North Macedonia vs England - LIVE!

England ended the year in frustrating fashion as North Macedonia held them to a 1-1 draw in Skopje. A fast start was expected from England after their low-key display against Malta last week but, although Declan Rice was denied by the woodwork in the early stages, there was little to get excited about in the opening 45 minutes.

Harry Maguire was fortunate to not give away a penalty with a clumsy challenge, before Rico Lewis on debut was on the receiving end of a bizarre VAR decision. He grazed Bojan Miovski's face with a hand as he jumped to head the ball, contact that was deemed enough for a penalty after the referee checked the pitchside monitor. Enis Bardhi's spot-kick was saved by Jordan Pickford, but the North Macedonia captain reacted to slam home the rebound.

Jack Grealish thought he had levelled things up inside two minutes of the restart, after great work from Bukayo Saka, but that was ruled out for offside after another unnecessarily long VAR check. The England equaliser did eventually come, just before the hour mark. Harry Kane had been brought on to replace Ollie Watkins and seconds later he was on the scene, jumping with Jani Atanasov as the North Macedonia midfielder turned the ball into his own net.

North Macedonia vs England latest news

• GOAL! Atanasov turns into own net to level match

• NO GOAL! Grealish denied by VAR

• GOAL! Bardhi scores rebound after penalty save

• How to watch: Channel 4

FT: North Macedonia 1-1 England

21:43 , Matt Verri

That'll do it.

England unbeaten in 2023, but it's a frustrating end to the qualifying campaign.

The Three Lions have to settle for a draw, after a scrappy encounter in Skopje.

North Macedonia 1-1 England

21:40 , Matt Verri

90+4 mins: Don't think this is going to happen for England, struggling to build pressure.

Someone in their crowd has a very decent effort at a full-time whistle... England players not fooled as I was.

North Macedonia 1-1 England

21:37 , Matt Verri

90+1 mins: Six minutes added on.

Rashford standing over the free-kick. All of 30 yards out, maybe more.

That's well wide... to put it mildly.

North Macedonia 1-1 England

21:36 , Matt Verri

89 mins: Foden gets a free-kick as he drives through the middle of midfield. England running out of time though.

Surely be a fair bit of added-time...

North Macedonia 1-1 England

21:33 , Matt Verri

87 mins: Walker gives away a free-kick... yet another questionable decision. Walker has given up complaining.

Ball whipped into the middle, headed just over the bar! Think Pickford had it covered.

North Macedonia 1-1 England

21:30 , Matt Verri

84 mins: Palmer, Rashford and Phillips are on for England.

Grealish, Saka and Alexander-Arnold are three to make way.

North Macedonia 1-1 England

21:28 , Matt Verri

82 mins: Maguire might as well stop coming up for these set-pieces.

He's giving away a free-kick every time he jumps, really through no fault of his own. Referee evidently not a fan.

North Macedonia 1-1 England

21:26 , Matt Verri

79 mins: England corner, Kane does well out wide.

He has, unsurprisingly, made a difference since coming on. The visitors look more dangerous now, though that was a relatively low bar.

Foden whips it in deep, Maguire can't direct the header on the stretch.

North Macedonia 1-1 England

21:23 , Matt Verri

76 mins: Long spell of possession for England, but not doing much with it.

North Macedonia sitting everyone behind the ball, as you imagine they will do more and more as the final whistle draws nearer.

Dom Smith in Skopje

21:22 , Matt Verri

I suspect it won’t be long before Marcus Rashford enters the fray here.

He is the only England player out there warming up. England could certainly do with his pace here, as they search for a breakthrough and a winner.

North Macedonia 1-1 England

21:19 , Matt Verri

73 mins: We can't go 30 seconds without a foul.

England are running hot, as Saka thinks he's fouled but the free-kick goes the other way as Kane tries to win the ball back.

North Macedonia 1-1 England

21:17 , Matt Verri

71 mins: Lewis in down the left, picks out Saka in the box.

He has Foden free outside him, but the Arsenal star goes for goal himself. Shot blocked, Foden has a question or two for him...

North Macedonia 1-1 England

21:16 , Matt Verri

69 mins: Bit scrappy, the hosts are pouncing on anything lose from England.

