Struga put their best foot forward in the First League regular season on Friday evening, seeing off Bregalnica Skopje 4-0 at home. The result keeps them in second place with ten points from five matches, while Bregalnica slip further back in eighth with six. And here's the thing — this wasn't a game that needed much convincing once the first goal landed.
H. Maleski struck twice in the opening half, opening the scoring in the 14th minute before doubling his tally just after the break in the 47th. H. Agamah added a third in the 60th, and B. Shabani rounded off the scoring with a fourth in the 73rd. By then, Bregalnica had been pinned back for most of the afternoon, unable to find a way back into the match.
There were no dismissals, but three yellow cards were shown — B. Rajkov in the 25th, L. Diako in the 35th, and A. Rochi in the 82nd. The home side got their substitutions spot on, bringing on L. Rama just before half-time and then introducing B. Hadzi-Kimov in the 54th. Bregalnica made four changes, including a double substitution in the 59th with M. Radeski and A. Vosha.
Struga's recent form had been mixed, with a loss to Škendija on their last outing before this win. Bregalnica, meanwhile, had bounced back from that 1-4 defeat with a 3-0 victory over Baškim. To be fair, neither side was playing with the same rhythm they'd had earlier in the season, but Struga's attack found its footing when it mattered.
The goal difference now tells the story: Struga move closer to the top of the table, while Bregalnica's third defeat in five games raises questions about their consistency. Cup football has its own rules, but this was league football — and Struga made sure they got over the line.