SKOPJE, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- North Macedonia defeated Israel 1-0 here on Tuesday night to collect their fifth win in Group G in the tenth and final round of UEFA Euro 2020 qualifiers.
North Macedonia's win came thanks to midfielder Boban Nikolov's effort in added time at the end of the first half.
The hosts began strongly and created several scoring opportunities, the closest of which came in the 36th minute when midfielder Enis Bardi's free-kick hit the woodwork.
However, just when it looked as if Israel would survive the first half without conceding, Nikolov pounced as the clock ticked down to half-time.
In the second half, North Macedonia again produced several opportunities but were unable to add to their tally.
Following the final round of qualifying matches, Poland secured first place in Group G with 25 points, six ahead of Austria, meaning both teams qualify for the Euro 2020 finals.
North Macedonia finished third with 14 points, ahead of Slovenia on head-to-head points. Israel finished fifth with 11 points and Latvia sit bottom of Group G with only three points.
Though North Macedonia had no chance of qualifying automatically for Euro 2020 prior to this game, both they and Israel will now compete in the play-off round for another chance to qualify for Europe's showpiece international event next summer.
