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For the first time in its history, North Macedonia is in the group stage of an international competition. Despite being in third place at the end of the Euro 2020 qualifiers, the Red Lynx managed to win their two play-off matches, which propelled them into the European championships.
- 🔎 Euro 2020: North Macedonia in a Nutshell
- 👥 North Macedonia’s Euro 2020-2021 Lineup
- 👕 North Macedonia’s Kit
- 🗓️ The Red Lynx’s Match Schedule (Group C)
- 🏃 North Macedonia’s Euro Preparation
- ⭐ The Star Player at Euro 2020: Eljif Elmas
- 👟 The Player to Watch at Euro 2020: Goran Pandev
- 📚 North Macedonia’s Euro Stats and History
- 🥊 North Macedonia’s Main Opponents at Euro 2020
🔎 Euro 2020: North Macedonia in a Nutshell
The North Macedonian national team is relatively young. They played their first official match on an October evening in 1993 and marked the occasion by winning the first game in their history (4-1 against Slovenia). They continued this winning streak with three more victories before suffering their first defeat at the hands of Turkey (0-2) in August 1994.
The team finished in fourth place in their qualifying group for Euro 1996 and so missed the tournament. They have had to wait 25 years for the privilege of playing in a historic group stage of a major tournament.
Against Liechtenstein in 1996, the young team won the biggest victory in their history by scoring 11 goals to 1. Only a few months earlier, they had experienced their biggest defeat (0-5 against Belgium). A great way to make a comeback!
👥 North Macedonia’s Euro 2020-2021 Lineup
Despite being 62nd in the world rankings, North Macedonia recently surprised everyone by beating the 2014 World Cup champions at home in Germany. It was a historic performance that gained worldwide praise.
North Macedonia’s 26-man Squad
Igor Angelovski, the national coach, has just unveiled his list of 26 players for the Euro.
A small nation unknown to most, the red and yellow squad nevertheless includes the legendary Genoa player Goran Pandev. At 37 years of age, the striker will be one of the oldest players at this Euro.
- Goalkeepers: Stole Dimitrievski – Risto Jankov – Damjan Siskovski
- Defenders: Darko Velkovski – Visar Musliu – Egzon Bejtulai – Kire Ristevski – Ezgjan Alioski – Stefan Rivtoski – Gjoko Zajkov
- Midfielders: Arijan Ademi – Stefan Spirovski – Boban Nikolov – Eljif Elmas – Ferhan Hasani – Enis Bardhi – Daniel Avramovski – Tihomir Kostadinov – Darko Churlinov – Marjan Radeski
- Forwards: Krste Velkovski – Goran Pandev -Valtko Stojanovski – Aleksandar Trajkovski – Ivan Trichkovski – Milan Ristovski
Селекторот Игор Ангеловски го објави списокот на повикани играчи за ЕУРО 2020 👇#ОдимеНаЕвропскоПрвенство pic.twitter.com/HleGXFW3Np
— FFM (@ffmmkd) May 20, 2021
Igor Angelovski: A defence enthusiast
Aware of his team’s true skill level, the Macedonian manager doesn’t engage in the game of possession. Frequently at a lower level than their opposing teams, North Macedonia usually deploys a 3-5-2 setup, enabling them to counter-attack. Relying on the speed and experience of their attacking duo, Angelovski has managed to get his team to exceed their own expectations and get to Euro 2020.
👕 North Macedonia’s Kit
North Macedonia’s Euro 2020 home kit is red, like the country’s flag. For away games, the team will play in grey.
🗓️ The Red Lynx’s Match Schedule (Group C)
North Macedonia is in group C for Euro 2020. Up against Austria, the Netherlands and Ukraine, the team will obviously be the group’s ultimate outsider.
🏃 North Macedonia’s Euro Preparation
North Macedonia finished third in Group G of the Euro 2020 qualifying rounds. They then had to up their game for the two play-off matches in order to qualify for the group stage.
Euro 2020 Qualifying Round Results
Continuing their successful run, the North Macedonians finished second in their Nations League group with only one defeat in 6 matches.
Nations League Results
- 05.09.20 – North Macedonia 2 – 1 Armenia
- 08.09.20 – Georgia 1 – 1 North Macedonia
- 11.10.20 – Estonia 3 – 3 North Macedonia
- 14.10.20 – North Macedonia 1 – 1 Georgia
- 15.11.20 – North Macedonia 2 – 1 Estonia
- 18.11.20 – Armenia 1 – 0 North Macedonia
Four Matches to Prepare for Euro 2020
During the March break, North Macedonia played three qualifying matches for the next World Cup in Qatar in 2022. The team caused a sensation by beating Germany to overtake them in the Group J table.
- 25.03.21 – Romania 3 – 2 North Macedonia
- 28.03.21 – North Macedonia 5 – 0 Liechtenstein
- 31.03.21 – Germany 1 – 2 North Macedonia
- 29.05.21 – North Macedonia – Slovenia
⭐ The Star Player at Euro 2020: Eljif Elmas
Although the veteran Goran Pandev (aged 37) could have been chosen for this title, it is time to look towards the future of the team.
He is the future of Macedonian football. Despite mainly playing the role of joker at Napoli, Eljif Elmas is a player with abundant talent. Blessed with an above average vision of the game and remarkable technical ability, he is capable of flashes of genius. His passing game and foresight will be essential if his country wants to continue to surprise.
Officiel: Eljif Elmas est un nouveau joueur du Napoli. Le transfert vient d'être communiqué officiellement par le club de Fenerbahce avant l'arrivée du jeune Macédonien demain en Italie. pic.twitter.com/X3ZqyAaY19
— SSC Napoli France (@NapoliCFrance) July 22, 2019
👟 The Player to Watch at Euro 2020: Goran Pandev
The presence of the indefatigable Goran Pandev cannot be ignored. At age 37, the Macedonian striker who still plays for Genoa will have the opportunity to participate in his first and surely only international tournament with his team.
Part of the national team since 2001, he has played 115 matches and scored 36 goals. He has spent most of his career in Italy, playing first for Lazio, then Inter Milan, followed by Napoli.
L’ancien joueur de l’Inter, Goran Pandev 🇲🇰, 36 ans, vient d’ouvrir le score face à Cagliari, 4 minutes après son entrée en jeu (43e, 1-0)#GenoaCagliari pic.twitter.com/PVDudBpzzA
— Foot Mercato (@footmercato) February 9, 2020
📚 North Macedonia’s Euro Stats and History
Having never been in the group stage of the Euro, North Macedonia will have the chance to write the beginning of their history with this competition come June.
🥊 North Macedonia’s Main Opponents at Euro 2020
In Group C, North Macedonia will face Austria, Ukraine and the Netherlands. It will be difficult for them to progress to the next stage, but this young team will play every card in their hand to go as far as possible in the competition.
Austria
With a number of strong players, Austria will surely be hoping to finally do well in a big competition.
➡ All about Austria 🇦🇹 at Euro 2020-2021
Ukraine
The Ukrainians will challenge Austria for second place. Watch out for their talented young players.
➡ All about Ukraine 🇺🇦 at Euro 2020-2021
Netherlands
The group favourite and one of the best countries in Europe. They will be expected to pose a large threat to the best European teams.