Euro 2020 the pinnacle of Pandev's career - coach

Qualifying for his first major international tournament is a fitting reward for North Macedonian forward Goran Pandev, the Balkan nation's coach Igor Angelovski said ahead of their Euro 2020 Group C clash with Austria on Sunday.

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The 37-year old forward netted the winner in a 1-0 win at Georgia in their playoff final to steer his country to their maiden big stage appearance after enjoying a fine club career mainly in Italy's Serie A.

"I am so happy for our captain because I told him six years ago that he is too good a player to never take part on the biggest international stage," Angelovski told a news conference on Saturday.

"I talked him out of international retirement and I am truly delighted that he will lead the team tomorrow. He deserves a bow from me and my staff, his team mates and all North Macedonian citizens."

Pandev, who said earlier on Saturday on his Instagram profile that he may call time on his international career after Euro 2020, has scored 37 goals in 119 international appearances since his debut in 2001.

He said a pair of defeats by Austria in Euro 2020 qualifying would have no bearing on the clash in Bucharest, adding that the North Macedonians did not get carried away after their stunning 2-1 win against Germany in 2022 World Cup qualifying in March.

"We can’t wait for the match to start and we will head into it confident that we can get a result."

"We don’t have a good experience playing Austria but we have improved tactically since those two losses and we believe we can cause an upset.

"We are like a big family here, we breathe as one and tomorrow we will wear our hearts on our sleeve to win. We’re dreaming of reaching the knockout stage, and the opening game is so important."

North Macedonia also face Ukraine in Bucharest and the Netherlands in Amsterdam and Angelovski said the tournament was the perfect opportunity for the former Yugoslav republic, which gained independence in 1991 to reward their fans.

"We are very excited to be on the big stage for the first time, as we’ve been waiting for this moment since we became an independent nation," he said.

"Our fans will finally be able to root for their own country on the big stage instead of perennially having to pick someone else. We will fight tooth and nail to delight them, as they've had to dig deep into their slim budgets to be here."