Tikvesh swept aside Bashkimi Kumanovo 5:0 in the First League's second round of the regular season on Saturday. The away side took all three points from the opening fixture of the campaign, with goals from four different scorers spreading the advantage across the second half. by then the result had already been decided before the final whistle sounded.
O. Wisdom opened the scoring in the 36th minute, following a period of sustained pressure from the visitors. T. Lawal doubled the lead shortly after the interval in the 72nd minute, and J. Popzlatanov extended the margin in the 81st. K. Ackovski completed the tally in the 88th minute, though Renatinho had earlier seen a goal cancelled for offside in the 78th minute.
Discipline was kept tight throughout, with G. Spasov and O. Wisdom each collecting yellow cards in the first half. Tikvesh made five changes to their starting lineup, bringing on Lucianinho, Renatinho, and three others to freshen up the attack. and here's the thing, the visitors worked a short corner in the 78th minute before the offside call ended any hope of a response.
The statistics tell a straightforward story. Both sides held 50 per cent possession, but Tikvesh's 11 shots on target against Bashkimi's zero showed where the chances went. The visitors registered 65 per cent shot accuracy while the hosts managed only two shots off target with none on. to be fair, the shot numbers alone explain the 5:0 scoreline.
The result leaves Tikvesh in third place with 11 points from six games, three wins and two draws. Bashkimi Kumanovo sit ten on just three points, having lost five of their six matches. The visitors had shown signs of form earlier in the season with a 5:1 victory over Aresimi, while the hosts have struggled since that opening 0:6 defeat to Sileks.
Tikvesh now move clear of the bottom half with a comfortable cushion above the relegation zone. The five-goal margin is the largest result in the round so far, and it suggests the visitors have found their rhythm early in the campaign. by then, at least, Bashkimi Kumanovo had little left to play for in this fixture.