Sedloski gets Europe started
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
Article summary
F.Y.R. Macedonia defender Goce Sedloski has made his mark in footballing history by scoring the first goal of the UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying competition.
Article body
F.Y.R. Macedonia defender Goce Sedloski has made his mark in history by scoring the first goal of UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying.
Opening goal
His strike came 17 minutes from time against Estonia a fortnight ago, adding to a goal Sedloski registered on his previous visit to Tallinn in a 4-2 friendly victory. His later intervention proved enough to earn a 1-0 Group E win ahead of the Macedonians' daunting double-header with England, in September and October. "The match against Estonia was very tough," the captain said. "We knew they were strong at home and that we needed to produce our best to take three points. But it was a third straight win for us and I hope the run will continue."
Popular defender
Supporters will not have begrudged Sedloski his place in the record books. After ten years in the national team and 68 appearances, the 32-year-old's skill and dedication have made him a hero. The defender started his career with local side FK Pobeda, before moving abroad to Croatia's HNK Hajduk Split in 1996. A subsequent transfer to English outfit Sheffield Wednesday FC yielded only four Premiership appearances and he duly returned to Croatian football with NK Dinamo Zagreb. After five years on the Dalmatian coast, Sedloski went east, spending several months in Japan with Vegalta Sendai in 2004 before heading back to Dinamo. He then had a campaign in Turkey with Diyarbakirspor, then linked up with Austrian Bundesliga club SV Mattersburg this summer.
Strong starts
However, he may well be remembered for the goal against Estonia which gave coach Srečko Katanec - who famously took Slovenia to the finals of both UEFA EURO 2000™ and the 2002 FIFA World Cup - his third consecutive victory following friendly successes against Ecuador and Turkey in June. The result also continued the Macedonians' sequence of strong starts to qualifying tournaments. They are still to lose an opening match since their competition debut, a 1-1 draw against Denmark in the EURO '96™ qualifiers. Should they continue that form in Skopje next Wednesday, England could have cause for concern.