Feel like there will still be chances for the Three Lions, Kane is dropping deep and looking to get involved as ever.

Dom Smith in Skopje

21:13 , Matt Verri

England still under the cosh here against a North Macedonia side desperate to regain the lead.

This is a proper test for Southgate’s side ahead of next year’s Euros.

North Macedonia 1-1 England

21:11 , Matt Verri

64 mins: There have been some very strange decisions tonight.

Kane challenges in the air, penalised for it. He looks just as bemused as anyone.

North Macedonia straight on the attack, Elmas' shot is blocked and the hosts have a rare corner.

North Macedonia 1-1 England

21:08 , Matt Verri

62 mins: Grealish has spent a fair portion of tonight getting irritated.

Not impressed as he gets dragged back by Elmas, who made sure Grealish did not lead a counter. Bit of a risk, already being on a yellow card...

GOAL! North Macedonia 1-1 England | Jani Atanasov OG 58'

21:05 , Matt Verri

England level!

Kane on for Watkins ahead of the corner... looks like he's scored with his first touch.

It's not off the head of Kane though, it's bounced off Atanasov and rolled into his own net.

North Macedonia 1-0 England

21:02 , Matt Verri

56 mins: Alexander-Arnold thinks he should have won a throw-in, launches the ball into the ground as it's given the other way.

Yellow card for dissent, as he screams at the referee for good measure.

North Macedonia 1-0 England

20:59 , Matt Verri

53 mins: Hosts looking pretty comfortable on the ball at the start of this half.

Nice move very nearly presents them with a chance, but Guehi reads the ball forward and steps up to intercept.

Dom Smith in Skopje

20:57 , Matt Verri

We see it in the Premier League and we see it in international football, but that VAR check just took too long.

Grealish was clearly offside and yet the players were stood around waiting for three minutes at least.

Football has got to make these processes quicker.

NO GOAL!

20:56 , Matt Verri

Forget that.

We have a VAR check that takes far too long. First replay showed Grealish was offside.

Have to have a lot more waiting around though, just for a change. Those in the VAR booth maybe finishing off their dinner.

Here we go... offside. Goal is ruled out.

GOAL! North Macedonia 1-1 England | Jack Grealish

20:53 , Matt Verri

Didn't take long!

England are level. Saka creates it, cutting in on the right wing and clipping a great ball to the back post.

Grealish can't miss from a couple of yards out.

Back underway!

20:51 , Matt Verri

Up and running for the second-half.

20:48 , Matt Verri

More than 80% of the ball for England, 11 shots... nothing to show for it.

All been very slow, and very safe, from the visitors. Might not be long until we see Harry Kane at this rate.

Lewis unfortunate on debut...

20:42 , Matt Verri

The Man City teenager has enjoyed a pretty good 45 minutes, but it's that harsh penalty decision that will be be on his mind at half-time.

Dom Smith in Skopje

20:39 , Matt Verri

Pretty poor half of football from England that. Didn’t concede a penalty that probably should have been. Then conceded one that maybe shouldn’t.

Bardhi put it away, and now England are facing potentially their first qualifying defeat since a 2-1 loss to the Czech Republic in October 2019.

Better performance required in the second half — faster, more incisive, more aggressive, more progressive.

HT: North Macedonia 1-0 England

20:36 , Matt Verri

No penalty... and that's half-time.

England trail at the break, after that very controversial penalty. Pickford save the spot-kick, but Bardhi made up for the miss by scoring the rebound.

The visitors have plenty of work to do.

North Macedonia 1-0 England

20:34 , Matt Verri

45+4 mins: Into the last of the four minutes added on.

Maguire down in the box from a corner, was he caught? Looks to have got a boot in the head as he stooped down.

Grealish then clashes with a couple of North Macedonia players, getting very heated. VAR is having a look...

North Macedonia 1-0 England

20:31 , Matt Verri

45+1 mins: Can't keep Lewis out of the action.

Saka plays it across to the Man City man, who fires an effort at goal from the edge of the box. Comfortable save.

North Macedonia 1-0 England

20:29 , Matt Verri

43 mins: That was a genuinely wild penalty decision. Insane to give that.

