The Macedonian women’s A national team suffered a 3:1 defeat to Azerbaijan in their final Group 3 match in League C of the World Cup qualifiers.
The visitors took the lead in the 8th minute through Kristina Bakarandze, but Macedonia quickly responded, with Hava Mustafa equalising at 1:1 just three minutes later.
Azerbaijan regained the lead through Male Molayeva, while the final score of 3:1 was set in the 37th minute when Nigar Mirzaliyeva found the net. All four goals in the match were scored in the first half.
With this defeat, Macedonia finished the qualifying cycle in third place in the group with six points. Azerbaijan finished second, while Hungary claimed top spot. The Macedonian footballers earned their points with two victories over Andorra.
The match in Bitola also featured an emotional moment, as captain Viktorija Panchurova played her final match in the national team shirt and officially brought her international career to an end.
