Pelister is still waiting for its first win in Bitola this season, after being defeated in its second attempt at home, this time by Bashkimi with a score of 1:2.
The warm weather brought a lethargic start for the home team, while the visitors from Kumanovo fared much better at the start of the match, which started at 3:30 p.m. They almost opened the scoring with a goal in the first serious attack in the fifth minute.
The action in the Bitola half was started by Simonovski, who played Panovski, who allowed Hadžić to take a shot, which resulted in the lead. Pelister failed to psychologically return to the match, so apart from a few half-chances, they did not consolidate the game. Belić was one of the most scattered, so in the 16th minute he found himself in a situation to shoot or pass, but he chose the wrong one, because Petkovski was offside. In the very next attack, Belić gathered the courage to shoot, and forced a corner.
On the other hand, the guests were creating chances too easily. At first, Simonovski was "eye to eye" with the Pelister goalkeeper, and in the 19th minute, Avormio reached the penalty area line from the left side and found Hadžić in the mix, who was once again a magnet for the ball. He managed to slip it through the opponents' legs and place it in the far corner of Jovčevski, who was covered and reacted late.
The home team failed to create a serious chance, but the triple substitution of Kapinovski in the 31st minute stabilized the game and did not allow Bashkimi to reach a new opportunity in the first half. At the beginning of the second half, Pelister showed a much more active and fighting game, and the first serious action brought a penalty kick for the Bitola club. Grozdanovski was the most deserving of the penalty, but captain Aleksandar Ristevski failed to convert, hitting Jashari in the legs. The rebounded ball was hooked by Ristovski, but his header ended up in the crossbar.
Pelister continued to create chances, in the 62nd minute they fought back from a corner, but it went over the goal. In the 67th minute Stefan Spirovski took responsibility in the attack, played Milenkovski, who returned the ball to him, after which the experienced former national team player beat the Bashkimi goalkeeper.
Although they had the initiative on the field and fought for several corners, the Bitola team lacked concrete solutions in the key moments. Angelovski and Mrmachovski brought freshness to the attack, but the realization was lacking. In the final, Bashkimi threatened through Xhelili, who forced a corner, and Yahija hit the crossbar in the next attack. It was too little to confirm their superiority, but enough to remain winners, because Pelister did not have the strength to punish until the end and reach an equalizer.
In the next, eighth round, Pelister will visit Struga, while Bashkimi will host Vardar.
