Bregalnica Shtip ended their winless run with a 3:0 victory over Bashkimi Kumanovo in the Fourth round of the First League on Friday evening. The result lifted the hosts from the bottom half of the table, while the visitors remain rooted to last place with zero points from five matches.
I. Gligorov opened the scoring in the twenty-third minute, finishing a move that had looked dangerous for some time. To be fair, the build-up came from the left flank where the full-back held his ground and sent the ball across. Bashkimi's defence had been under pressure since the opening exchanges and could not clear the danger. D. Kalpacki doubled the lead in the fifty-sixth minute, slotting home from close range after a cross that beat the first marker.
And here's the thing about this match — Bregalnica did not need more than they had. They controlled the tempo through midfield, kept the ball in areas that mattered, and punished when the visitors lost possession. By the seventy-third minute, I. Gligorov had added his second, finishing a quick counter before both he and Kalpacki were substituted together.
The statistics tell a story that does not quite match the result. Bashkimi registered more attacks — ninety-one compared to eighty-two — and held a slight edge in possession at fifty-one per cent. Yet five corners to three suggests where the pressure fell. Three yellow cards for each side, nothing more.
For Bregalnica, this is a foundation to build on. They have lost four of six games but now sit on six points with one match played more than Bashkimi. The visitors have not won anywhere this season and face a difficult run ahead. The gap between them at the bottom is now two points, but the quality of performance matters more than the table at this stage.