Kosovo was aiming for first place in the group and advancement to League B of the League of Nations. But now they must confirm their place in League C of the UEFA Nations League. Defeat by Northern Ireland and Cyprus' win over Greece have made the race for second and third place in Group Two very wide open. Greece has already secured first place in the group and promotion to League B for the next edition.
Greece has 12 points from five games. Kosovo is second with six points, while Northern Ireland and Cyprus have five points each in positions three and four. The fourth position at the bottom sends to playout for the rest in League C, namely to avoid the drop to the lower level represented by League D.
On Tuesday from 20:45, Kosovo hosts Cyprus, while Greece hosts Ireland. Kosovo secures the second place with a win, while with a draw it secures at least the third place. But the loss, depending on the result of the match in Athens, could send it to the fourth place. And this would be a very big step back for the "Dardans".
Kosovo is naturally considered a big favorite against Cyprus. The quality of Kosovo's players is greater than that of Cyprus. Kosovo had won 2:0 against Cyprus on June 2 in Larnaca, at the opening of the third edition of the League of Nations. Valon Berisha and Edon Zhegrova had scored the goals, while they are not in this collection.
Saturday night's defeat by Northern Ireland (2:1), with goals conceded in the 82nd and 93rd minutes, was badly received in Kosovo. And consequently, the representative will not be in the best moment in Tuesday's match, which is already important. Meanwhile, the Cypriots come to Kosovo emboldened after the 1:0 victory over Greece. It is debatable whether Greece gave the maximum in this match, based on the fact that they have already secured the first place in the group and also the relations they have with Cyprus. But the victory in Larnaca means that Cyprus will appear emboldened on Tuesday in Pristina.
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Cyprus plays for victory in "Fadil Vokrri"
The president of the Cypriot Federation, Giorgos Koumas, congratulated the Cypriot team after the victory over Greece.
"He asked for maximum effort on Tuesday against Kosovo to close the appearance in the League of Nations in the best way", announced the Football Federation of Cyprus.
The Georgian Temur Ketsbaia made his debut as the head coach of Cyprus in the match against Greece. He knows Cypriot football very well as he has worked in this country for a long time. And Ketsbaia may have brought new life to Cyprus.
"I am proud and happy about the result. We had a lot of desire for victory and this is of course welcome. Victory is correct. We have not allowed Greece to endanger us, except in a few cases. The players have stuck to the plan and I am very happy with what I have seen. This team can achieve a lot in the future. I am happy that I chose Cyprus. We had a solid defense, we were united as a team, we attacked and counter-attacked and in the end we were successful. We continue our efforts to remain in the division", said Ketsbaia.
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Kosovo aims for victory over Cyprus in the packed stadium
In the announcement for Sunday's trip to Pristina, the Football Federation of Cyprus has written that the goal is to get a better result than Northern Ireland will get against Greece.
"With eventual victory over Kosovo, we can finish in second place in the group", write the Cypriots.
