Vardar Beats Shkendija Arachinovo 2-0, Climbs to Third Place
Goals from Nikolov and Zakarikj in the second half. Shkendija Arachinovo stayed on 13 points, playing behind closed doors.
Vardar beat Shkendija Arachinovo 2-0 in a Macedonian First League Round 8 match, played at the Football Federation's "Petar Miloshevski" training centre, without spectators due to a punishment imposed on the visitors.
The score was opened right at the start of the second half — in the 46th minute, Boban Nikolov capitalised on a mistake by goalkeeper Lichina to make it 1-0. Shkendija Arachinovo tried to respond, which opened up more space, and in the 69th minute Goran Zakarikj found the net for a final 2-0.
The first half was more even — Shkendija Arachinovo threatened in the 7th minute through Enis Fazlagikj, while Vardar's David Babunski hit the post. With the win, Vardar climbed to third place with 14 points. Shkendija Arachinovo, seen as a pleasant surprise of the season in its debut top-flight year, stayed on 13 points.
In the same round, Shkendija beat Bashkimi 4-1 to stay top, while Sileks and Tikvesh drew 0-0. On 21 September, Struga hosts Aresimi.
MKNews Hub · Sport · September 20, 2026