SKOPJE, North Macedonia (Interstat) — Vardar opened its First League season with a commanding 5-1 victory over FK Makedonija Gjorche Petrov on Saturday at a rain-slicked Nationala Arena Toše Proeski.

The match, played before an announced crowd of 8,500, was a one-sided affair that saw the home side dominate from the opening whistle and ultimately surpass the pregame projections. Interstat’s game simulator had projected a closer 2-1 finish for Vardar, while its ELO system gave the hosts a 95.70 percent probability to win.

Vardar established control early and broke through in the 31st minute. Defender Darko Velkovski rose highest on a corner kick, powering a header into the net to give his team a lead it would not relinquish. The advantage doubled just 11 minutes later when midfielder Diego Castañeda finished a flowing team move with a low strike from the edge of the penalty area.

Any hope of a second-half comeback for the visitors was extinguished shortly after the restart. In the 61st minute, forward Joaquín Torres scored his first of the night, slotting home after a defensive error to make it 3-0. The floodgates then opened in a stunning four-minute span. Boban Nikolov added a fourth in the 69th minute, followed quickly by Ivan Galevski’s goal in the 71st.

Torres completed the scoring for Vardar and sealed his brace in the 75th minute, finishing a precise cross to push the lead to 5-0. FK Makedonija Gjorche Petrov managed a late consolation goal in the 83rd minute, a well-taken effort that denied Vardar a clean sheet but did little to dampen the home side’s celebrations.

The result immediately separates the two sides in the early First League table. Vardar begins its campaign with a perfect record of one win and no losses, while FK Makedonija Gjorche Petrov starts with one loss and no wins. The records are identical across all competitions for both clubs.

Vardar will look to maintain its momentum quickly, as its schedule shows a match against Detonit Plachkovica later on the same date, Saturday, April 4, 2026. The club will hope the offensive outburst displayed against FK Makedonija Gjorche Petrov is a sign of things to come as it navigates a busy opening to the season. For FK Makedonija Gjorche Petrov, the heavy defeat presents immediate defensive concerns to address before its next fixture.