U17s faced final third heavy defeat in North Macedonia

The heavy defeats continued to pile up in what must surely rank among the most demoralising tournament performances for Gibraltar’s young footballers in the past decade.

A 9–0 loss to hosts North Macedonia completed a goal difference of –30 over three matches played during the past week, further deepening concerns about Gibraltar’s current youth development programme — particularly at club level.

Once again, goalkeeper Bonfante was among Gibraltar’s standout performers before being substituted, producing several praiseworthy saves that prevented an even heavier scoreline.

The hosts went into the half-time break with a 4–0 lead, one of the goals coming from yet another clumsily conceded penalty.

Gibraltar faced a relentless barrage in the second half, conceding three more goals within the opening fifteen minutes after the restart.

Adding to their frustration, Gibraltar’s players appeared to be penalised more harshly than their opponents, with the referee showing yellow cards far more readily to the visitors. Gibraltar ended the match with four yellow cards to North Macedonia’s one — despite at least two fouls from Macedonian players involving dangerously high challenges that went unpunished beyond minor warnings.

The hosts ultimately secured a 9–0 victory, underlining the gulf in quality between the two sides. Gibraltar’s defence struggled throughout the ninety minutes, offering little resistance and posing almost no threat going forward.