Kosovo in search of new milestones after making history in Pre-Qualifiers

PRISHTINA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Pre-Qualifiers) - Kosovo had not won an official game on the international stage coming into the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Pre-Qualifiers.

It did not take long for coach Brad Greenberg's side to get that benchmark out off the way, defeating the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia in the campaign-opener, but that pales in comparison to what the team has been able to achieve since.

Kosovo confirmed their place in the European Qualifiers by halting the previously undefeated Estonia in their tracks and, perhaps most importantly of all, proved themselves to be a basketball-loving country and the capital Prishtina, an indomitable fortress.

"This is a truly historic win and a very important one for the whole country, not only basketball-wise."Kosovo guard Dardan BerishaKosovo guard Dardan Berisha

With the entire jam-packed Palace of Youth and Sports behind them, the Kosovar side notched up a dramatic 76-69 victory against the Group C leaders to improve to a 2-2 mark and secure the prized second-place finish in the standings.

"This is a truly historic win and a very important one for the whole country, not only basketball-wise," said the team captain Dardan Berisha, who was the star of the evening with a game-high 28 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds and 3 steals in his tally. "I am still quite emotional and it will take some time until this sinks in, but we need to enjoy the moment. I would like to thank the fans and everyone involved."

In an up-and-down game that saw the lead change hands a number of times, Estonia had jumped out ahead 67-64 with just 2:46 left on the clock, but Kosovo held their cool and battled back, with Erjon Kastrati's clutch three-pointer to break the 69-69 deadlock with less than a minute to go proving to be decisive moment.

"This was a very tough game, but these players with Dardan Berisha at the helm and true warriors such as Erjon Kastrati and the rest of the team, everything was much easier on the court," the team's head coach Brad Greenberg said, speaking after a tight finish. "The atmosphere was great and it is very easy to be highly motivated by that crowd. We had ups and downs, but more ups and we won at the end."

Así se vivió en Kosovo un día histórico.

Estarán en la fase de clasificación europea (Ventabas FIBA) para el Mundial 2019. pic.twitter.com/eSUUOKwNTK

— Aarón Morales (@Aaron_Morales_) August 20, 2017

There was nothing on the line for Estonia, who had already locked in the top spot in the standings, but the visitors still battled hard and made it tough on Kosovo before ultimately falling flat in the last minutes of the encounter.

"Although we had secured first place before the game, we came here to win and tried our best but this was not enough, with Kosovo playing great basketball in the deciding moments," said Estonia head coach Tiit Sokk after the game.

"It was all decided in the last minute and they deserved the victory. It's not easy at all to play in front of this amazing crowd that created such a tremendous atmosphere."

Having won both of their games behind emphatic support in Prishtina in the Pre-Qualifiers, Kosovo have now guaranteed at least three more European game nights for their fans at home and some undoubtedly memorable showdowns with the best national teams on the continent in the next stage of the competition.

Who says the dream has to end now?

FIBA