-
By:
Dilaver Police
- August 22, 2025 12:47
- Share to:
Besnik Krasniqi's exit from the field with a bandage on his head speaks volumes about the struggle he and the other Drita players put up on Thursday night during the 90 minutes of the first leg of the Conference League playoff against Differdange.
They promise a sporting battle in a week, when these two teams will play the decisive match for passage to the league stage of the Conference League.
Qualifying for the third round of the UEFA competition would be historic for Drita.
They would become the second Kosovo team to secure a place in the Conference League after Balkan.
The team from Suhareka secured two appearances in the Conference League.
also
Drita has a week to prepare for the "match of the edition"
Drita also has this goal – qualifying for the Conference League.
But defender Besnik Krasniqi insists that there is no time to celebrate yet. He emphasizes that the celebration can only begin after a positive result in Luxembourg.
"I am fine and will be ready for the return match. I have had a check-up and the important thing is that I do not need stitches. I will give my best for Drita, just like I have done in all matches," said Krasniqi.
Krasniqi was one of the most combative players on the field on Thursday night. He led Drita as captain in the absence of the suspended Rron Broja.
Broja will not appear in the return match either due to the red card he received in the return match in Pristina of the third qualifying round of the Europa League against the Romanian champion, FCSB.
Krasniqi, as captain, expects to help the team in the return match as well. Krasniqi scored the winning goal for Drita. He scored from the penalty spot in the 80th minute for a score of 2:1.
"I am very pleased with this victory, because in a way we were under pressure, but I am happy that we won. It was a very important victory for us, but nothing is over yet. We also have the second match, which will be a difficult match. But we will work maximally during this period to achieve a positive result. We have taken a good step, but nothing is over yet. We will try maximally to achieve historic qualification. Everyone in the club knows the importance of qualification and we will try to do our job", said Krasniqi.
Drita's coach, Zekirija Ramadani, admitted after the match that his players were tired. But he congratulated the players for their commitment. He expects commitment from his players in the return match as well.
And there will be no lack of commitment, says defender Krasniqi.
also
Captain Krasniqi calls for focus in the return match
"We will find the strength to play another 90 minutes in Luxembourg to score a historic victory. The important thing is that we won the first match. The media wrote that we are the favorites, but on the field there are no favorites. We will focus on the second match and we will give everything we have to achieve historic qualification. With a positive result, we would ensure a place in the League stage of the Conference League. We will be attentive for the second match. We will prepare for the return match, as the coach tells us, and we will travel to Luxembourg with the aim of achieving historic qualification," Krasniqi said.
If Drita reaches the Conference League, the Gjilan club will earn 3 million and 170 thousand euros. This is the guaranteed amount that Drita will have if it qualifies for the Conference League.
In the league stage, Drita would play six matches, against six different opponents, where each win would be worth 400 thousand euros, while a draw would be worth 133 thousand euros.
Drita stopped their losing streak on Thursday. Before the match against Differdange, Drita had a five-game losing streak, including a defeat in the first round of the Kosovo Super League. They lost to Ferizaj on Sunday, while they have also suffered twice against Romanian champions FCSB and Danish champions Copenhagen.
Drita had defeated Differdange in the first two qualifying matches of the Champions League first qualifying round.
They won the first match 1:0 at the "Fadil Vokrri" stadium in Pristina with a goal from Arb Manaj.
Manaj and Veton Tusha had also scored in the away match, in a 3:2 victory.
Drita then went on to lose five times, including a defeat to Ferizaj on Sunday.
After eliminating Differdange in the first qualifying round of the Champions League, Drita continued their journey in the second qualifying round and faced Copenhagen. Copenhagen, the most successful team in Danish football, won with an aggregate score of 3:0 and advanced further. Meanwhile, Drita was transferred to the third qualifying round of the Europa League. They were defeated by the Romanian FCSB with an aggregate score of 6:3. They were defeated with a score of 3:2 in Bucharest, although they were in a 2:0 lead for a long time. In the capital they lost 3:1.
also
Light towards the playoffs after the deep victory in San Marino
Drita is the only Kosovo team left in the race for promotion to the league stage, in the Conference League.
