Shkëndija Aračinovo continued its run of positive results, defeating Skopje 1-0 with a goal from Dashmir Elezi in the final match of the seventh round.
Shkëndija Aračinovo had the first chance of the match, when Mile Todorov shot from close range (four metres), but Naumovski produced an excellent save in Skopje’s goal.
The visitors responded for the first time in the 21st minute, when Poposki entered the penalty area and found Angelov, but his shot on the goal line was stopped by defender Esin Hakaј. In the 39th minute, Amir Nuhija missed the clearest opportunity after heading over the crossbar from 4–5 metres.
In the very next minute, Mile Todorov managed to find the net from a difficult angle, but following a review by the VAR system, the goal was disallowed for offside.
In the 42nd minute, the visitors threatened from a free kick, but the home goalkeeper, Antonio Stolevski, was equal to the task.
The second half brought much better play from Shkëndija Aračinovo, with Memedi taking the first shot from 17 metres; however, goalkeeper Naumovski was solid on the line and saved Skopje. In the 60th minute, Remzifaik Selmani had a colossal chance to open the scoring, but Naumovski reacted brilliantly with his legs to save his shot and send the ball for a corner. A minute later, the hosts produced a perfect combination, with Todorov finding Selmani in the penalty area, but Skopje’s goalkeeper once again came out on top in the duel.
Skopje threatened through Cvetkovski, who unleashed a powerful volley from 17 metres, but the ball flew high over the crossbar. In the 83rd minute, Skopje could have taken the lead after a major mistake by Ličina, but Berović’s header finished wide of Antonio Stoleski’s goal. Just two minutes later, Berović threatened again with a header from five metres, but Shkëndija’s goalkeeper prevented a surprise.
The punishment came at the other end, as Dashmir Elezi reacted best to Todorov’s assist and eventually beat the excellent Naumovski.
