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After a big fight in the first half and an excellent display of resistance against the favoured Portugal, North Macedonia drew 29:29 (13:15) in the second round of the European Championship, thus keeping their hopes alive of reaching the second stage of the competition. After a heavy opening defeat against Denmark (36:24), Kiril Lazarov’s team produced a phenomenal performance and showed they are a side defined by character, fight and a big heart — and that they will not give in until the final whistle.
North Macedonia matched their opponents well in the opening minutes and were the first to carve out a more tangible advantage, taking a 4:2 lead in the sixth minute thanks to a fast-break goal by Stojković. For almost the entire first half, the score swung back and forth with frequent changes in the lead, but Portugal managed to withstand the pressure and went into the break two goals up — 15:13.
The start of the second half belonged to the team from the Iberian Peninsula, who with a 3:0 run reached their biggest lead of five (18:13) in the 33rd minute after Francisco Costa converted a seven-metre throw. That made the task even harder for the Macedonians, who tried to get back into the match, and in the 40th minute they cut the deficit to three (20:17). Paulo Pereira’s side gradually saw their lead melt away, and North Macedonia entered the last 10 minutes trailing by two — with a comeback already in the air. The outstanding captain Filip Kuzmanovski made it 25:26 in the 53rd minute with a powerful breakthrough, sending a wave of uncertainty through the Portuguese ranks, and the full comeback arrived in the 55th minute when Serafimov levelled the score at 26:26. What followed was pure drama until the end — a win did not look certain at any point. Portugal had the last attack to snatch victory, but Kiril Lazarov’s men defended their goal successfully and kept alive their dream of reaching the second stage.
As for the top scorers in this match, North Macedonia’s captain Filip Kuzmanovski scored an incredible 15 goals, while Portugal’s Francisco Costa found the net 11 times.
North Macedonia – Portugal 29:29 (13:15)
