Gibraltar futsal punished by Kosovo in 11-0 defeat

Gibraltar faced a tough lesson against Kosovo in the Futsal World Cup preliminary qualifiers this Thursday.

Playing in Montenegro, Gibraltar were punished for early mistakes in the first half, with Kosovo leading by seven goals at the break after stamping their authority on the match.

Finding space behind Gibraltar’s defence and quickly taking their opportunities, Kosovo repeatedly caught Gibraltar on the wrong foot, making it a steep learning curve for the side.

Kosovo, who entered UEFA at the same time as Gibraltar, showed the level of strength that has developed across their ranks in futsal.

The second half started with Kosovo looking as if they would repeat their first-half dominance, adding an early goal. However, a determined and resilient Gibraltar side managed to stall the flow of goals and continued to search for a way to get on the scoresheet.

It was not to come. Gibraltar held on until the final five minutes, when a call from the bench to see out the game seemed to have the opposite effect. Instead, Kosovo raised their intensity and began to extend their lead further.

Three late goals not only highlighted the quick shift in pace Kosovo were able to produce on the counter, but also their strength on the pitch and the ease with which they found space behind defenders.

A punishing 11-0 scoreline sees Gibraltar start on the wrong footing in what could be a tough preliminary round group, with hosts Montenegro next.