Macedonian U21 national team suffered a 2:1 defeat on the road qualifier in Belgrade against Serbia.
photo by FSS: Serbia scores
Macedonia and Serbia entered this clash with one point difference in favor of the visiting side. Macedonia were on the third place, while Serbia fifth. Ukraine are second placed but considering their situation it might turn out that the third place is very important as it might lead to playoff. That is why this match was extremely important for both sides.
First half
Coach Kanatlarovski chose the following starters: Denkovski, Hajdari, Manev, Iseni, Sheji, Vosha, Emini, Fazlagikj, Grozdanovski, Antovski, Gjorgievski. The match started calmly on both ends. It was Antovski who fired the first sho, but the ball went high. The first real threat resulted in the opening goal. Terzić delivered a cross from a corner kick in the 10th minute. Pantović was unmarked in the box where the Macedonian defense left open huge space and he headed the ball home. Serbia took over the control of the match later and had couple of other opportunities. They were closer to scoring a second, then Macedonia equalizing. In the 42nd minute, Denkovski, who looked a bit unsure before this, saved a 100% chance. Tedić was wide open in the box when he received a ball, but Denkovski managed to save his goal with an excellent move.
Second half
The second half also started calmly and both teams weren’t really threatening each other. The first good opportunity was around the hour mark and it was for the hosts. A well rounded passing move found Terzić in the box but his header went wide and did not trouble Denkovski. Macedonia needed to start pushing more after the 60th minute and Kanatlarovski made the first changes. Rustemoski entered the match instead of Sheji while Ilievski replaced Gjorgievski. However, in the 66th minute the only booked player in the first half, Iseni, received his second yellow. That meant Macedonia had to finish the match with 10 men. Soon after, Kanatlarovski made 2 more changes. Dimoski replaced Grozdanoski and Todorovski took over Emini’s place.
Final 10 minutes
In the 81st minute Kanatlarovski made the final move, introducing Maksimov who replaced Vosha. This meant a more offensive display for Macedonia but also plenty of open space in defense, resulting in opportunities on both ends. In one such occasion, Daničić sprinted down the left side and sent a perfect cross in the box. Milovanović headed a ball which was saved by Denkovski, but the ball fell perfectly for Jović. He had no problems doubling Serbia’s lead and it seemed like they were heading for the win. But, in the first attack after kick-off Dimoski received a great through ball sent by Todorovski and he fired it past the opposing keeper for 2:1. This made the match more interesting, but Serbia were able to hold off and in the end deservedly celebrated a 2:1 win.
Highlights:
With this win they took over the third place, while Macedonia fell to 4th. Macedonia now has 2 consecutive home matches. First against Faroe Islands on the 29th of March, then Armenia on 2nd of June. The final match in the group, against Ukraine away is doubtful at the moment.