Gibraltar U21 in two goal defeat at hands of North Macedonia

Gibraltar u21 0-2 Norh Macedonia

Gibraltar’s U21s showed resilience after a heavy 9-0 defeat at the hands of Sweden. Returning home to play at Europa Point against North Macedonia, Gibraltar put that defeat behind them. Within the first 55 seconds, they hit the crossbar from a free kick. However, this came at a cost, as North Macedonia quickly countered, leading to a blatant pullback and the first yellow card against Gibraltar.

It was an energetic first ten minutes for Gibraltar, who tried to take the game to their opponents. The decision to bring in Pozo, Jessop, and De Haro, who had been in the senior squad but had not played, into the starting eleven, provided greater depth for what was a transitional side. In Sweden, the lack of their key U21 players had seen them struggle. However, early on, Gibraltar were proving to be a difficult and competent opposition against North Macedonia.

After 13 minutes of play, some off-the-ball pushing and shoving on the ground between defenders De Haro and Isaki led to the North Macedonian players over-dramatizing the situation, resulting in the official showing De Haro a yellow card.

A free kick that was cleared for a corner led to another chance from the latter’s delivery, which saw Gibraltar launch a quick attack. However, an arm to the face slowed them down, but no foul was given.

In the 16th minute, Gibraltar were finally awarded a free kick at the top of the penalty box after a harsh challenge, which was not ignored this time, and a yellow card was shown. Richards’ delivery fell short and was blocked by the defense. As challenges continued, the referee had to speak to both captains to calm things down.

Clinton was next to go into the book after a 50-50 challenge in the air, where he didn’t shy away from the collision, leaving the Macedonian player feeling the effects.

North Macedonia found the net in the 23rd minute. With the defense late in returning, Kretvsveski found the far post, beating an outstretched Avellano, who was exposed with space to the right of his goal.

Avellano produced an excellent save in the 23rd minute when Macedonia again exposed vulnerabilities at the back. Adem and Isaki faced a two-versus-two situation, with Adem getting the first shot and Isaki missing the target.

The visitors had taken control of possession and were now setting the pace, forcing Gibraltar to defend deeper. Gibraltar were saved by the crossbar after an attempt at an overhead kick.

With 41 minutes played, just as Gibraltar started to settle and push into their opponents’ half again, a long ball exposed them at the back. Adem won the race to the ball and controlled it well to get it past Avellano, calmly tapping it in as defenders converged on him. North Macedonia took a two-goal lead into halftime.

Jessop had a shot blocked just before halftime, while Avellano made another save at the other end.

Gibraltar started the second half with a free kick just meters from the top of the penalty area. A low, curled drive was collected by the keeper, who read it well.

Although pressing hard, Gibraltar had to contend with chasing back to defend when they lost possession. With a two-goal lead, North Macedonia could afford to slow down the pace and even sit back at times, opening up space and exposing Gibraltar’s defense to counters and long balls.

In the 53rd minute, a desperate scramble saw Gibraltar concede a second corner before North Macedonia missed their target, offering some respite.

At the other end, Del Rio, with his first touch after coming on, sent his attempt over the bar.

A corner in the 58th minute tested the Macedonian keeper, with Jessop’s attempt being blocked. Richards’ delivery was flicked goalwards, but Alchevski made the save.

With Del Rio supporting Borge, North Macedonia found it harder to clear their half, though they kept Gibraltar at bay. The two Gibraltar players pressed hard to regain possession.

In the 64th minute, Nikolov exposed defensive errors, weaving and driving into the penalty area, with his attempt blocked. Fortunately for Gibraltar, the first shot was later sent over the bar. Unforced errors and slow tracking back made Gibraltar’s defense look weaker as the minutes ticked away.

In the 68th minute, a free kick from North Macedonia, played short, caught Gibraltar’s defense wrong-footed, requiring a last-minute block to avoid further damage.

Tensions flared in the 74th minute when a barge from behind by Pozo on Ramadan led to a reaction from Stojcheski. The latter earned himself an immediate yellow as others became embroiled in pushing and shoving around the player on the ground. Pozo also received a yellow card.

North Macedonia’s free kick delivery posed little danger, with Gibraltar clearing easily.

Just moments later, a ball across the goalmouth at the other end was miscued, wasting a precious opportunity to cut the deficit.

With just ten minutes remaining, Gibraltar’s victory against North Macedonia was becoming a distant memory. With few chances and a buoyant North Macedonia before them, opportunities to close the gap were few and far between.

Five minutes of injury time did not lead to much for Gibraltar, as the visitors secured all three points.

Pic by David Parody