Feronikeli and Gjilan met in the first round of the Superliga on Thursday, and the visitors left with three points after a 1:3 victory. The match opened with Ferikeli taking an early lead through G. Jashari in the seventh minute, but Gjilan responded to take control. By then the pattern was clear — two penalties in the second half proved decisive.
Feronikeli started brightly enough, with Jashari finding the net before the quarter-hour mark. Gjilan waited until the forty-eighth minute to equalise through H. Namani, and from that point the visitors grew into the game. And here's the thing — once Gjilan took the lead, Ferikeli chased the game and left themselves open at the back.
The turning point came in the eighty-fifth minute when B. Tolaj converted a penalty to restore Gjilan's advantage. Two minutes later S. Zogu added a second spot-kick to seal the result. To be fair, Ferikeli had created more chances overall, but Gjilan were sharper when it mattered.
On the statistics, Ferikeli dominated possession at 57 per cent and registered 178 attacks to their opponents' 124. They also outshot Gjilan 7-4 on target, yet ended up losing. Many shots with one goal means chances went begging — and Gjilan made do with fewer opportunities.
Before kick-off Ferikeli sat ninth with zero points from four defeats, while Gjilan occupied sixth place on seven points from two wins, one draw and one loss. The result moved Gjilan further clear of the bottom half, though Ferikeli's recent form in May suggested they were not without quality. The table goes out of the window in these games, but this was a statement of intent from the visitors.