The teams of Bashkimi and Makedonija Gjorche Petrov played out a true football spectacle featuring six goals, comebacks, a missed penalty and dramatic VAR decisions. Although the Kumanovo side (which played this match in Gostivar due to a suspension at its home ground) squandered a two-goal lead, the point they ultimately earned also officially secured their survival in the First League.
The match began with a great chance for Bashkimi, when Nickel Or found himself in a dangerous position, but his shot was saved by the visiting goalkeeper Jankov. The „Lions“ quickly responded – Ali Adem found himself one-on-one with the home goalkeeper Jashar, who intervened and pushed the ball out for a corner. However, from that very set piece, Kabarkas reacted best inside the penalty area and gave Makedonija GP a 0-1 lead.
The hosts immediately increased the pressure. After Ribeiro’s attempt from 17 metres was saved by Jankov, the equaliser arrived quickly. Emanuel Avornio scored for 1-1 in the 17th minute following an assist from Aleksovski. Aleksovski himself produced a true masterpiece in the 31st minute, beating Jankov after a solo run to give Bashkimi the lead for the first time. The advantage grew to a convincing 3-1 just six minutes later, when Hasani provided an excellent assist and Avornio crowned a superb three-pass team move with his second goal.
The second half belonged to the visitors, who refused to give up. In their first serious attack of the half, in the 52nd minute, Sofijanovski made an excellent run into the penalty area and unselfishly found Stevan Nikolić, who reduced the deficit to 3-2 into an empty net.
The excitement reached its climax when, following a VAR review and a handball by one of the visiting defenders, referee Grujovski pointed to the spot for Bashkimi. However, the experienced Risto Jankov read captain Armend Alimi’s shot and prevented the lead from being extended. The punishment came in the 86th minute, when Kabarkas scored his second goal of the match to set the final score at 3-3, sparking huge celebrations among the visitors from Gjorche.
Until the end, the game was literally played on an „all-or-nothing“ basis. In the 88th minute, the visitors appealed for a penalty after Richkov’s run and a handball by a home defender, but following a lengthy VAR consultation, the referee ruled that there had previously been an offside position. In stoppage time, Makedonija GP had a colossal chance to win, but Dzhangarovski’s powerful shot struck only the post.
In the final round of the championship, Bashkimi visit Pelister in Bitola, while Makedonija GP will face Sileks.
