EXCLUSIVE: Dimitrievski confident North Macedonia can see off Denmark in Copenhagen

[p]The 32-year-old is the most capped shot stopper in the Lynxes history with 86 appearances and is one of the most experienced players in the squad.[/p][p]But the Kumanovo-born [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/dimitrievski-stole/2axfsTHA/"]Dimitrievski[/a] comes across as a calm, confident, humble and at times funny person, as the Macedonian discusses in an exclusive interview with [i][b]Flashscore[/b][/i] his childhood memories of watching the World Cup finals on TV, previews the upcoming match against [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/denmark/0KUdxQVi/"]Denmark[/a] and reveals his [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/valencia/CQeaytrD/"]Valencia[/a] teammate who left him in awe, among other topics.[/p][p][b]"I remember watching the World Cup back in 2002 on a TV with Ronaldo Nazario playing for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/brazil/I9l9aqLq/"]Brazil[/a] and David Beckham featuring for [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/england/j9N9ZNFA/"]England[/a], and my father bought me a sticker album, which, funnily enough, I managed to somehow drop in the Vardar river when we visited Skopje.[/b][/p][p]Years on and ahead of the Euro 2020, my father remembered that story and started collecting the 2020 edition of the sticker album because I was included, and he never thought that one day he might be collecting a sticker album with me being in it," recalls Dimitrievski.[/p][p]The 66th-ranked national team is in the World Cup playoffs for the second consecutive time after finishing on top in Group Four of the Nations League C.[/p][p]Back in 2022, the Lynxes shocked [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/italy/hlKvieGH/"]Italy[/a] in the semi-final before losing to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/portugal/WvJrjFVN/"]Portugal[/a] in the final, and that defeat from [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/fc-porto/S2NmScGp/"]Porto[/a] still haunts and motivates Dimitrievski at the same time: "The match against Portugal was one of the most important in the national team's history, because the winner was destined to go to the World Cup 2022, but now, we have another opportunity to make history and we need to take that chance with both hands and finally put that loss to Portugal behind us."[/p][p]Denmark stands in [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/north-macedonia/GrTQ3oHB/"]North Macedonia[/a]'s path in the World Cup play-off semi-final this time, and the Parken Stadium is fully sold out for the match, but the goalkeeper believes in the squad and argues that it would be wrong to label it as "a surprise" if they pull off a win in Copenhagen.[/p][p][b]"This is probably one of the most important matches in our careers, and we have to go out there like proper men to play our best football, implement the coach's tactical plan and win," analyses Dimitrievski.[/b][/p][p][b]"We have the quality, we have a plan, and we are going to give our best, to play better football than them and to win. I don't think it is fair to talk about "a surprise", because we are a very good team that can win, and not surprise them."[/b][/p][image alt="North Macedonia's recent results" id="23589b98-3917-4ff2-874e-0471c3cec39e" credit-line="Flashscore" guid="47061ba3-b4e4-419a-83dc-d453990f1d18" original-width="1200" original-height="1200" /][h2]No honeymoon yet[/h2][p]The [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/napoli/69Dxbc61/"]Napoli[/a] and Denmark striker, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/hojlund-rasmus/0lk9Mt7D/"]Rasmus Hojlund[/a], admitted in an interview with the Danish media [i][b]TV2[/b][/i] that he is "yet to book a summer holiday and that North Macedonia is neither Germany nor France" and when asked about whether that sounds like a sly dig, Dimitrievski jokingly replies: "I have not booked my honeymoon as well, so it goes both ways."[/p][p]However, the in-form goalkeeper might hide an ace up his sleeve in the battle to stop the Danish centre-forward, as one of his teammates, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/elmas-elif/vDVD8EAA/"]Elif Elmas[/a], plays together with Hojlund in Naples, and Dimitrievski hints that he might have a word or two with him about his traits, although reiterates that the main focus is on their own preparations rather than focusing on a single opponent's player.[/p][p][b]"We are going to prepare as best we can as a team, and definitely after the team preparation, we will talk about some details that can help me and the defensive line. As a goalkeeper, I need to provide stability within the team, and when I manage to do that, the team is always much more secure as a unit, more balanced, and we play better defensively," explains Dimitrievski.