Vardar entered the Skopje derby against Rabotnicki as the favorite, but achieved victory after a great fight, after the rival, encouraged by the recent victory over Pelister, went full steam ahead against the "red-blacks".
In the seventh minute, after an assist from Trajkov, Rabotnicki took the lead through Imeri, which was a clear signal that the guests had come to outplay them. Vardar managed to recover from the shock, but they were also a little lucky that Rabotnicki did not increase the score to 2:0 in the following opportunities – first when Trajkov beat, and then Imeri, who tried to lob Taleski.
From the middle of the half Vardar took the initiative, and the chances started to pile up, but goalkeeper Vasilev had his day and confidently defended Rabotnicki's goal, taming several shots that went inside the goal. Danev had an attractive attempt from a volley in a turn, while shots from Omeradjic and Mato ended in corners. In the 38th minute Babunski tried from a free kick, but again without realization.
The equalizer came in the 41st minute, when a penalty was awarded to Vardar. The red-and-blacks' action was stopped due to a handball signal by Demiri, and after reviewing the situation in the VAR room, the referee decided that there was a foul for the strictest penalty. The 11-meter kick was scored by Babunski, for whom this was the first goal in the Macedonian championship.
The second half also started dynamically, with chances for Rabotnicki to take the lead again. Demiri did not take advantage of the opportunity when he found himself face to face with Taleski, which obviously brought additional nervousness into the visitors' game. A few minutes later, Velkoski led an attack, but after being brought down, the referee let the game flow. In the counterattack that followed, Demiri made a sharp start to clear the danger, but after analysis in the VAR room, he was awarded a foul, a second yellow card and a suspension.
Vardar quickly took advantage of the numerical advantage and in the 59th minute took the lead with 2:1. The goal was preceded by an excellent intervention by Vasilev, but while the Rabotnicki defense was looking for a foul, Mato played Diego Casteñada, who scored the goal. In the 67th minute Vardar scored another goal, Manevski sent the ball towards the penalty area, and Mato managed to catch it and deceive Vasilev.
By the end of the match, both teams created several more serious attempts, which gave additional dynamics and attractiveness to the derby, but the nets remained calm.
For Vardar, this is the 36th win in 80 head-to-head matches with Rabotnicki. The "Red and Blacks" have six wins and one draw (with AP Brera) this season, which is why they are at the top of the table with 19 points.
Tomorrow, the matches AP Brera - Arsimi and the derby Sileks - Struga will be played, while on Tuesday, the last match of the seventh round is on the program: Pelister - Bashkimi.
