Rossiya 2 - 2 Makedonija (376979837)

115234 fans braved the pouring rain at Maryski. Carl Bladander was the appointed referee with assistance provided by Veljko Pavić and Kurtmartin Kettwig. Rossiya decided to use a 2-5-3 set up. They fielded: Romashchenko - Dolya, Tatarenkov - Drobinin, Sobolev, Dianov, Sinilin, Dikun - Vasyutovich, Matyukhin, Katyushkin.

A 5-4-1 alignment was the formation of choice for Makedonija. The following players took the field: Velichkov - Galiu, Joskoski, Abrashev, Ngjeci, Gugulevski - Proevski, Dzartevski, Rama, Bajkov - Shapchevski.

Counter-attacking seemed to be the preferred strategy of Makedonija. Rossiya could have put themselves ahead after 17 minutes but V. Sinilin missed a volley shot on a ball coming in from the right. Thighs bulging, A. Galiu charged past the weaker players, seemingly oblivious to the rain. Rossiya took the lead 19 minutes into the game by 1 - 0, as Y. Matyukhin elegantly received a long range pass through the middle, finishing off with a half-volley shot just below the bar. With 24 minutes played, Rossiya's Y. Matyukhin almost extended the lead, but his shot from the left glanced off the top of the bar to fall behind the net. Makedonija almost scored after a counterattack 25 minutes into the match, but D. Dzartevski took a shot from the left that landed harmlessly in the side of the net. Rossiya's A. Katyushkin saw his fine effort strike the top of the bar following some good work up the middle by his teammates after 32 minutes. With 34 minutes played, Y. Matyukhin could have brought this one home for Rossiya as he charged up on the left, but his hooked ball went just a bit too high. It was 1 - 0 at the break. Rossiya enjoyed most of the ball, as they maintained 62 percent of possession.

Rossiya put in a good effort on the right, but A. Katyushkin saw his volley fly wide of the mark 56 minutes into the game. 59 minutes into the match the visitors levelled the score at 1 - 1 as A. Ngjeci struck home from a rebound off the crossbar, following a shot from the right. 59 minutes into the match, the Rossiya manager wanted to try a new tactic, and the players loyally obliged. After 64 minutes, the Rossiya coach had a quick word about the tactical set-up and decided to try another approach. The opposing supporters gave the referee an earful when he only gave A. Gugulevski from Makedonija a yellow card after a mistimed challenge from behind 70 minutes into the game. That was far too lenient! It was a bad day for the usually speedy R. Vasyutovich. The mud seemed to slow him down. S. Proevski of Makedonija received a yellow card after 76 minutes for unsportsmanlike behaviour. Rossiya took the lead 77 minutes in, as R. Vasyutovich broke through on the left and put the 2 - 1 shot just beyond the reach of the outstretched keeper. Under heavy pressure after 80 minutes, the inexperienced Rossiya struggled to maintain their level of play. The visitors refused to give in and, after 85 minutes, S. Proevski evened things up as he finished off a perfect pass from the right. 2 - 2 Possession in the forty-five minutes was dominated by Rossiya, with 60 percent of the ball.

Most important Rossiya player was A. Katyushkin. S. Tatarenkov was a disappointment, however. A. Galiu performed admirably for Makedonija. However, D. Dzartevski made a disastrous appearance. The match ends 2 - 2.