Lewis looks to make a more positive impression at the other end, does brilliantly to win the ball back and earns a free-kick.

Headed straight up as Alexander-Arnold whips it in, Saka's volley is then blocked.

GOAL! North Macedonia 1-0 England | Enis Bardhi 41'

20:26 , Matt Verri

North Macedonia have a shock lead!

Pickford makes a really good save from penalty, but Bardhi is on hand to smash home the rebound and get himself out of trouble.

Dom Smith in Skopje

20:25 , Matt Verri

Penalty for North Macedonia after a VAR review. Rico Lewis leaped to win the ball in the air but caught Bojan Miovski in the air with an elbow.

Huge opportunity for the hosts.

North Macedonia 0-0 England

20:24 , Matt Verri

39 mins: There's a VAR check here, North Macedonia want a penalty.

Lewis heads the ball away, catches Mivoski slightly with a hand in the process. This surely can't be a penalty.

Referee over to the monitor... PENALTY! Madness.

North Macedonia 0-0 England

20:22 , Matt Verri

36 mins: England continue to dominate the ball, but there's been little in the way of clear-cut chances.

Alexander-Arnold hasn't really had much of an impact in midfield - England look most dangerous out wide.

Watkins thinks he's clean through, but the whistle has already gone. England striker gets a telling off for cracking on and shooting.

North Macedonia 0-0 England

20:18 , Matt Verri

33 mins: Atanasov with a late challenge on Lewis, that was not a good one at all.

Referee gives the free-kick but the card doesn't come out - miraculous the hosts have only had one booking. And that was for dissent!

Maguire lucky?

20:16 , Matt Verri

Was certainly clumsy from the England centre-back...

North Macedonia 0-0 England

20:15 , Matt Verri

29 mins: Foden with a lovely low ball into the box, Watkins nearly gets there.

Aston Villa striker found space, he stretches... but the ball just about runs through to the goalkeeper.

Dom Smith in Skopje

20:12 , Matt Verri

Well, well, well. I think England are extremely lucky not to have conceded a penalty, as Maguire lunged in on Elif Elmas and got nowhere near the ball.

VAR weren’t interested either, after the referee waved play on. North Macedonia incensed, and rightly so.

North Macedonia 0-0 England

20:11 , Matt Verri

25 mins: Good from Musliu, gets forward well down the left and manages to beat Walker, drawing the foul from the full-back. Decent position this for the hosts.

Fired in... over everyone. Goal-kick.

North Macedonia 0-0 England

20:09 , Matt Verri

23 mins: Elmas chucks himself to the floor in the box, wants a penalty.

Looked clumsy from Maguire but maybe enough for a foul... referee waves play on. That's got the home fans going again, loud jeers.

North Macedonia 0-0 England

20:06 , Matt Verri

21 mins: Feels like the entirety of this match has just been Saka and Grealish being fouled.

Saka down again, Alioski with a poor challenge from behind. The hosts very keen to get stuck in so far.

Nearly...

20:04 , Matt Verri

As close as England have come to opening the scoring.

North Macedonia 0-0 England

20:02 , Matt Verri

17 mins: Saka as direct as ever, runs between two defenders and wins the free-kick.

Elmas moans about the decision in the referee's face... yellow card swiftly shown for dissent.

North Macedonia 0-0 England

20:00 , Matt Verri

14 mins: Off the post!

England inches away from taking the lead. Rice has space outside the area, whips an effort towards the far corner.

Smacks back off the woodwork and the hosts scramble clear. Almost identical to the one he had chalked off against Malta.

North Macedonia 0-0 England

19:59 , Matt Verri

13 mins: Saka drifting inside off the right, looking to work space for the shot.

Eventually finds it, tries his luck despite having options free to his left... shot is blocked.

Dom Smith in Skopje

19:57 , Matt Verri

England certainly in the ascendency here and moving slowly up the gears as they start to exert some control over North Macedonia, but it is hard to avoid the state of this newly relaid pitch.

The ball rolled completely under Declan Rice’s foot a few moments ago, and the ball is skipping off it at quite a rate.

England have that to contend with here at the Tose Proeski Arena, as well as the hostile environment.

