Five Minutes In, Already in Trouble
Rough afternoon for Dukagjini from almost the very first whistle. Kevin Behrens needed just five minutes to open the scoring at Kampi Nacional in Hajvalia, pouncing after keeper Egzon Lekaj came for a ball he shouldn’t have and got caught out, finishing off a pass from Grgić. Three minutes later it was 0-2 — Daniel Dos Santos rose to head home a Mattia Zanotti cross, and Lugano were cruising before the game was even ten minutes old.
Dukagjini didn’t fold completely, though. Almost immediately after going two down, Meris Maliqi pounced on a loose ball to pull one back and make it 1-2, giving the home crowd a brief moment of hope. It didn’t last. Lugano restored their two-goal cushion before the break, Behrens getting his second of the afternoon off a clever through ball from Antonios Papadopoulos to make it 1-3 at halftime, and by that point the tie — already 1-0 in Lugano’s favour from the first leg in Switzerland — was pretty much beyond doubt.
Sinani Own Goal, Then Behrens Completes His Hat-Trick
Second half brought no way back for Dukagjini. Egzon Sinani turned the ball into his own net in the 51st minute to make it 1-4, and seven minutes later Behrens completed his hat-trick, finishing from close range off an assist from Uran Bislimi to make it 1-5. Lugano controlled the vast majority of the ball throughout — 63% possession by the end, seven shots on target from twelve attempts — and the gap in quality between the two sides showed clearly across the full ninety minutes.
What It Means Next
Lugano progress 6-1 on aggregate and move into the next round of Conference League qualifying, where Slovenia’s Koper await, assuming they can hold onto a two-goal lead of their own against Runavik. For Dukagjini, it’s the end of a European run that showed some promising moments in attack, even if the gaps at the back and the finishing gulf between the sides ultimately proved too much to overcome.
Match Summary
Dukagjini 1-5 Lugano (Lugano win 6-1 on aggregate) UEFA Conference League, Second Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg — Kampi Nacional, Hajvalia, Kosovo Wednesday, 29 July 2026
Goals: 5′ Kevin Behrens (Lugano) 0-1 (assist: Grgić) 8′ Daniel Dos Santos (Lugano) 0-2 (assist: Mattia Zanotti) 10′ Meris Maliqi (Dukagjini) 1-2 36′ Kevin Behrens (Lugano) 1-3 (assist: Antonios Papadopoulos) 51′ Egzon Sinani (Dukagjini) 1-4 (own goal) 58′ Kevin Behrens (Lugano) 1-5 (assist: Uran Bislimi)
Result: Lugano advance 6-1 on aggregate, with Kevin Behrens completing a hat-trick. Dukagjini are eliminated from the Conference League.
For live Conference League qualifying scores and coverage, visit fawanews. Full results and bracket at the official UEFA Conference League website.
