The moment was the culmination of a decades-long dream. North Macedonia, a big underdog in Euro 2020 play, had forged a tie with Austria in the first half.
Goran Pandev, a 37-year-old hero in his country, sent the 2 million or so souls at home into celebration, scoring the team’s first goal in a major tournament. The goal arrived 28 minutes into the match, 10 minutes after Stefan Lainer had given Austria the lead in Bucharest. Austria went on to win, 3-1, but the goal and the moment for Pandev were striking.
The North Macedonia captain is seven years older than his country, which gained independence from Yugoslavia in 1991.