Blerta Smaili, the defender who is also scoring goals for Kosovo

She successfully performed her duties in the center of defense, and moreover, she also contributed in the attack phase. Blerta Smaili was one of Kosovo's most important players in this week's two victories against Bulgaria. 

On Tuesday in Sofia, Kosovo won 3:1. Meanwhile, on Saturday in Pristina, “Dardanet” won 2:1.
Both matches were in the 2027 World Cup qualifiers. Kosovo has won its first four matches in Group C2 and leads the table with 12 points. Croatia has nine, Bulgaria three and Gibraltar remains without points.

In Sofia, Smaili scored the 2:1 lead with a beautiful header. Meanwhile, in Prishtina, he scored from close range for 1:1, in the 52nd minute. Captain Erëleta Memeti scored the hard-fought winning goal, in the 96th minute.

"I am very pleased with the team, the performances and the victories of this qualifying cycle. There are some things we need to improve to achieve the goal. Of course, the goal is to win the group, appear in the playoffs and move to League B for the next edition," Blerta Smaili told KOHĪN on Sunday.

Born in Germany, she played for Germany U17, and joined Kosovo in 2020. She has long been one of the carriers of the game, especially in defense. At club level, she has played in Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Portugal and is now in Turkey with the champion team, Fomget.

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"With Kosovo I have three goals in total, while I have scored two of them in the last two matches. I am happy for the goals, I was in the right place at the right time. I hope to contribute to Kosovo's successes in the future. Now with the National Team we are in a good moment, we are constantly growing. We got some new players and it took time for us to get better together, to get to know each other better. Earlier with Croatia we lost two matches and this time we won. This is a good sign. We are fighting for each other, for the jersey and this is necessary", said Smaili.

Kosovo won 6:0 against Gibraltar last month, and won 1:0 against Croatia on the road. With the two wins against Bulgaria, Kosovo's position in the group is very good. Smaili, who is from Pristina, also admits this.

The 23-year-old emphasizes that for the next match, against Croatia in Pristina on June 5, Kosovo must stand out with commitment and fight on the field. She also expects support from the stands for another positive result against Croatia, which would ensure the great success - first place in the group.

"Personally, I am also in a good moment in my career. In Turkey, we did not manage to defend the championship title, but I had good performances. I am also in a positive moment in Kosovo. The two goals are of course motivation for even greater work and commitment," says Blerta Smaili.

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She has a contract with the Turkish club until the summer. She says that women's football in Turkey is constantly growing, thanks to the involvement of players from other countries, including those from Kosovo.

Regarding the future, Smaili says that there are many options in the "game." But appearances with Kosovo will definitely facilitate the next step forward in his career.