With the game stretched and both teams tearing forward at every opportunity, Macedonia's Slavco Georgievski slammed a shot over the crossbar with the goal at his mercy, while Whittaker replied with a rising shot.

BBC: Scotland 2-0 Macedonia

Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski again threatened to declare a formal state of war in Macedonia after ethnic-Albanian rebels, seeking to widen the conflict to an area hitherto unaffected, killed five government soldiers north-west of Skopje, the capital.

ECONOMIST: Ceasefire at last?

Later, after meeting Del Ponte, Macedonia's Prime Minister Ljubco Georgievski said that one investigation would focus on the activities of government forces in the village of Ljuboten near Skopje, where six ethnic Albanian civilians were killed in August.

CNN: Blast as Macedonia probe begins