A high-scoring game marked the opening game of Round 18 that saw Rabotnichki defeat Napredok 4:3, thanks in large part to a hat-trick by veteran attacker Borche Manevski.
Last Saturday, it was Rabotnichki captain Krste Velkoski who notched a hat-trick in the 5:0 trashing of Shkendija, while today his colleague Borche Manevski did the same in Rabotnichki’s narrow 4:3 win over struggling side Napredok who showed good fight to make for an interesting game.
Rabotnichki opened the scoring early in the 8th minute through left-back Aleksandar Milushev, while Manevski got his first goal six minutes before halftime to give the home side a 2:0 lead heading into break.
In the second half, from the 53rd to the 60th minute, Napredok grabbed two goals through Dejan Cvetanoski and Vlatko Mojsovski to level the score at 2:2. Manevski, meanwhile, then made sure Rabotnichki did not drop any points when he added two more goals to complete his hat-trick in the 71st and 83rd minute. Napredok managed to pull one back in the 90th minute when Kushtrim Balazhi converted a penalty in stoppage time to complete the 4:3 scoreline.
Having played an extra game over its challengers at the top of the table, Rabotnichki moved into sole possession of 1st place with 31 points. However, both Vardar and Pelister, trailing now by just a single point and playing their games tomorrow, will have a chance to overtake Rabotnichki on the standings with positive results.
Rabotnichki – Napredok 4:3 (2:0)
8′ Aleksandar Milushev, 39′, 71′, 83′ Borche Manevski – 53′ Dejan Cvetanovski, 60′ Vlatko Mojsovski, 90’+1 Kushtrim Balazhi