Shkendija Haracine claim rare victory over Bashkimi Kumanovo
Shkendija Haracine came from behind to beat Bashkimi Kumanovo 2-1 in the First League's fifth round on Sunday. The result marks the visitors' first victory of the campaign, ending a run of three matches without a win. And here's the thing about Fazlagic — he netted twice for the hosts yet watched his side lose.
E. Fazlagic opened the scoring in the eighth minute, giving the home side an early advantage. L. Ribeiro levelled things for Shkendija twenty-five minutes in, before Fazlagic restored the lead just before half-time with a 45+2 strike. By then the match had taken on a strange rhythm, with Bashkimi pushing and pushing but finding no way through.
Shkendija took control after the break, and the visitors' superior grip on the game showed in the numbers. They earned five corners to the hosts' one, while the throw-in count told a similar story — 31 for Shkendija against 29. To be fair, Bashkimi tried to respond, but their attacking impotence was clear.
The statistics tell a straightforward tale. Shkendija's five corners against one for the hosts suggested who dictated territory. The yellow card tally went 5-3 in Bashkimi's favour, a sign of frustration on the home side. And here's the thing — despite dominating possession in patches, Bashkimi could not find a third goal.
Substitutions began flowing from the forty-sixth minute, with both managers looking for answers. H. Saiti and B. Iseni were among the first to come off in the second half, followed by a series of changes that included E. Fazlagic himself coming off in the eighty-first minute. The visitors saw out their first win of the season without surrendering the lead.
The result leaves Bashkimi rooted at the bottom of the table with zero points from four games. Shkendija move up to eighth place on four points, their first positive result after a mixed opening. The hosts have now lost five matches in a row, a streak that started before this season began.