GORAN PANDEV scored North Macedonia’s first ever goal at a major tournament thanks to a comedy of errors from Austria.
The veteran striker, 37, capitalised on an error from goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann to cancel out Stefan Lainer’s opener to draw his country level.
First, Martin Hinteregger’s attempted clearance smacked Marcel Sabitzer in the face and rebounded kindly into the path of Aleksandar Trajkovski.
Austrian keeper Bachmann raced out to win the ball but he also made a mess of the save – with the ball landing at the feet of Pandev.
The North Macedonian striker was then given the simplest of tasks in finishing into an empty net despite the efforts of David Alaba.
And fans on social media were quick to poke fun at the comical defending, with one tweeting: “Can anyone add the Benny Hills theme song to this?”
Another said: “Pandev with a proper FIFA break your controller type goal!”
A third added: “This goal is a mess but I am here for it.”
Pandev, aged 37 years and 321 days, became the second-oldest player ever to score at the Euros after Austria’s Ivica Vastic (38 years, 257 days) netted in 2008 against Poland.
North Macedonia ultimately slipped to a 3-1 defeat but before the game, he claimed that his country could be the surprise package this summer.
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Pandev said: “It means a lot, it is an immense source of pride for us, because until recently it was unthinkable that a national team like North Macedonia could participate in such an important competition.
“We, on the other hand, have always believed in it. This generation made history.
“We have had other strong players in the past, but only we have managed to accomplish this feat. Nobody will ever be able to take this away from us.
“Our ambitions are great, we hope to do well and win a few games. “The goal is to pass at least the group stage.
“We know it will not be easy, but we are also aware of our strength so we will try to do this too.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
