Macedonia bid farewell to the European Championship with another defeat – 3:0 to the Netherlands. The Macedonian team was again agile and created many chances, while having two goals disallowed for offside. The players were eager to give a proper farewell to their captain Goran Pandev in his last match for the national team, and, with nothing left to lose, started attacking the Dutch goal from the start, including a thunderbolt from Trajkovski which hit the post in the 21st minute.
But the difference in quality showed throughout the game. The Dutch scored through Memphis in the 24th and Wijnaldum in the 51st and 58th minute.
Pandev left the pitch in the 70th minute and was given an emotional send-off by all the players. All players in white lined up in columns while Pandev was leaving the field, to the ovation of thousands of Macedonian fans at the Johan Cruyff arena. The Dutch team also honored the Macedonian captain, gifting him a jersey with his name and the number 122 – the games he played for Macedonia in his career. The only thing missing was a final goal to cap the unbelievable success of Pandev and the younger generation of players – to secure Macedonia’s first place in a grand football competition.
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