The Kosovo U21 football team will play two important qualifying matches for the European Championship to be held next year in Albania and Serbia.
On March 27, Kosovo U21 plays against Romania at the "Fadil Vokrri" stadium in Pristina, and on March 31 against Spain on the road.
There are two matches that determine the "fate" of Kosovo U21 in this qualifying cycle.
Kosovo is in third place with eight points, behind leaders Spain, who have 15 points, and Finland, who have ten points.
Romania is fourth with seven points, while Cyprus is in second-to-last position with three points. San Marino is in last place with no points.
In the first five matches, Kosovo U21 was led by Afrim Tovërlani. Tovërlani's assistant was Hekuran Kryeziu.
Former Kosovo midfielder Kryeziu makes his debut as coach. He took over after Tovërlan left, who took over at Prishtina.
Kryeziu says that Kosovo U21 still has a chance to qualify for the European Championship in Albania and Serbia. He praised Tovërlan's work.
"Afrim Tovërlani has done an extraordinary job with the staff. We won a point against Finland, and against Romania as well. But let's not forget, we only had one loss against Spain. Therefore, we will try to continue the path that Afrim Tovërlani has started. There will be difficult matches in March against Romania and Spain. But I will try to continue the path started by Afrim Tovërlani as best I can," Kryeziu said in the Kosovo Football Federation podcast.
Kryeziu considers the job of a coach a challenge.
"For me it is a pride and pleasure to have this role. I do not feel pressured, but successes and results are always expected. We have a staff that has been together for a year, who will give their best. The chances are real. Romania has been present in the European Championship many times, as well as Finland. We know it will be difficult, but we will try while the chances are still real", added Kryeziu.
He evaluated the results achieved in Kosovo's first five matches, highlighting the away draws against Finland and Romania.
"We are a people who quickly become euphoric. These five matches have been good, especially the results, but let's not forget that Romania, Finland, Spain are countries that have history. But as long as there are chances, we will try to achieve success," Kryeziu emphasized.
He revealed during the interview that he also had conversations with Albania before making the decision to play for Kosovo.
Kryeziu has been highly praised for his performances with the "Dardan" jersey.
He praised Bernard Challandes' work in Kosovo. He said he learned a lot from the Swiss, especially in terms of team building, mentality and discipline.
Kryeziu has had a good career in Switzerland, especially in Lucerne and Zurich.
Before joining Kosovo in 2015, he played for Switzerland's youth teams. He played 30 matches for the "Dardans".