After eight years, Vardar celebrated in Tetovo against Shkendija in the derby of the round in the First Macedonian Football League. The most trophy-winning Macedonian club celebrated with a minimal, but big 0:1 on the road in Tetovo. This is the first triumph of the "red-blacks" after 21 matches played.
With these three points, Vardar climbed to the leading position in the table after ten rounds played with 24 points, ahead of Struga, which has one less, while Shkendija fell to fourth place with 21 points.
The match in Tetovo started with careful and tactical outsmarting of both coaches. In the first half there was not much excitement, the home team tried to shoot from a distance, but the goalkeeper Davor Taleski was excellent and did not allow any surprises. Vardar first threatened through Mato, whose ball was cleared, and then Matić shot over the goal. The closest to a goal was Azer Omeragić, who, after a cross from Mato, headed it past the post.
The most exciting moment in the first half was in the 31st minute, when Shkendija created three great chances in just a few seconds. Besart Ibraimi shot dangerously from a free kick, but Taleski made a phenomenal save. After the rebound, Spahiu's shot was cleared by Filip Najdovski from the goal line, and then Ibraimi's second attempt was saved by Taleski. The half-time break was scoreless.
Right at the start of the second half, after a corner kick from Vardar, Alhasan made a careless move and played with his hand in a jump. Referee Stojanche Trpchevski pointed to the penalty spot, and David Babunski confidently converted for a 0:1 lead in the 49th minute.
After the lead, Vardar played calmly and maturely. Mato continued to cause problems for Shkendija's defense, while the hosts tried through Tamba and Ibraimi, but Davor Taleski was unerring between the posts. In the final minutes, the young Danev and Todorovski brought freshness to Vardar's ranks, who could have increased their lead through counterattacks, but the final pass was missing.
In the 87th minute, Ibraimi scored a goal to the delight of the home crowd, but after a VAR review, the goal was disallowed due to offside.
The three points went to Skopje, and Vardar once again confirmed with this victory that it is returning in style. In the next round, Vardar will welcome Sileks in another derby at the top, while Shkendija will visit Brera in Strumica.
