North Macedonia Rises to the Top of World Cup Qualification Group J with Victory Against Kazakhstan

North Macedonia’s legendary striker, Aleksandar Trajkovski, bagged the only goal of the match as the Lynxes triumphed over Kazakhstan 1-0 at the Astana Arena, maintaining their unbeaten run (W2, D2) in the qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

In their first competitive clash, the visitors came out strong with Ezgjan Alioski testing goalkeeper Mukhammedzhan Seysen early on with a brilliant shot that required a top-notch save. Blagoja Milevski’s men didn’t take long to threaten Kazakhstan’s goal again.

First, a long-range attempt from Eljif Elmas was brilliantly stopped by Seysen, who soon showcased his skills again by denying Darko Churlinov’s well-placed strike from a sharp angle.

However, it was Kazakhstan who almost broke the stalemate against the flow of play shortly after 15 minutes. Midfielder Galymzhan Kenzhebek crafted a stunning shot that beat Stole Dimitrievski but clattered off the far post.

As the first half progressed towards the 30-minute mark, Kazakhstan began to increase their intensity.

After remaining relatively inactive, Dimitrievski was finally called into action and made a spectacular stop to thwart Askhat Tagybergen’s attempt that was destined for the top corner.

Just after the 33rd minute, Trajkovski made his presence felt upon being recalled to the starting XI. He celebrated his return with style, sending an unstoppable shot sailing past Seysen to put North Macedonia in front at the break.

The second half started off quite sedately, but it quickly awakened in the 58th minute when Kazakhstan rattled the woodwork again with a long-range effort from Maksim Samorodov. Not long after, Dimitrievski was on hand again to deny Nuraly Alip’s shot from distance.

In an attempt to ease the pressure, Enis Bardhi forced Seysen into his first save of the second half. Ultimately, North Macedonia managed to secure the victory, following their 1-1 draw against Belgium just days prior.

Now sitting top of Group J temporarily, North Macedonia will await the outcome of Wales’ upcoming match against Belgium, heading into a three-month international break with eight points from four matches.

Meanwhile, Kazakhstan, who is yet to qualify for a major international tournament since becoming independent in 1991, finds themselves in third place with only three points and has a long journey ahead to change that narrative.