Kosovo continues dominance over Bulgaria, closes in on top spot in group

Kosovo’s women footballers have continued their dominance over Bulgaria’s women footballers.

On Tuesday afternoon in Sofia, Kosovo beat Bulgaria 3:1 in the 2027 World Cup qualifiers. Kosovo now have six wins and one draw in seven encounters with Bulgaria.

It was the Bulgarians who took a 1:0 lead in the match in Sofia. Aleksandra Yaneva scored in the ninth minute.

In the 15th minute, Kosovo won a corner kick. Captain Erëleta Memeti took responsibility and shot directly at goal. And the ball found the net to make it 1:1. Memeti now has five goals in matches against Bulgaria. 

Immediately, in the 21st minute, the “Dardanians” took a 2:1 lead. Defender Blerta Smaili scored with a fine header.

The first half ended with the score 2:1. And it looked as if this would also be the final score. But after a scramble in the 89th minute, the other defender, Albulena Fejza, scored to make it 3:1. 

Kosovo dominated on the pitch, as demonstrated by the 13 chances they created, compared with just three for the Bulgarians. Kosovo had four shots on target, while Bulgaria had only two.

With the win, Kosovo have strengthened their position at the top of Group C1 in the European qualifiers for the 2027 World Cup. In March, Kosovo won 6:0 against Gibraltar in Pristina and 1:0 against Croatia in Karlovac. They now have nine points from three matches. In four days, Kosovo will face Bulgaria at “Fadil Vokrri”. With another win in that match, Memeti and the other players would take a giant step towards finishing top of the group. After that, they will only need to avoid defeat against Croatia in the home match on June 5.

Direct qualification for the World Cup is not possible from League C. But first place guarantees a place in the qualifying playoffs and promotion to League B for the next edition of the Nations League.

Qualification for the playoffs is also possible from second place, but clearly the “Dardanians” are aiming to finish top of the group.