The match in Kratovo began at a high tempo, with the home side going fully on the offensive. Right from the start, Timovski sent a powerful long-range shot to signal that Sileks would put pressure on the visitors’ goal, but his effort went just wide of the post. Adi Alić carried the greatest attacking threat for the Kratovo side, finding himself in several ideal positions to take the lead. First, following an excellent move, his close-range shot went over the bar, and then his header from Pireš’s cross was saved by the assured Siljanovski.
Sileks came closest to taking the lead midway through the first half, when Donov, after a superb run, unleashed a veritable missile, but fortunately for the visitors, the goal frame came to Arsimi’s rescue. The side from Čegrane looked for their chances through quick transitions, with Gafuri their most dangerous player. He first missed a colossal opportunity when he found himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Džekov, and then tried his luck with an attractive effort from almost 30 metres. Just before half-time, Sileks had another golden opportunity, but Alić, following Dodev’s assist, was once again inaccurate from just six metres.
The second half began in similar fashion – Micevski played Alić into the penalty area brilliantly, but the home striker was once again slow to react. The punishment for the numerous misses arrived in the 52nd minute. Albion Ramadani produced a phenomenal strike from 22 metres into the far corner of Džekov’s goal, giving Arsimi a 0-1 lead.
Sileks immediately went in search of an equaliser and in the 68th minute managed to find the net through Mišev with a clever lob. However, the home fans’ joy was short-lived, as following a VAR intervention, the goal was disallowed for offside.
In the closing stages of the match, the pressure from the Kratovo side intensified. In the 86th minute, Mišev found himself in another good position, but his shot was blocked, while Delimegac fired inaccurately in the continuation of the move. Donov had the final chance to rescue a point in stoppage time, but his header went straight into the hands of the assured goalkeeper Siljanovski, securing all three points for Arsimi in this difficult away fixture.
