Kosovo had never been so close to FWC qualification since joining FIFA and UEFA in 2016, with a breathless 4-3 victory over Slovakia moving them to within one place of this summer’s finals.
Turkey, meanwhile, had their own date with history as they looked to end their 24-year wait for an appearance in the showpiece tournament. Hunger and desire, therefore, were on show from the off in Pristina, with both sides desperate to get over the line.
The first shot on target came inside five minutes when Arijanet Muric comfortably held Kerem Aktürkoğlu’s low drive from outside the area, but there was ultimately a lack of clear-cut chances before the break as both defences produced a number of last-gasp blocks and interceptions.
Each outfit did go close with an effort from distance, though. While Orkan Kökçü narrowly missed the target with a strike from distance, Turkey goalkeeper Uğurcan Çakır - whose spatial awareness was impressive throughout the first half - provided a fantastic stop as he tipped Fisnik Asllani’s strike onto the crossbar.
After the break, Turkey started positively and, within 10 minutes, they broke the deadlock. Kenan Yıldız had been uncharacteristically quiet, but his pullback found Kökçü, whose shot was tapped in by Aktürkoğlu from close range.
The opener appeared to give the away team more confidence, and only a strong Muric hand prevented Yıldız from finding the top corner after cutting inside onto his right foot.
Kosovo subsequently showed plenty of endeavour but, despite getting themselves into several promising positions, they were often unable to exert any real pressure on Çakır.
Florent Muslija did fire a dangerous shot off from distance, yet it drifted wide of the post, and the visiting shot-stopper probably had it covered.
The home team’s best chance eventually came five minutes later, when Çakır pushed Asllani’s low shot away from the bottom corner. In the end, despite their best efforts, Kosovo just didn’t quite have enough as they fell at the final hurdle.
Their pain is Turkey’s joy, and they can now dream of emulating their semi-final run from 2002. The Crescent-Stars are also now unbeaten in six matches and, given the quality at their disposal, they could be dark horses for the trophy in North America.