North Macedonia 0-0 England

19:56 , Matt Verri

11 mins: Grealish has stayed down after being blocked off by Manev.

Was not particularly subtle, but referee still didn't see it. Fair to say Grealish is not particularly delighted with that decision.

North Macedonia 0-0 England

19:53 , Matt Verri

8 mins: Not much pace in the game so far.

North Macedonia sitting off, the couple of times they have touched the ball it's come from a loose England pass.

Lewis drifting into midfield, as he does for Man City.

Dom Smith in Skopje

19:50 , Matt Verri

Blazed wildly over the bar by Rico Lewis from a corner.

I’m sure his eyes lit up there at the chance of a goal on debut with just three minutes on the clock. Excellent by England, though.

North Macedonia 0-0 England

19:49 , Matt Verri

3 mins: Rice can't flick the ball on at the near post, but it falls perfectly for Lewis.

It's a wild finish from the Man City man, he takes a big hack at the ball and the shot flies over the bar.

North Macedonia 0-0 England

19:48 , Matt Verri

2 mins: Loud boos whenever Grealish touches the ball, not a popular man in North Macedonia apparently.

Nor is Saka it seems, after his hat-trick at Old Trafford earlier this year.

It's an England corner in the opening couple of minutes, as Grealish skips to the byline after a lovely one-two with Rice.

KICK-OFF!

19:45 , Matt Verri

We're up and running in Skopje.

Here we go!

19:42 , Matt Verri

Players are out on the pitch.

Home fans try their best to drown out God Save The King with boos, but the England supporters make themselves heard.

A singer suddenly appears to lead the North Macedonia anthem. Bit of favouritism.

Not long now!

19:38 , Matt Verri

Just over five minutes until we get up and running.

England unbeaten in nine matches since that World Cup defeat to France last year - something has gone very wrong if that run isn't extended to double figures tonight!

Dom Smith in Skopje

19:35 , Matt Verri

Jordan Pickford’s 58th cap tonight moves him above Jimmy Greaves, Paul Gascoigne and Gareth Southgate.

Kyle Walker, wearing the captain's armband, goes above Gary Lineker on 81. Declan Rice said he was left “speechless” yesterday when he was told he moves ahead of Sir Trevor Brooking and one behind Sir Geoff Hurst with his 48th cap here.

This current England team are growing in pedigree all the time.

Pre-match thoughts from Ollie Watkins

19:32 , Matt Verri

"Obviously goals is the main thing," he tells Channel 4 when asked what will get him in the Euros squad.

"As a striker I need to score goals. But also bringing a different dynamic to the team, stretching defences, bringing a different energy."

On whether England will improve on their display against Malta, he added: "Hopefully we'll see a lot more fluid performance with a lot of goals and we'll bring some energy and excitement tonight."

Teams already qualified for Euro 2024

19:26 , Matt Verri

Group A - Spain, Scotland

Group B - France, Netherlands

Group C - England

Group D - Turkey

Group E - Albania

Group F - Belgium, Austria

Group G - Hungary, Serbia

Group H - Denmark

Group I - Romania, Switzerland

Group J - Portugal, Slovakia

Three Lions arrange high-profile friendlies

19:17 , Matt Verri

Once tonight is out of the way, it will be full steam ahead building towards next summer's European Championship in Germany.

England are back in action in March, when they face Brazil and Belgium in friendlies at Wembley, with Gareth Southgate keen for his side to be tested ahead of the major tournament.

"I am happy to have two strong matches in March as we build towards the Euros," the England boss said.

"It is important we take every opportunity to test ourselves against top opposition."

Dom Smith in Skopje

19:11 , Matt Verri

England's final match of 2023 - can they go out in style?

Southgate's final qualifier?

19:05 , Matt Verri

Gareth Southgate is out of contract in December 2024, meaning tonight's against North Macedonia could prove his final qualifier as England manager.

“I haven’t thought about it really”, Southgate said about that possibility. “I’ve thought about the game tomorrow and the need for a better performance than Friday so that’s what I’ve been focusing on.

