Macedonia's under-18 national team recorded a 1:0 victory over Montenegro in the friendly match played in Ohrid.
Macedonia had an excellent opportunity to take the lead in the 21st minute, when Andrej Cvetkovski found himself in a good position, but his shot went wide of the post.
As the match continued, both teams had their moments, while Macedonia took the lead in the 60th minute. Vasko Papaliski scored for 1:0 with a superb volley and set the final score.
In the 65th minute, Cvetkovski again found himself with an opportunity to score, but the visiting goalkeeper made an excellent save and prevented the lead from being extended.
Until the end, Vlatko Kolev's players played in a disciplined manner and managed to preserve their narrow lead for a victory over a quality Montenegro team.
Macedonia: Darijan Denkoski, Aleksa Jazagiq (76. Pavel Ribarski), Teo Stojcevski, Pavel Koteski, Marko Ivanov, Blendi Ljaqa (46. Arda Iljazovski), Vasko Papaliski, Andrej Cvetkovski, Marko Mircevski (46. Jakov Presilski), Luka Georgiev (90. Iljir Gjoni), Alek Trpkov (46. Alek Cedomirski).
Head coach: Vlatko Kolev.
Montenegro: Simon Sosiq (46. Strahinja Terziq), Blagoje Uzunovski (84. Andrija Rondoviq), Stefan Nediq, Petar Ivanoviq (70. Luka Markoviq), Matija Rakceviq (70. Nemanja Kljajeviq), Aleksa Causeviq (46. Petar Begoviq), Mark Gjokaj (70. Pavle Pejoviq), Petar Radomiroviq (70. Andrej Kruniq), Matija Knezeviq (46. Adnan Hajdarpasiq), Danilo Kisiq, Luka Vusuroviq.
Head coach: Radovan Kavaja.
Vlatko Kolev, Macedonia under-18 head coach:
„I am satisfied with the victory, especially considering who we played against. Montenegro is a team that has shown quality in the recent period and managed to qualify for a major tournament. We were also without several regular players from this generation in this match, who are currently playing for the older national teams. This meant that we gave other boys the opportunity to show what they can do, and I think they made good use of the chance. We were disciplined, combative and reacted well in the key moments. Of course, there are things we need to work on and improve, but a victory like this against a strong opponent is a good indicator and additional motivation for this generation.“
