Malisheva was defeated on Thursday night at the "Fadil Vokrri" stadium in Pristina to diminish its chances of advancing to the second qualifying round of the Conference League.
In an open match with many chances, Malisheva lost 1:0 to Vikingur Reykjavik, the team from Iceland. The challenge was decided in the extra minutes of the first half.
In the second minute of added time, winger Nikolaj Hansen broke through into the area and headed home the equaliser. Vikingur's strong point is their aerial ability, and that proved to be crucial on Thursday night.
Malisheva is appearing in Europe for the second time. Last year they won 1:0 at “Fadil Vokrri” against Budućnost Podgorica, but were defeated 3:0 in Montenegro to stop in the first qualifying round of the Conference League.
Now there is a negative result from the first leg and that makes the long trip to Reykjavik very difficult. The return leg is in a week.
also
Malisheva wins big and advances further in the Conference League
Main cases:
YouTube - full match:
Etnik Brruti: We still believe in qualification
Malisheva midfielder Etnik Brruti still believes that his team can qualify for the second qualifying round for the Conference League, even though they were defeated 1:0 in the first match in Pristina by Vikingur.
He has said that nothing is impossible.
"I believe that the chances of qualification are there. If we give our best like in the second half, I believe we can do something. If we have confidence, nothing is impossible. The game there will be completely different. We will have a different motive to turn the result in our favor," said Brruti after the match.
Agon Xhaka: We respected the opponent more than we should
Malisheva star Agon Xhaka said that his team respected their opponent more than they should have, after the Malisheva team was defeated 1:0 in the first match of the qualifying phase for the Conference League by Vikingur.
He said that his team lacked luck, while they had a hard time coping with Vikingur's experience.
"A difficult match, but we respected the opponent more than we should have. In the second half we changed, but we were not lucky. We hope to come back in the second match. It was difficult to face Vikingur's experienced players. It's not like they put us in too much danger in general," he told KTV.
Bekim Isufi: Nothing is finished
Malisheva coach Bekim Isufi said that the chances of an upset are real, after his team was defeated 1:0 at home by Vikingur in the first match of the first knockout stage in the Conference League.
After the match, Isufi said that his team had excessive respect for their opponent.
"I think that as long as there is a possibility, the second half of the challenge, the possibilities are real. It does not do to have excessive respect for the opponent, like in the first half. We must focus on interceptions, on the game in the air. If we play like in the second half, with more confidence, anything is possible. We have a week to prepare. Now we know the possibilities and how to perform better. In the first half we had a lot of respect for the opponent. In the second half we had chances, but we lacked the luck to make it concrete", Isufi told KTV after the meeting at "Fadil Vokrri".
"In the first half, we agreed to have control of the game and take more risks. Excessive respect prevented us from entering the game. In the second half, we knew that we had nothing to lose. The second half was dominant, we had actions. We tried to eliminate mistakes. Vikingur dominated us in the air, while in other aspects we dominated," continued Isufi.
Interesting match at "Fadil Vokrri", Vikinguri remains in the lead
Malisheva and Icelandic Vikinguri are creating numerous chances in the match at "Fadil Vokrri".
But after the 65th minute, the score remains 1:0 in favor of Vikingur.
The match is almost completely open and both teams are looking for the goal.
Vikinguri in the lead in "Fadil Vokrri"
The Icelandic Vikingur has taken a 1:0 lead in the match against Malisheva at "Fadil Vokrri".
Nikolaj Hansen scored with a header in the second minute of added time in the first half. The first half of the match, which is being broadcast on KTV, ended with a score of 1:0.
Malisheva in difficulty at the beginning of the match
Malisheva and Vikinguri are playing at “Fadil Vokrri” in the first qualifying round of the Conference League. After the 15th minute, the score remains 0:0.
But Vikingur has already taken three chances. Dren Kryeziu even stopped the ball on the goal line in the 11th minute.
Foda also present at the Malisheva match
Kosovo coach Franco Foda was seen at the "Fadil Vokrri" stadium shortly before the start of the Conference League qualifying match between Malisheva and Vikingur.
Foda was also present at Drita's match in the Champions League qualifiers two days ago.
LIVE / Malisheva - Vikingur:
Malisheva's lineup is published
Malisheva coach Bekim Isufi has decided on a 4-3-3 formation for the match against Icelandic Vikingur.
The first qualifying round match of the Conference League between Malisheva and Vikingur takes place at 20:15 at "Fadil Vokrri" and is broadcast on KTV.
Xhemal Ibishi, Laurent Xhylani and Fatjon Bunjaku lead Malisheva's attack.
