International football
Albanian talents shine in the Youth League: Rexhepi double against Atlético, goals for Vukaj and Osmani too
Three young Albanians scored Wednesday in the under-19 Champions League, with Enis Rexhepi topping the scoring chart.
By ANN Newsroom · Newsroom
October 21, 2026, 19:40 · Updated 12:23 · 1 min read
In brief
- Enis Rexhepi scored twice for Stuttgart U19 in a 4-2 loss to Atlético Madrid and leads the scorers with 5 goals.
- Alen Vukaj, an Albania U19 striker, opened Inter’s 2-0 win over Shakhtar with a long-range goal.
- Erblin Osmani scored a penalty for Bayern U19 in a 3-3 draw with Arsenal.
As the senior teams played the third Champions League matchday on Wednesday, three young Albanian footballers took center stage in the UEFA Youth League, the under-19 Champions League.
Rexhepi tops the scorers
Striker Enis Rexhepi scored both of Stuttgart U19’s goals in a 4-2 defeat to Atlético Madrid. He scored first from the penalty spot in the 19th minute, celebrating in Cristiano Ronaldo style, and struck again in the 67th minute. After three rounds, Rexhepi leads the tournament’s scoring chart with five goals. He has been part of Albania’s U19 team but did not answer the September call-up, and there have been rumors of a possible switch to Kosovo, although nothing has been made official.
Vukaj’s stunner
At Inter U19, 18-year-old Alen Vukaj, a striker for Albania’s U19 national team, opened the scoring in a 2-0 win over Shakhtar Donetsk. His goal came from a long-range shot after the Ukrainian goalkeeper had come off his line, and it was also highlighted by UEFA’s channels.
Osmani scores against Arsenal
Kosovo midfielder Erblin Osmani was among the scorers in a spectacular 3-3 draw between Bayern Munich U19 and Arsenal U19 at the Bavarian club’s campus. He won a penalty himself and converted it in the 30th minute, putting Bayern 2-1 ahead. This season he has four goals and two assists in 11 matches in all competitions, while Bayern U19 are 16th with four points after three games.
Their performances come a few days after Albania defender Stavro Pilo scored against Manchester City in the Champions League and confirm the growing number of Albanian talents in Europe’s biggest academies.