[/b][/p][p]His close family and friends will be present to support him from the stands at the Parken Stadium on Thursday, and the 32-year-old is determined to make his dream come true and help the Macedonian national team to qualify for its first-ever World Cup, and he is drawing inspiration from one of his club teammates.[/p][p][b]"Securing a place at the 2026 World Cup would definitely be the pinnacle of my career, without a doubt. I have [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/rodriguez-guido/KvubGJwU/"]Guido Rodriguez[/a] as an example from Valencia, who has played at and won the 2022 World Cup with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/argentina/f9OppQjp/"]Argentina[/a], and his experience shows me that it is one of the biggest achievements in football. [/b][/p][p][b]"Also, I feel great honour, and it is an indescribable feeling to play for the Macedonian national team. I am a competitive person by nature, and I always want to play, and to experience that feeling on over 80 different occasions is a great pride to me as well," concludes Dimitrievski.[/b][/p][h2]Becoming Valencia's main man[/h2][p]Dimitrievski established himself as one of the most consistent goalkeepers with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/rayo-vallecano/8bcjFy6O/"]Rayo Vallecano[/a] in LaLiga before joining Valencia on a free transfer during the summer of 2024, but the Macedonian was a backup goalkeeper to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/mamardashvili-giorgi/lxnsUkIc/"]Giorgi Mamardashvili[/a] last season and played second fiddle to [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/agirrezabala-julen/2iBBeOy8/"]Julen Agirrezabala[/a] this season.[/p][p]However, the on-loan [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/ath-bilbao/IP5zl0cJ/"]Athletic Club[/a] shot stopper, Agirrezabala, suffered an injury at the beginning of this calendar year, and Dimitrievski stepped in between Estadio de Mestalla's sticks, making the most of his run of games and keeping five clean sheets in 13 appearances across all competitions.[/p][p][b]"What happened in the past stayed in the past, and now, I am fully focused on the upcoming matches and on finishing the season on a high and trying to give my best for Valencia every time I play," opens up Dimitrievski.[/b][/p][p][b]The in-form goalkeeper's contract is set to expire at the end of the season, although the club holds an option to extend and when asked about his contract situation, Dimitrievski adds: "Both I and the club are fully focused on the upcoming matches in order to finish as high as possible in LaLiga, but definitely there will be negotiations soon, and hopefully we will come to an agreement which suits both parties."[/b][/p][embed guid="f606475d-d920-47c5-97d2-710cb3f319dc" url="https://x.com/valenciacf/status/2035486793504637345" social-type="twitter" /][p]With the recent run of positive results, Valencia moved away from the relegation zone, and the Ches are sitting in 12th place in the standings. One player who has been vital in helping the squad improve is Guido Rodriguez, who, according to Dimitrievski, is the most talented among his teammates: "Guido Rodriguez is a world-class player who has won the World Cup, and we have played a lot against each other during his time with [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/team/betis/vJbTeCGP/"]Betis[/a] in the past, but when you have him playing in your team and watch him up close, you truly realize his quality and why he has won and achieved a lot in his career."[/p][p]The former six-time LaLiga champions are destined to move on from the iconic Estadio de Mestalla to a new stadium next year with work continuing on the Nou Mestalla as planned, and Dimitrievski hails the importance of Nou Mestalla for the club's future: "We go past the new stadium each and every time we go to our home matches and we can only see it from the outside, as it is still being built.[/p][p]"The Nou Mestalla is really important for the club's future and the fans, as it will be a huge expansion in terms of capacity, which can only help Valencia celebrate more victories in the future."[/p][p]Finally, Stole Dimitrievski reveals his idol from the past and shares his opinion on who he thinks is the best goalkeeper in world football at the moment.[/p][p][b]"My ultimate idol is Gianluigi Buffon, but at the moment, I think over the past 10 years or so, [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/courtois-thibaut/MVExOq3n/"]Thibaut Courtois[/a] is one of the best goalkeepers and undoubtedly, the most dominant in his postion, even though [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/ter-stegen-marc-andre/byxc46yl/"]Marc-Andre ter Stegen[/a] and [a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/player/oblak-jan/SYy8ZHN9/"]Jan Oblak[/a] are also fantastic goalkeepers," ends Dimitrievski.[/b][/p][p][b][a href="https://www.flashscore.ca/game/soccer/denmark-0KUdxQVi/north-macedonia-GrTQ3oHB/?mid=IigYMdQH"]Follow North Macedonia's playoff against Denmark with Flashscore[/a][/b][/p]