President Duka, for the Italian media: Luck was not on our side in the Nations League, we have promising young players from age groups

2024-11-28 21:15:00, Sport CNA

President Duka, for the Italian media: Luck was not on our side in the Nations

The president of the AFF, Armand Duka

The president of the Football Federation, Armand Duka, spoke to the Italian media "SportItalia", commenting on the performance of the National Team in group B1 of the UEFA Nations League.

The head of the Albanian football government said that the group was balanced and fought until the last second, but Albania did not achieve what it wanted from this competition.

President Duka also spoke about the Albanian players who play in Italy: Berat Gjimshiti, Kristjan Asllani, Cristian Shpendi, Medon Berisha, and highlighted some of the future talents who play in the national teams of the ages.

The National Team's performance in the UEFA Nations League? - I can't say that we achieved what we wanted. In fact, it was a really balanced group, hard-fought and like no other group, all four teams were in the race until the last second of the last game for the first or last place. Ukraine, just as it was condemned to be eliminated with points even though it had 4 points equal to the first place in the group in the Euro 2024 finals, was rewarded this time in the Nations League with one more point in Tirana. Luck was not on our side in these UEFA Nations League matches. It should also be noted that we have had many injured players in every game.

Cristian Spendi? – Cristian has played with the National U-21 team, he was the protagonist in a match won by reversal against Romania in the qualifiers, but now he has grown even more. He is in the attention of the coach of the national team, Silvinjo, but he was injured in the October matches. I am very happy when Cristian scores goals, but when he scores for the Albanian National Team I am happy.

Berat Gjimshiti? - There is no doubt that the coach of Atalanta, Gasperini, has helped a lot in the growth of captain Gjimshiti. I would go so far as to say his case is for the record if you look at the athletic growth he has had. When I think about his level 5 or 6 seasons ago, I can say that he has improved a lot and that he has gained a lot of maturity. The opposite is as a boy (laughs), he has always been the same: a wonderful man. I am also very happy for Atalanta. They are having a great season in the league and in Europe, with Gjimshit being one of the undisputed leaders of the Bergamo team.

What do you recommend to Kristjan Asllani? - Kristjan is a great football player and an intelligent boy. Although only 22 years old, you can talk to him like an adult. He is a super educated guy. If a year ago I thought he should look for another club to get more minutes, now I think differently. He should continue at Inter, it's his moment. It is mature enough to be a headliner there. I am sure that coach Inzaghi will give him this chance.

Albanian footballers who will grow the most in the coming years? – We have some very promising youngsters in the age groups and I am very confident that we will see them at high levels. In the National U-17 team, I can mention the goalkeeper of Juventus, Rafaele Huli, the striker Gabriele Kulla of Sassuolo or even the other striker of Juventus, Arman Durmishi or Sheji. The talented goalkeeper of Inter, Alain Taho, forwards Flavio Sulejmani of Lazio, Ergis Arifi of Teuta and Xheto Joi Nuredini of Genoa promise a lot in the National U-19 team. Meanwhile, in the National U-21 team, those who have stood out are the midfielders Adrion Pajaziti and Feta Fetai, who have already become part of the National Team A, the two brothers Cristian and Steven Shpendi, or the goalkeeper Simon Simoni and the midfielder Medon Berisha. /CNA