After the goalless draw away to Portugal in Leiria, we compiled the player ratings of the Macedonian national team.  We tried to be objective and judge the players based on today’s game.  Keep in mind that a rating of 6.0 is considered average.

Martin Bogatinov: Very good performance by Bogatinov.  Looked confident, sure of himself and did not make any bobbles or blunders in goal.  Martin was able to clear or catch dangerous looking crosses, displayed good positioning throughout the game and made some good saves on his way to a clean sheet. 8.0

Stefan Ristovski: The 20-year-old Ristovski, who started at right wingback, did an admirable job dealing with the threat that is Cristiano Ronaldo.  Stefan did not seem intimidated by Ronaldo, was rarely caught out of position, went forward when he needed to, and even finished the game playing on the left side once Daniel Georgievski entered the game in the 73rd minute.  This game should serve as a confidence booster for Ristovski moving forward. 7.5

Vanche Shikov: The entire defense played very well but Shikov stood out from the rest with his play.  Shikov countlessly intercepted passes, made important blocks and sliding challenges.  Would have received a higher grade if he converted the big chance in the 58th minute when he sent his header from an unmarked position over the goal following a corner by Ivan Trichkovski. 7.5

Boban Grncharov: Boban, like the rest of the defenders did a nice job.  Did not stand out as much as Shikov or Noveski but still made some important contributions in holding Portugal without a goal. 7.0

Nikolche Noveski: The veteran Noveski was his usual self, a very consistent and reliable performer who threw his body around to make important blocks, and he did a masterful job in not allowing Portugal to break down the resilient Macedonian defenders. 7.5

Yani Urdinov: Very good debut for Urdinov with the senior national team.  Urdinov was able to neutralize Ricardo Quaresma on the left hand side, and played with good intensity during the game.  In the 2nd half, Quaresma started falling too easily and won a number of fouls on Urdinov, who was then shown a yellow card in the 52nd minute.  Not wanting to risk a red card, manager John Toshack substituted Urdinov in the 73rd minute but Yani can be pleased with his performance. 7.0

Stefan Spirovski: Spirovski had the first chance for Macedonia in the 16th minute but he rushed his shot and sent his effort wide of the goal.  Worked tirelessly in midfield and rewarded Toshack for having the confidence to start him in such a game. 6.5

Nikola Gligorov: Gligorov was tasked with disrupting Portugal’s attacks in midfield, and Gligorov did what was asked of him.  He made some important sliding challenges and played within himself. 6.5

Ivan Trichkovski: Ivan had a lot of responsibility in not only spearheading the Macedonian attack, but also dropping back to help out on defense.  The attackers did not have much support with the defensive minded formation, but Trichkovski made some dangerous runs and also should have assisted on that missed header by Shikov in the 58th minute as Ivan took the corner kick. 7.0

Goran Pandev: Pandev created the first chance for Macedonia when he played a good ball to Spirovski on a counter attack.  Had a chance in the 46th minute but a bad first touch squandered the opportunity.  Displayed effort and some good dribbles but did not have much support in attack. 7.0

Samir Fazli: Samir was very isolated up front as the lone striker.  He did fight for possession to the best of his abilities, and did track back consistently to help out on defense. 6.5

Substitutes:

Muhamed Demiri: Entered the game around the 53rd minute to replace Nikola Gligorov.  Demiri made some good interceptions of Portugal passes and was solid in his defensive midfield role. 6.5

Agim Ibraimi: After Ibraimi came on in the 53rd minute, substituting Stefan Spirovski, he added some creativity in attack.  Ibraimi had an immediate chance in the 55th minute but his curling left footed shot went wide of the goal.  He did have some plays later on in which he tried to do too much. 6.5

Ferhan Hasani: Ferhan was hardly noticeable during his 30 minutes on the pitch, including stoppage time.  After coming on in the 63rd minute, the attack became more stagnant for Macedonia. 5.5

Daniel Georgievski: Introduced in the 73rd minute to replace Yani Urdinov.  The move caused Ristovski to move from right wingback to left which allowed Georgievski to then play on the right side.  He did a good job dealing with the Portugal attacks and battled for every ball. 6.5

Daniel Mojsov: Came on in the 85th minute to substitute Ivan Trichkovski as Toshack brought on another defender to hold on to the clean sheet.  Did not play enough minutes to qualify for a rating. N/A

In addition, before the game, Ivan Trichkovski was presented with an award for being the best footballer to represent Macedonian football abroad for the year 2011.  The award was given to him by FFM president Haralampie Hadji-Risteski and FFM vice-president Kenan Idrizi.