AP Brera and Pelister played a very „tough“ first-division match in which the only goal was scored at the beginning, from the penalty spot. It later proved decisive and dictated the course of the match, but the Bitola side successfully defended their goal and deservedly celebrated at the end.
Kerim was making a run down the left, and when the moment came to cross, the ball struck Velkoski’s hand and referee Stojcevski immediately pointed to the spot. Although the penalty was awarded in the fourth minute, it was taken two minutes later after a VAR review was conducted at the request of the home players. Mirko Ivanovski converted the spot-kick.
This shock clearly prompted the home side to open up and start attacking, but it took until the 12th minute for anything to develop, and even then it was slow and harmless, when Velichkovski failed to reach the ball before Jovcevski intervened in the penalty area. On two occasions, AP Brera tried to threaten Pelister’s goal from set pieces with high crosses, but only on the first attempt did Mihailov manage to find Velkoski, without creating any danger.
During this period, Pelister had one counterattack worth mentioning, but although it was excellently worked, Ivanovski shot first time and was not accurate enough.
Another key moment came in the 32nd minute: Marjan Ristovski positioned his body at the edge of the penalty area, but Arizankovski went down and referee Stojcevski judged that there had been a foul. This penalty was also checked in the VAR room, and after it was confirmed, Filip Mihailov stepped up to take it. His low shot into the bottom-right corner was saved by Jovcevski, who once again stood out among the best performers for the Bitola club.
Before the end of the first half, Pelister threatened, again through a run down the left. Kerim’s cutback was collected by Srbijanac, who moved into the penalty area but opted to look for Ivanovski; however, the ball was intercepted and the danger cleared.
The second half also featured plenty of physically demanding running, so both coaches took the opportunity to make several substitutions and keep the tension high until the end. Of the many half-chances, we will mention those created by AP Brera late on. Velkov managed to play the ball to Stojilevski, but the return pass to Todorov was not executed in the best way. Perhaps the last really serious attack came in the sixth minute of stoppage time, when Todorov sent the ball into the Bitola side’s penalty area, but Jovcevski collected it „on the fly“ and thwarted yet another such AP Brera attack.
The Strumica side showed an exceptionally combative spirit and kept trying until the final whistle, but it was not their day. Pelister looked far more experienced in a situation where the two teams were shaping the standings through a direct battle in the fight for survival. AP Brera remain in eighth place with 33 points, but Pelister are now just one point behind them in ninth. Rabotnicki and Macedonia GP are behind them with 28 and 27 points respectively, while bottom side Shkupi have just one point.
