Shkupi officially won the title, Gostivar and Makedonija GjP will have to wait until the last round to see who will go into the promotion play-off, while the race for avoiding the relegation play-off spot remains wide open between four teams.
Shkupi suffered their sixth loss of the season against Gostivar, but since Mladost Carev Dvor failed to win, it was enough for the Pigeons to win the title. They have 3 more points then Mladost CD and also hold the first tiebreaker (head-to-head record). So, despite what happens in the final round when these two teams meet, it will not matter as Shkupi will finish in first place, while Mladost will have to settle for second.
For Gostivar, the 2:1 win over Shkupi was crucial as they remained in third place, the spot that leads to the promotion play-off against the 8th ranked team from the First League. If they stay third, their opponent in that play-off will be Turnovo.
Makedonija GjP also won in this round to remain two points behind Gostivar. Since Gostivar holds the head-to-head tiebreaker versus Makedonija GjP, the latter will need to win in the final round and have Gostivar lose. Both teams have tricky road clashes in the final round. Gostivar faces Gorno Lisiche, while Makedonija GjP meets Skopje. Both of their opponents have something to play for since they want to avoid the relegation play-off (reserved for the 8th ranked team in the Second League).
Four clubs are involved in the battle to avoid 8th place. Skopje and Vlazrimi 77 have 36 points apiece, Kozhuf Miravci has 35 points, while Gorno Lisiche has 34 points. Today, Vlazrimi 77 managed to win a point from the road game against promoted side Mladost CD, while Gorno Lisiche was beaten by Makedonija GjP. Meanwhile, Kozhuf Miravci and Skopje faced each other in a game that ended 1:1.
The last round, scheduled for next weekend, will decide the unanswered questions. Vlazrimi 77 should be fine since they face local rivals Napredok, a team that has a goal difference of -52 this season. Kozhuf Miravci visits the other relegated team, Drita. They are not as bad as Napredok, but Drita has nothing to play for. The most difficult tasks will fall to Skopje and Gorno Lisiche who, as we previously mentioned, will be hosting Makedonija GjP and Gostivar, respectively.
The final game played on Saturday was more of an exhibition between the two relegated sides of Napredok and Drita. Drita managed to edge Napredok 3:2.
Round 26 results:
Mladost Carev Dvor – Vlazrimi 77 1:1 (1:0)
25′ Antonio Kalanoski – 55′ Valdet Osmani
Gostivar – Shkupi 2:1 (0:1)
48′ Milan Ristovski, 51′ Flamur Tairi – 22′ Miran Maksuti
Makedonija Gjorche Petrov – Gorno Lisiche 2:0 (1:0)
40′ Edis Malikji, 73′ Husein Demiri
Kozhuf Miravci – Skopje 1:1 (0:0)
60′ Bunjamin Shabani – 83′ Darko Milevski
Napredok – Drita 2:3 (1:1)
41′ Artan Sejdini, 65′ (pen) Antonio Grujovski – 37′ Florim Abazi, 52′ Valjmir Jonuzi, 70′ Durim Saiti