The Macedonians are shocked that their side were 2-0 up after the first half but ultimately failed to even draw. They don't understand how they could have lost after such a strong first half and point out that North Macedonia played harder and deserved to take the three points, but luck was on Ukraine's side. The Macedonians understand that they now have little or no chance of challenging for the top two places, but they also do not believe that the Ukraine team will be able to put up a fight against Italy.
Photo: gettyimages.comTome: It was a tough match. Despite the final result, we can thank the team for a good game. We did not play on defense and fought off the Ukrainian attacks. We could have won today, but the Ukrainians were lucky, and we did not calculate our strength and could not play all the 90 minutes on the same level.
Xaled: It was more difficult to play against Malta in some ways. I say this without any arrogance. Who saw the game, won't argue. At that time, Northern Macedonia were unable to score for a long time, while Malta tried to counterattack and sometimes it was dangerous. When we scored two goals, we relaxed early on and conceded a goal. And then there was a very nervous ending. The game with Ukraine was very different. We should have scored 3-4 goals and won without any problems. Unfortunately, we conceded after a corner, although the Ukrainians could not create anything near our goal before that. After that the team got very nervous and conceded another goal, and then another... That`s a shame, Macedonia deserved to win this match.
Sersik: While Macedonia didn`t allow the Ukrainians to create anything in our half, the result was in our favor. Once the team was too early to believe in winning, we started conceding goals. Unfortunately, it was also the coach's fault, who failed to get the team properly tuned for the second half.
Nebojsa: It's just unbelievable that we conceded two goals from defenders. As far as I understand, Zabarny and Konoplya scored their opening goals in this match. Has it ever happened in the history of football? Not just two opening goals, but two opening goals from defenders! I do not even know what to call it. Have the stars aligned once in a hundred years? What is the probability of that happening?
Misterija: If we look objectively at the situation in the group, Ukraine is our main competitor. The first and the second places will be England and Italy. We must get 6 points each in the matches against Ukraine and Malta to have any chance of beating them. And try not to lose to Italy and England. It is a difficult task, but victories over Malta and Ukraine could help us with that. Alas, after the strange defeat against Ukraine, we have lost all chances for the first two places.
Kasti: I don`t even want to say anything. Instead of 4-0 we got 2-3. I still can't believe that Ukraine did it. After the first half it seemed that we won't have any problems in this match and we can cautiously think about Italy and England.
Christ: I don`t want to argue with anyone on this subject, but even after our second goal I wasn`t thinking of winning, I hoped for a draw. The match against Malta showed that the team lacked physics. After 75-80 minutes we hardly move on the pitch and concede dangerous attacks. Malta simply didn`t have the class to play for a draw or a win, while Ukraine did.
Rearden: I can't understand the coaching staff. You win 2-0, control the game and do not let the opponent do anything. Talk to the team, let them play careful football, let them control the ball and not lose it. We should have drew Ukraine out and went on the counterattack. No, they just felt like Brazil and went for more goals. They conceded a goal, but made no conclusions. So that`s your defeat on a level playing field.
Ciko: Before the match, I thought we`d lose or draw. Forgetting the fact that we won 2-0, I expected the result. It`s just always disappointing to be defeated in such a way when you realize you could do more.
Ilieski: I believed in the victory of our team, because I do not consider Ukraine a top team, but I did not expect that we would score two goals in the first half! But we could have scored more. Ukraine obviously wasn't ready for such a game. I do not even know what happened in the second half...
Ukraine played badly. Very bad. Macedonia played good. I do not want to blame the team after such a game. I understand that this is the way things were. We played well, created chances and kept the opponent at bay, but conceded three shots out of three. That rarely happens in football, but it does. Unfortunately, Macedonia lost this time.
Dimcee: I cannot say that Ukraine played well. I cannot distinguish anyone in this team. In a way it is possible to mark out Mudryk. He had two assists. Our players couldn't even hold him in threes. It was enough to send him off a few times and he decided the outcome of the match.
Ljupche: It will not help Ukraine to fight for the first two places. But they also hampered us. To be honest, both teams are too weak for Euros. Another thing is that the level of the tournament in the group stage is no longer the same as before. Thanks to UEFA.
Bosko: Ukraine played harsh and even brutal football, constantly provoking us and I think it had an effect. Even after the final whistle we saw another showdown. Someone said something to someone and they started to have it out. We should have kept calm, then we could have kept the victory.
Dragan: I think that the match with Germany has made the Ukrainians believe in their strength. But the Germans were walking and did not particularly strive to win at all costs. It was a test match, and it was played to support Ukraine. Probably, Ukrainians thought that if they had scored three goals for Germany, the match with Northern Macedonia would be a walkover for them.
Kovic: All these emotions during and after the match - it was unnecessary. The Ukrainians got their way, our player was sent off, which helped Ukraine to win. It reminds me of the Argentinian or Italian style, players from these countries love to provoke opponents and make them mad. That way they ruin the game of other teams and then score goals.
Bebrat: Another disappointment. The match with Malta was difficult and not very entertaining, but at least we won there. But here we won again 2-0 but lost 2-3. The team clearly have some problems with character and motivation. We should not allow the opponents to save such games.
Smilkov: Ukraine played worse, but won. Some kind of amazing luck. Macedonia played better almost by all indications, but in the end the defeat and a farewell to all the dreams of the second place.
Manev: Ukraine had 3 shots on goal and three goals. If it had been Spain or Argentina I would have said that the Ukrainians had a very high level of skill. But when we are talking about Ukraine, one should rather talk about luck. It is a pity, we were better and had to win.
Zvezdan: The feeling that in two halves we have seen two completely different matches. In the first half Macedonia could have won 3-0 or 4-0. We did not allow the Ukrainians to create anything. In the second half, the Ukrainians got to our penalty area too easily and created chances. It was as if they had a completely different team, much stronger and more confident in their abilities. We, for some reason, started attacking less frequently and tried to hold on to win. Still, 2-3 was an unfair result.
