Round 25 of the Second League saw Shkupi and Mladost CD get officially promoted to the First League, while Drita was officially relegated.
Table leaders Shkupi played a goalless draw at their own stadium versus local rivals Makedonija GjP. That point was enough for the popular Pigeons to get promoted. Previously known as Sloga Jugomagnat, the club returns to the top division for the first time since the 2009/10 season when they quit the league after only 10 rounds. For Makedonija GjP, it was also an important point as they are fighting for the third place that leads into the promotion play-off. The Lions are now 2 points behind Gostivar with two rounds remaining.
Second-placed Mladost Carev Dvor also realized their dream with a 2:0 win over third ranked Gostivar. They are now 6 points ahead of Gostivar, but they own the first tiebreaker (in case of a tie which is still possible since two rounds remain) which is head-to-head matchups. Mladost CD won two games against Gostivar this season (5:0 and today’s 2:0 result) and lost once (0:1). Therefore, Mladost CD holds the edge which means for the first time in their club history they will be competing in the First League next season. This is quite an achievement since this was their debut season in the Second League. However, they made the most of it and will now be heading to the top division.
On the other end of the spectrum, Drita was officially relegated. Only a win would do versus Vlazrimi 77 today, but instead Drita lost 4:2. Despite playing with an extra man for more than a half after Raif Marseloski was red carded, Drita could not take advantage of the opportunity. Instead, a 1:1 draw at halftime quickly turned into a 4:1 deficit for Drita who did grab a late consolation goal in the 90th minute. Drita gets relegated to the Third League West, same as Napredok, the last placed club.
Another important match today was the Gorno Lisiche vs. Kozhuf Miravci encounter. Both teams are hoping to avoid 8th place which leads to the relegation play-offs versus one of the five third division winners. Gorno Lisiche did what it had to do by beating Kozhuf Miravci 2:1 after conceding an early goal in the 1st minute. Both teams are now equal on points after this result. With Skopje expectedly beating Napredok in the other game today, the battle for avoiding 8th place will be very close. As things stand now, Skopje and Vlazrimi 77 have 35 points apiece, while Gorno Lisiche and Kozhuf Miravci have 34 points apiece. In the final two rounds, all four of those clubs will be aiming to avoid the 8th spot.
In summary, there are two storylines remaining in the final two rounds of the Second League after today’s results. They are whether Makedonija GjP will catch Gostivar for the third spot, and which of the four clubs between 5th and 8th place (currently separated by one point) will avoid the 8th position after the final round.
Round 25 results:
Vlazrimi 77 – Drita 4:2 (2:1)
8′ Valdet Osmani, 32′ Ersen Sali, 51′ Blagoj Gucev, 72′ Murat Adili – 19′ Faton Shakjiri, 90′ Brendim Rushiti
Skopje – Napredok 4:0 (2:0)
17′ Borche Uzhevski, 27′, 51′ 60′ Darko Milevski
Gorno Lisiche – Kozhuf Miravci 2:1 (1:1)
34′ Alen Jasharoski, 54′ Vladimir Mojsovski – 1′ Edin Mersovski
Shkupi – Makedonija Gjorche Petrov 0:0
Mladost Carev Dvor – Gostivar 2:0 (1:0)
26′ Toni Veljanoski, 55′ Igor Klechkaroski