venings game was wrought with confusion as FIFA kept the Kosovo team guessing about who would be allowed to represent the tiny country in its

HELSINKI -- Amid last-minute confusion about which players are eligible to play for Kosovo, soccers newest national team started its first World Cup qualifier convincingly with a 1-1 draw against Finland, which has tried to reach the finals 18 times before.They pressed hard from the beginning on the Finns home turf with nifty footwork and quick passes in front of a capacity crowd in the southwestern city of Turku.Bernard Berisha had Kosovos first attempt on goal, six minutes into the game and Leart Paqarada hit the post three minutes later.But it was Finland which scored first, when forward Paulus Arajuuri was left unmarked to turn in a corner in the 17th minute.Kosovo kept up the pressure, eventually equalizing on the hour mark with Valon Berisha striking a penalty past Luka Hradecky, Eintracht Frankfurts goalkeeper.Mehmet Hetemaj, a naturalized Finn of Kosovar Albanian descent, who has played on Finlands national team, described the Kosovans as hungrier.They really wanted to win. They were there to win, he said.Kosovan President Hashim Thaci, who watched the game from the Turku grounds, said the team felt like winners.You are the best. You will win. You are the new heroes of Kosovo, he said.The buildup to the evenings game was wrought with confusion as FIFA kept the Kosovo team guessing about who would be allowed to represent the tiny country in its World Cup debut. Less than five hours before the 9:45 p.m. (1845 GMT) kickoff, FIFA finally approved six players who were already with the squad in Turku. Head coach Albert Bunjaki could sigh with relief -- he had a full team to choose from.Five of the six players, including goalkeeper Samir Ujkani, had formerly represented Albania, which borders Kosovo. The case of Berisha, who played for Norway before Kosovo gained FIFA and UEFA membership in May, was the last to be resolved.FIFAs players status committee had been evaluating requests to switch allegiance of Kosovo-eligible players who had represented other countries at youth or senior level while their home country was not recognized in international soccer.Kosovo team spokesman Fazli Berisha told The Associated Press the federation welcomed FIFAs decision. All our demands were taken into consideration.Kosovos assistant coach, Tord Grip, said the confusion was unsettling.Maybe its both the Kosovo federation and FIFA that have messed this up. I dont know all the details, Grip, a former longtime assistant to Sven-Goran Eriksson, told Swedish radio on Monday.Kosovos entry into FIFA membership has tested the rules on switching allegiance. Created to regulate typical cases in which players had nationality of two existing FIFA member federations, the rules have struggled to cope with a new national team like Kosovo.FIFA had in recent months approved requests from nine Kosovo players who had represented six different European countries, including Albania, Germany and Switzerland.Kosovos qualifying group also includes Croatia, Iceland, Turkey and Ukraine.--Llazar Semini in Tirana, Albania, Karl Ritter in Stockholm and Graham Dunbar in Geneva contributed to this story. Auston Matthews Maple Leafs Jersey . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. John Tavares Maple Leafs Jersey . The injury bothered Bledsoe in the Suns victory over the Clippers on Monday and he sat out the teams home loss to Memphis on Thursday night. http://www.mapleleafsteamstoreonline.com/authentic-johnny-bower-maple-leafs-jersey/ . 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METAIRIE, La. -- The New Orleans Saints, a half-century-old NFL franchise whose early decades were defined largely by bumbling ineptitude, have seen their share of losses marked by unlikely plays and surreal drama.The latest -a 25-23 loss against Denver decided by a blocked extra-point kick returned for a 2-point conversion -- repeated another scenario that has become all too familiar for the Saints in the past decade.It marked the fifth time since 2007 that the Saints (4-5) have rebounded from a start of 1/3 or worse to get to 4-4, only to lose their ninth game. The previous four times it happened -- in 2007, 2012, 2014 and 2015 -- the Saints never got above .500 and missed the playoffs.But the Saints want to believe this time will turn out differently over their last seven games. Some untimely mistakes may have cost them a narrow loss to the defending champion Broncos, but New Orleans players say there remains plenty of evidence that their turnaround has not by any means been derailed.Against the Broncos, the Saints had arguably their best game defensively this season, especially with their pass rush. They had six sacks after getting 11 combined in the first eight games. Cameron Jordan provided consistent pressure and had a team-high eight tackles, including one sack.I thought he played exceptionally well, coach Sean Payton said. It was probably one of his best games of the year. The pressure was significant. I think that really helped us in a lot of ways -- coverage-wise and obviously with the sudden changes that we had.The Saints twice intercepted Trevor Siemian and twice they forced Denver to settle for field-goal attempts after reaching the red zone.Although New Orleanns had four turnovers and a slow start that yielded just three first-half points, Drew Brees was 21 of 29 for 303 yards against the NFLs top-rated pass defense.dddddddddddd Brees was sacked just once by a defense that had 28 sacks in its previous nine games.Brandin Cooks finished with 98 yards on three receptions. But fellow wide receiver Michael Thomas, a rookie second-round draft choice, lost two fourth-quarter fumbles, the first of which set up a tying touchdown and the second of which led to a field goal that gave the Broncos a 23-17 lead shortly before Brees and Cooks connected on a 32-yard TD that briefly tied the game at 23.A No. 1 pick in 2014, Cooks has emerged as the Saints leading receiver the last two seasons. He said he called Thomas, who has been the most productive rookie receiver in the NFL, on Sunday night to check on him.Hes doing good, Cooks said. Stuff happens and you learn from it. As young guys we learn to bounce back. Im going to continue to push him and be there for him.The Saints have a quick turnaround as they prepare to visit NFC South rival Carolina on Thursday night.We lost a game that left a bad taste in our mouth, Jordan said. Its good that we get a fast chance at redemption.The Saints beat the Panthers 41-38 on Oct. 16 in the Superdome.The best thing that can happen for us is the next game coming up in four days, Cooks said. The best thing for this team is to get back to doing what we need to do, especially against a division opponent.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '