Drita e Gjilani has been eliminated in the second qualifying round of the Champions League. The Kosovo football champion lost the second match against the Danish champion, Copenhagen.
On Tuesday night at the "Fadil Vokrri" stadium in Pristina, Drita suffered a 1:0 defeat. A week earlier, Copenhagen had won 2:0 at home and with a 3:0 aggregate score, they advance to the third qualifying round of the Champions League.
Meanwhile, Drita moves to the third qualifying round of the Europa League. It will face the Romanian team, FCSB, or Shkëndija from Tetovo. These two teams are also in the second qualifying round of the Champions League and whichever is eliminated moves to the Europa League. Shkëndija won the first leg 1:0 in Skopje, while the return leg is on Wednesday at 19:30 in Bucharest, Romania.
Drita had hoped to overturn the result of the first leg, but it was nowhere near that goal. The Danes, with a lot of experience on the European stage, controlled the game from the start. In the 15th minute they sent the ball into the net, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
Things became much more difficult for the Gjilan team in the 27th minute when winger Liridon Balaj was sent off for a harsh tackle, namely for stepping on the opponent's leg.
The next shot for Drita came in the 42nd minute. Copenhagen's main striker, Andreas Cornelius, scored from the area for 1:0.
Drita only took a chance at the very end of the first half, when Egzon Bejtullai made a strong but inaccurate shot.
The second half of the match was quiet. The Danes had no trouble controlling the game and maintaining their lead.
The best chance came from substitute Veton Tusha. After a mistake in the Danish defense, Tusha faced the Copenhagen goalkeeper, but failed to beat him. Blerim Krasniqi did not take advantage of the rebound.
The guests had more chances, but they did not score, thanks to goalkeeper Faton Maloku.
Drita has become the first Kosovar team to reach the second qualifying round of the Champions League. In the first qualifying round, they eliminated Luxembourg champions Differdange. But Copenhagen proved to be an insurmountable opponent for Zekirija Ramadani's team.
Drita will play their first match in the third qualifying round of the Europa League on August 7th.
Ramadani satisfied with the players' commitment
Drita coach, Zekirija Ramadani, is satisfied with the players' commitment in the match against Copenhagen.
Ramadani stressed that these teams have a hard time even with an equal number of players. Drita played with one less player on the field from the middle of the first half.
"With these teams it is very difficult even when you are equal in number, let alone with one player less. I am satisfied with the players' commitment. It is also the players' merit that we did not suffer any debacle, but even the opponent was satisfied with the result. We started the match well, but that red card, which is part of football, decided it. This only comes from a lack of experience", emphasized Ramadani.
Drita misses a golden chance to equalize
Drita missed the best chance to equalize the score in the match against Copenhagen.
After a mistake by the Danish defense, Veton Tusha was in front of the Copenhagen goalkeeper. But he couldn't beat him. Blerim Krasniqi didn't benefit from the rebound either.
This happened in the 66nd minute.
The score remains 1:0 for the Danish team.
Drita is on the verge of elimination from the Champions League, losing 1:0 after the first half
Drita is close to being eliminated from the Champions League. After losing the first leg 2:0, Drita is losing 1:0 after the first half of the return leg against Danish side Copenhagen. The match is being played at “Fadil Vokrri”.
Furthermore, the Kosovo champion has one less player on the field.
Copenhagen takes the lead
Danish champion Copenhagen has taken a 1:0 lead over Drita at "Fadil Vokrri".
The scorer is Andreas Cornelius in the 43rd minute.
He scored with a shot from the area.
Drita in trouble, Balaj is sent off with a red card
Drita is in big trouble in the match against Copenhagen.
In the 27th minute, Liridon Balaj was sent off for a rough tackle. He stepped on an opposing player and the referee immediately issued a red card.
20 minutes of play, score 0:0
No goals were scored in the first 20 minutes of the match between Drita e Gjilani and Danish Copenhagen.
In fact, the Danes sent the ball into the net, but after a VAR review, the offside position was confirmed.