UEFA Nations League: Romania Beats Hostile Kosovo Away 0-3

In a match played on Friday evening in League C, Group 2 in the UEFA Nations League, Romania beat Kosovo’s team, a territory Romania has yet to recognize as a country.

The match was played in Pristina, in a hostile stadium where each of the 15,000 individuals present booed Romania’s anthem, creating a challenging environment for the visiting team.

The hatred of the Kosovo fans towards the Romanian nation derives from Romania’s refusal to recognize this territory. Also, the brotherhood between Romanians and Serbians led to the famous “Kosovo je Srbja” in Bucharest when Romania played Kosovo. This contributed more to the adversity Kosovars felt towards Romania.

Romania’s team, led by Mircea Lucescu, one of the world’s most experienced coaches, played brilliantly.
Man scored the first goal in ’40, while Razvan Marin, from a penalty kick, in ’51 and Denis Dragus in ’82 raised the difference between the two teams. Thus, Romania continues the excellent series that started during the UEFA Euro 2024 final tournament in Germany.

After this game, Romania leads Group 2 and meets Lithuania in Bucharest next week.