Struga seize victory from penalties as Skendija's unbeaten run stalls
Struga came from behind to beat Skendija 2:1 in the First League's fourth round of the regular season on Monday evening. The result puts a stop to the hosts' perfect start, which had seen them win all five previous matches to sit top of the table with 15 points. Struga, meanwhile, moved up to second place with 10 points from five games — and by then the argument about who deserved more was already forming.
Skendija took the lead through F. Ndzengue in the twenty-ninth minute, but the moment was short-lived. By the thirty-fifth minute a VAR review had cancelled the goal for offside, a decision that shifted the tempo of the first half. To be fair, Skendija kept knocking on the door with their 54 per cent possession and eight corners, but Struga's defence never got out of second gear. The yellow cards for A. Abdurahmani and D. K. Akinlosotu in the opening half showed the physical nature of the contest.
The second half belonged to the visitors, or at least the penalty area did. H. Maleski converted a spot-kick in the fifty-eighth minute to level things at 1:1, and just when it looked like points would be shared, B. Ibraimi stepped up for a second penalty in the eighty-sixth minute. Struga ran out of legs in the final stages but held on grimly. The away end never stopped, and the result extended their unbeaten run to eight games across all competitions.
Skendija made only one change at half-time, bringing on H. Agamah for D. K. Akinlosotu, while Struga shuffled their options more freely. E. Belica, E. Krasniqi, B. Shabani, A. Zendelovski and F. Tamba all came off the bench for the visitors, none of whom could add to the scoreline despite the opportunities. A. Vosha picked up a yellow card in the seventieth minute, and Ibraimi followed suit on ninety-four minutes — not that it mattered for the outcome.
The statistics tell a straightforward story. Skendija registered 67 attacks and 15 shots, six on target, while Struga managed 58 attacks and nine shots, four on target. The difference was clinical: two penalties and a goalkeeper who made the saves that counted. Skendija's shots accuracy sat at 40 per cent, Struga's at 44 — and in cup football, as in league football, it's usually the small margins that decide everything.
Skendija remain first with 15 points from five wins, but the line has barely moved. Struga are second with 10 points, three wins, one draw and one defeat. The gap is five, and it will make life awkward for whoever faces them next. The table goes out of the window in these games, but this one had teeth.