In a true derby match played at the stadium in Shtip, Shkëndija made a flying start. In the very first move of the match, Endrit Krasniqi produced a masterful assist into the penalty area, and Ndzen-gue calmly found the net to give his side an early lead.
A little later, Krueziu unleashed a fierce long-range shot towards the home goal, but goalkeeper Amir Jashar was equal to the task with a brilliant save. Bregalnica threatened in the first half when Martin Stojanov attempted to beat the visiting goalkeeper with a lob, but Gaye managed to clear the ball for a corner with a last-ditch effort.
Shortly afterwards, the same player launched a quick counterattack, but his pass across the face of goal was just too fast for Maksimov at the far post.
In the 35th minute, Tamba broke into the penalty area and fired dangerously, but Jashar once again kept his side safe with a confident save. From the continuation of the same move, Krueziu also threatened, but the home defence cleared the ball just in time before the goal line.
And just when it seemed that Shkëndija were in control of the game, the shock equaliser arrived in the 39th minute – 1-1. Maksimov broke down the right and played an excellent ball to Hristijan Stojkovski, who precisely found the net from around 17 metres to score his first goal of the season in a Bregalnica shirt.
The second half began with a threat from the hosts: Gligorov found himself completely unmarked just six metres from the Shkëndija goal, but his shot lacked power and went straight into the hands of the reliable Gaye. The same player found Maksimov a little later, but this time the shot ended harmlessly as easy prey.
The punishment for Shtip's missed chances arrived quickly. In the 73rd minute, Shkëndija launched a swift and brilliant counterattack – the experienced Besart Ibraimi produced a masterful assist into the heart of the area, and Marko Gjorgjievski calmly scored from seven metres to restore the lead and make it 1-2.
Bregalnica attempted to fight back through Nathaniel Masko in the 78th minute, but his shot went high over the goal. The hosts had a chance to earn a point, but the Shkëndija goalkeeper saved a penalty taken by Ivan Nikolov in the fourth minute of stoppage time.
In the next, 13th round, Shkëndija face another difficult away match against Struga TL, while Bregalnica will take on Bashkimi in Kumanovo.
