Team effort lifts Kiril Lazarov's side past Qatar in high-scoring win

Kiril Lazarov's team managed to beat Qatar 39:34 in a high-scoring game and kept their quarter-final hopes alive, while the Asian champions conceded their second defeat in as many matches in the main round.

MAIN ROUND GROUP II
North Macedonia vs Qatar 39:34 (21:17)

The European side opened the game with focus and intensity, racing to a 6:2 lead within the first six minutes. Qatar, despite their efforts, struggled to find solutions to match their opponents' pace. Some key saves from Anadin Sulijakovic gave Qatar a glimpse of hope, allowing them to tie the score at 10:10 in the 14th minute, with the help of their competition's top scorer Frankis Marzo, who also scored 12 in this game.

However, Qatar's defence slowly started to grow tired, not being able to respond well to the relentless breakthroughs provided by their opponents. As the game progressed, Veselin Vujović's team seemed to lack the energy and cohesion they had displayed in their match against the Netherlands.

The European side took advantage of  their opponent's problems as best as they could, and in the last 10 minutes of the first half, they spurred two decisive 3:0 goal runs, completely leaving Qatar behind. Their biggest lead was by six, as Qatar had a six-minute spell without a goal scored, but the Asian side managed to narrow it to 21:17 by halftime.

The second half turned into a cat-and-mouse game as Qatar rediscovered their rhythm and closed the gap to three goals, 23:26, putting pressure on their opponents, which were also shaken shortly by Marko Stojkovikj's red card. Yet Lazarov's team soon found their ground and restored the momentum. On the other side, it was Qatar who conceded a red card, through Amine Guehis, as that two-minute suspension opened the doors for the European side to claim their first five-goal lead.

Nothing changed as teams were approaching the final whistle, as the winning team had excellent contributions from Nikola Mitrevski and Marko Kizikj, but also from all positions as left back Filip Kuzmanovski, right wing Nenad Kosteski and line player Zharko Peshevki were leading the way. 13 out of 14 outfield players scored at least once in a 39:34 win, which is also the highest number of goals conceded for Qatar at the Croatia/Denmark/Norway 2025.

With the chants from the stands, the European side celebrated its second win at the World Championship 2025 and kept their slim chance of progressing to the quarter-finals alive. Qatar are out of contention for the progression as they remain on zero points and only one win, against Kuwait in the preliminary round.

hummel Player of the Match: Marko Mitev (North Macedonia)