Bashkimi earn first PMFL win — 2:1 at Skopje
Kumanovo side won away to Skopje for their first points of the season; coach Shaban Suliman says the team has quality.
Bashkimi from Kumanovo secured their first points of the new PMFL season with a 2:1 away win over Skopje on September 6, 2026. The victory ended a run of scoreless outings and gave coach Shaban Suliman his first top‑flight triumph as a head coach.
The match in Skopje produced the breakthrough the Kumanovo side had been searching for after several close but fruitless performances. Suliman said the team’s recent displays already showed promise, and the result finally matched the effort.
Coach: it wasn’t easy to take over, but the squad has quality
“Thank you for the congratulations regarding the win and the points won on the road at Skopje. To begin with, I would say that it was by no means easy to take over Bashkimi at this moment. Given the fact that many players left Kumanovo over the summer, and what remained were a few youngsters. The club executives decided to give me and the coaching staff their trust, for which I am sincerely grateful.
As for yesterday’s victory, yes. Finally our good play bore fruit in one match. To be honest, in previous games we were at the required level, but things simply did not fall into place for us to take points. After what happened in Shtip we wanted to reach a positive result against Shkendija Arachinovo as well, but there the margins again denied us points. Realistically, even then I was satisfied with the commitment, the desire, the effort put in by the players, the motivation. That is not lacking, believe me. Day by day we are improving, I must say. We lacked a goalscorer, and I think with the performance against Skopje we have found that in Antonio Da Silva.
Now we face a Cup tie against Konjare, and then Vardar comes to Kumanovo. The current champion. We go match by match, we work hard and we prepare. We analyse and look for ways to make the best use of our advantages. This team has quality, believe me. I have great faith in it, in these men, who I think will bring many positive results and good football in Kumanovo. Finally, this is also my first top‑league victory as a head coach. It means a lot to me, as motivation, courage, and it gives me strength to continue fighting together with my team” — Shaban Suliman said.
Bashkimi now turn their attention to the domestic cup fixture before returning to league action at home against reigning champions Vardar.
Photo: press material from the event
