VAR intervened five times in today's Prva Liga derbies
FC Struga Trim & Lum won at home and FC Vardar earned an away victory; VAR overturned two penalties and reviewed three offside situations.
Published 07.11.2026 16:40 — VAR intervened five times during today's Prva Liga matchday, affecting both derbies: FC Struga Trim & Lum vs FC Shkëndija and FC Sileks vs FC Vardar. The outcomes were a home victory for Struga and an away win for Vardar.
Detailed VAR review
In the Struga–Shkëndija match, two penalty decisions were reviewed. In the 2nd minute the referee initially awarded a penalty to Shkëndija for an alleged contact between the attacker and a defender; after a VAR intervention the referee was called to review the pitchside monitor and correctly overturned the award, determining there was no foul. In the 89th minute another penalty was first given to Shkëndija after a ball deflected off a defender's head onto his arm; following the VAR check and pitchside review the decision was changed. According to the Laws of the Game, when the ball rebounds directly from a head or torso to the arm without additional elements of deliberate handling, a penalty is not awarded.
At the Sileks–Vardar fixture, three VAR incidents were recorded. In the 28th minute Sileks had a goal correctly disallowed for offside by the player who supplied the scorer; the VAR intervention was justified and successfully executed. In the 47th minute Vardar's goal stood after VAR confirmed both the assister and the scorer were in legal positions and there were no offside elements. In the 87th minute another Sileks goal was rightly ruled out for an obvious offside by the goalscorer; the VAR review was appropriate and correct.
Overall, the five significant VAR situations consisted of two overturned penalties and three offside-related reviews — two disallowed Sileks goals and one confirmed Vardar goal. All five interventions were judged justified and successfully implemented, and the VAR teams on both matches completed their duties at a high professional level.
The assessments underline the role of VAR technology as an important tool for improving accuracy, transparency and fairness in officiating.
Photo: press material from the event
