WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS : NORTH MACEDONIA VS WALES – 25/03/2025 (PHOTO – DAVID BROOKS CELEBRATES)

THERE WAS MUCH LATE DRAMA LAST NIGHT IN THE MATCH BETWEEN NORTH MACEDONIA VS WALES!  IT WAS A CAGEY (AND NOISY) AFFAIR THROUGHOUT, WITH BOTH SETS OF LOYAL FANS IN THE STADIUM ON THE EDGE-OF-THEIR-SEATS, WAITING FOR THEIR HEROES TO SCORE (AND TRYING TO DISTRACT THE OTHER SIDE WHEN THEY WERE ‘ON-THE-BALL’.) NORTH MACEDONIA MADE 246 PASSES, WITH A 66% PASS ACCURACY, AND HAD 8 SHOTS, WITH 2 ON TARGET, INCLUDING A CRACKING LATE GOAL FROM BOJAN MIOVSKI  AT 90 + 1MINS.,

BOJAN MIOVSKI SCORES FOR NORTH MACEDONIA AT 90 +1 MINS.

WHICH MANY THOUGHT FOR A BRIEF MOMENT MEANT THAT THE MATCH WAS OVER-AND-DONE-WITH!  BUT NOT TO BE, BECAUSE SHORTLY AFTERWARDS (AT 90 +6 MINS.) WALES’ GOLDEN BOY DAVID BROOKS SCORED AN ABSOLUTE STUNNER! 

DAVID BROOKS SCORES FOR WALES AT 90 +6 MINS.

INDEED, WALES HAD 11 SHOTS, WITH 6 ON TARGET, AND MADE 538 PASSES, WITH AN 86% PASS ACCURACY (AND HAD 69% POSSESSION OF THE BALL), BUT IT WAS DAVID BROOKS’ LATE EQUALISER, WHICH BROUGHT THE MATCH TO A 1 – 1 DRAW, RESCUING A POINT. THEY MUST FINISH TOP OF GROUP J TO ASSURE QUALIFICATION FOR THE 2026 WORLD CUP IN THE U.S. CANADA AND MEXICO.  IF THEY FINISH SECOND, THEY WILL PROGRESS TO ONE OF FOUR SINGLE-LEG PLAY-OFF FINALS.  THE WORLD CUP PLAY-OFFS WILL TAKE PLACE IN MARCH 2026.

WALES SALUTE THEIR 3,000-STRONG TRAVELLING FANS, WHO ARE THEIR CONSTANT COMPANIONS!

WORDS BY AMANDA WATERS