“I feel almost as if we’ve almost talked too much about the Euros already [internally this week], and I didn’t see our focus in the right place at the weekend. So it’s tomorrow, then it’s March, then it’s the summer. And we go from there."

England dominance again?

18:56 , Matt Verri

England beat North Macedonia 7-0 when these two sides met earlier this year.

Bukayo Saka scored a hat-trick that night at Old Trafford as England ran riot - Gareth Southgate would be a very happy man if we get more of the same tonight.

Dom Smith in Skopje

18:49 , Matt Verri

Gareth Southgate played Trent Alexander-Arnold as an attacking midfielder against Malta on Friday night, but the Liverpool midfielder ended up playing deeper, almost alongside Jordan Henderson.

It will be fascinating to see how he operates tonight, given Declan Rice is the only naturally defensive midfielder in the starting XI.

It’s a very attacking line-up which Southgate has named.

North Macedonia team news

18:45 , Matt Verri

Starting XI: Dimitrievski, Manev, Serafimov, Musliu, Dimoski, Bardhi, Atanasov, Alimi, Alioski, Miovski, Elmas.

Subs: Kostadinov, Askovski, Iljazovski, Elezi, Churlinov, Mitrovski, Ristovski, Todoroski, Aleksovski, Daci, Ademi, Siskovski.

In the building!

18:42 , Matt Verri

The Three Lions have arrived...

Debut for Lewis

18:38 , Matt Verri

Rico Lewis gets the nod at left-back as he makes his senior debut, with Kieran Trippier not travelling.

As expected, Ollie Watkins leads the line for England, as Harry Kane starts on the bench, while Jack Grealish and Declan Rice come into the side.

It's a very exciting midfield - Declan Rice alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden.

England team news

18:34 , Matt Verri

England XI: Pickford; Walker, Maguire, Guehi, Lewis; Rice, Alexander-Arnold, Foden; Saka, Watkins, Grealish

Subs: Johnstone, Ramsdale, Tomori, Henderson, Phillips, Gallagher, Konsa, Rashford, Palmer, Kane

Southgate: We want to be No1

18:31 , Matt Verri

While tonight is another dead rubber, Gareth Southgate has made it clear to his players they cannot waste any games.

He has said he wants England to become the No1 team in the world and they can leapfrog Brazil in the FIFA rankings to finish the year in third place, behind world champions Argentina and France.

"Qualification is done," Southgate said. "With the games at the weekend, we might be ranked third in the world, but we are two places off where we need to be, so we can't waste games.

"If we're going to be a top team, then the level of performance has got to be spot on every time."

Asked if reaching the No 1 spot was a motivation for him, Southgate said: "Yeah, because, ultimately, you achieve that through consistency and you've got to play well in the tournaments as well, because the ranking points are higher in the tournaments.

"It sets behaviours every day on the training pitch, off the training pitch. If you are going to be the top-ranked team, there's no room for sloppiness or casualness. That's got to be our drive."

Dom Smith in Skopje

18:23 , Matt Verri

As others have reported, I understand Ollie Watkins starts for England tonight against North Macedonia.

Big opportunity for the Aston Villa forward to stake his claim for being the back-up striker to Harry Kane at the Euros.

Kane will be desperate to come off the bench and hit the back of the net, no doubt.

Rice backs 'security' under Southgate

18:19 , Matt Verri

Declan Rice has defended Gareth Southgate, insisting the England boss is right to favour a more cautious approach.

Southgate has at times faced criticism for England's set-up, with it suggested by some that he is holding back the team's attacking potential, but Rice does not agree.

"I have felt when I am on the pitch — even when I'm not — that the balance throughout the team has been really good," said Rice.

"I understand how Gareth works, wanting two holding midfield players. I know the public wants to see so much attacking flair, but as a manager I'd be the same in terms of wanting that security and that protection, whether it is me or someone else who can get forward as well.

"The balance has been really good over the last few years.

"The level of the team is ridiculously high. People can say whatever they want, but against Italy, in both games, we dominated them."

Pitch inspection

18:12 , Matt Verri

For those wanting to get up close and personal with the surface at the National Arena Tose Proeski...

No Bowen for England

18:06 , Matt Verri

Jarrod Bowen will not be involved tonight, after picking up an issue in training.

