North Macedonia Edges Andorra 1-0 on Nikolovska's Late Free Kick

Andorra's women's national football team lost 0-1 to North Macedonia in their final home match of the European qualifiers at Estadi Nacional, with Pavlina Nikolovska's curling free kick from over 30 metres in the 86th minute catching Joana Babot by surprise.

The visitors, ranked 136th, climbed to third in League C Group C3 with the win under coach Aleksandar Andov, who received a yellow card. Andorra, bottom with one point from five games, dominated possession through short passes early on but struggled to convert chances despite a higher work rate. Maria Ruzafa missed the best opportunity in the 32nd minute, receiving Tere Morató's through ball after Maria da Cruz's interception and shooting straight at Viktorija Panchurova; Paula Da Silva's rebound struck the post. Èlia Quílez forced a save from the edge of the box before halftime after a team move, while Morató tested Panchurova again post-interval with a left-footed shot following interplay with substitutes Ariadna Pernia and Ari Gonçalves.

North Macedonia grew into the contest, pressing higher and creating threats. Ulza Maksuti fired wide from distance and curled a free kick off target around the 18th minute, with Lora Sulejmani skewing wide early in the second half. Babot comfortably held other efforts, including a long-range set piece.

Ahead of kickoff, coach Albert Panadero described a positive training week, stating the team had shown capacity to compete against any League C opponent at home. Captain Morató, fresh from promotion to Spain's Liga F with Valencia on a one-year extension, expressed strong motivation for revenge after the 3-0 away defeat in poor conditions in Bitola.

The defeat overshadowed an emotional farewell for retiring goalkeeper Álex Cardoso after 18 years with Andorra. Despite not playing, she received applause from fans and teammates. Cardoso reflected positively on her career, praising successors Babot and Alba Martín as ready replacements.

Andorra close the campaign with a Tuesday away fixture against group leaders Hungary, who beat Azerbaijan 2-1 via Viktória Nagy's late goal. Line-ups featured Babot in goal for Andorra, with changes including Pernia and Ari Gonçalves at the hour, Esteve Duró for Ruzafa (71st), and Lluch and Quílez later. North Macedonia made five subs, with yellows also for Clau Plaja and Cvetkoska. Portuguese referee Ana Afo officiated.