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| Albania U-19 Football Team, November, 2023, source: Albanian Football Federation |
Albania U-19 started their qualifying campaign for the 2023/2024 European Championship with a loss. The Red and Blacks, who are in Group 13, were defeated 3-1 by Ireland in the match played at the "Elbasan Arena."
Coach Ervin Bulku started with the following lineup: Klevi Toshi, Klevis Haxhari, Ermal Meta, Elton Fikaj, Ardit Nuredini, Arlind Kurti, Jordi Jaku, Oresti Kasmollari, Dean Vranici, Flavio Sulejmani, and Erald Krasniqi.
The match started well for Ireland, who found the goal in the 5th minute through Mark O’Mahony. However, the Red and Blacks found strength and equalized with Erald Krasniqi in the 23rd minute, thanks to a superb goal. The first half of the match ended in a 1-1 draw, and the second half began with two substitutions for the Red and Blacks. Coach Ervin Bulku brought in Dejvi Duron and Adi Kurti.
Later on, Ireland took the lead by scoring the second goal again with Mark O’Mahony, and three minutes later, Franco Umeh scored the third for Ireland. Despite conceding quick goals, the Red and Blacks tried to react. Klevis Haxhari came close to the second goal but was stopped by the post. In the end, everything concluded with a 3-1 result, and the next challenge for Albania U-19 will be against Belgium U-19 on November 18 at 14:00. The final match will be against Slovenia U-19 on November 21 at 14:00.
The other match in the group between Slovenia U-19 and Belgium U-19 ended in a 1-1 draw. The match was played at "Arena Egnatia," and both goals were scored in the second half. Jaka Cuber Potocnik gave Slovenia the lead in the 52nd minute, while Belgium equalized in the 66th minute thanks to Arjan Malic's goal.
According to UEFA regulations, the two teams ranked first in each group will advance to the "Elite Round," along with the third-best team in all groups in these qualifiers. The final stage of the U-19 European Championship will take place in Northern Ireland in the summer of 2024.