in Kosovo, the national team remains undefeated in the European Championship qualification under coach Bernard Challandes. The Kosovars recently pulled off a dramatic win against Bulgaria when Elbasan Rashani scored the winning goal with a header in the 93rd minute. Kosovo is currently in third place in Group A, behind England and the Czech Republic, and is pursuing ambitious goals on the way to the European Championships.

Above the group, in which Spain currently holds the undisputed maximum number of points after four games, the other results of the qualification remain exciting: Austria won against North Macedonia 4-1 in Skopje, while Israel lost 4-0 in Poland. This means the competition at the international games remains exciting and worth watching.