Kosovo played their first ever competitive match on Monday night, drawing 1-1 against Finland in a World Cup qualifier in Turku.
The Balkan state only gained admittance to FIFA last May, and had played one friendly before the draw in Finland. In June, Kosovo played their first match as an official team after beating the Faroe Islands 2-0 in Frankfurt.
A penalty on the hour mark from Red Bull Salzurg's Valon Berisha, gave Kosovo a deserved point, in a group that also includes Croatia, Turkey, Iceland and Ukraine.
History!
Valon Berisha scores Kosovo's first competitive goal #WCQ pic.twitter.com/uFKzTN0H5e— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) September 5, 2016
The Kosovans played with a severely weakened team, with six players being only deemed eligible to play in the game on the afternoon of the match.
Many players that play for Albania and Switzerland are of Kosovan descent and want to change back to their homeland. Players with the calibre of Arsenal's Granit Xhaka and Stoke City's Xherdan Shaqiri were born in Kosovo and may become eligible to play for the team, despite having already being capped by another team.
And goal! #Kosovo equalizes in first ever match and plays awesomely so far in #Finland. #WCQ #WorldCupQualifiers pic.twitter.com/M9iPgLZAWE
— Petrit Selimi (@Petrit) September 5, 2016
Kosovo's next fixture is home to Croatia on October 6th in Shkoder, Albania.