“Unfortunately, Jarrod picked up an injury”, Southgate confirmed in his pre-match press conference.

“I think he felt it a little bit yesterday and then again at the end of training today. So we didn’t really have enough time to assess it fully and make a really accurate decision before the game.

“We felt better to leave him in England so that he can get it properly assessed. I don’t think it’s going to be anything serious, but we just didn’t have enough time, and we wouldn’t take a risk in that player.”

Elsewhere in Group C...

17:55 , Matt Verri

Not much riding on this match for England, but the battle for second in Group C is set for a thrilling conclusion.

Italy and Ukraine are level on points and meet tonight. A Ukraine win would send them through to Euro 2024, anything else and it will be Italy in Germany next summer.

Quite a lot on the line...

Rice eyes England century

17:47 , Matt Verri

Declan Rice has set his sights on winning 100 caps for England.

The Arsenal midfielder will earn his 48th cap against North Macedonia tonight after establishing himself as a key player for his country.

By doing so, Rice, 24, will go ahead of Trevor Brooking in the list of all-time England appearances and move to within one cap of 1966 World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst.

Since switching his international allegiance from the Republic of Ireland and making his England debut in 2019, Rice has been a virtual ever-present under Gareth Southgate.

Only nine players have reached 100 England caps, but Rice hopes to join that elite club. "To get near 50 caps for England is a massive deal to me," he said.

"I want to play as much as possible.[Being there with] World Cup winners, legends of the game, people who will be remembered forever, I am a bit speechless.

"I have to give a bit of credit to myself, because when you get picked for England it is not just you get picked. You have to work for it. You have to earn it. Those England caps are special. They are the pinnacle, and when I get to 50, I am going to aim for 100."

Stage is set!

17:39 , Matt Verri

Perfect evening for it in Skopje...

Standard Sport prediction

17:32 , Matt Verri

England were a million miles from their fluent best against Malta, something Southgate largely attributed to the non-stop grind of the fixture list.

However, even on an off-night, waiting until the 64th minute for a first shot on target at home against winless minnows with a strong front three on paper is an obvious cause for concern, however the manager tries to explain it away.

England simply must be better, bolder and brighter in Skopje, winning in more convincing and exciting fashion to prevent the predictable naysaying from growing louder with seven months to go until the Euros begin.

England to win, 3-0.

England team news

17:26 , Matt Verri

Neither Jarrod Bowen nor Kieran Trippier have travelled for England ahead of tonight's match. West Ham forward Bowen suffered an injury in training and will not be risked, while Trippier left the squad to tend to "a personal matter".

It leaves Gareth Southgate with just 21 available players for England's final match of 2023.

Jack Grealish is expected to start after being rested in Friday's 2-0 win over Malta at Wembley, while Declan Rice will also feature from the off.

The absence of Trippier means Southgate may need to get creative again in that area of the pitch. He deployed right-footed centre-back Fikayo Tomori at left-back in the win against Malta.

Southgate said: “We’ve got a couple of options [at left-back]. We can find a couple of different solutions to the issue.

"We’ve adapted to a lot of situations over the last few years, and we’re comfortable doing that again tomorrow. Fik did it the other day, Rico Lewis, Marc Guehi can play there.”

Predicted England XI (4-3-3): Pickford; Walker, Maguire, Guehi, Lewis; Rice, Alexander-Arnold, Phillips; Saka, Kane, Grealish

How to watch North Macedonia vs England

17:19 , Matt Verri

TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live and free-to-air on Channel 4, with coverage beginning at 7pm GMT ahead of a 7:45pm kick-off.

Live stream: Fans can also catch the contest live and for free online via the Channel 4 website and app.

Live blog: You can follow all the action this evening right here, with expert analysis from Dom Smith in Skopje.

Good evening!

17:13 , Matt Verri

Hello and welcome to Standard Sport's LIVE coverage of North Macedonia vs England!

The Three Lions are in action for the final time in 2023 as their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign comes to an end, with the job already very much done.

There is still expectation of a strong performance though, with a much-improved display needed after Friday night's dull win over Malta.

We'll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 7:45pm GMT from the National Arena Tose Proeski.