Pelister humbled in Bitola: 24:31 against La Rioja

Eurofarm Pelister, rated by the EHF before the start as the second favourite for the trophy, opened the European League group phase with a heavy defeat to Spain's La Rioja - 24:31 in a packed Boro Churlevski hall. The visitors started 0:5, led 16:8 at half-time and at one point were 11 goals ahead. Spanish goalkeeper Joan Ledo finished with around twenty saves, and at times the Bitola crowd applauded the opponents. For the hosts, Ristevski and Petar Atanasijević were top scorers with four goals each, while captain Kuzmanovski did not score. Coach Lino Červar made no excuses: "I'm surprised we went down without firing a single bullet," he said, adding that "one rotten apple can spoil the whole crate". Next up is an away game at Wybrzeże Gdańsk on Tuesday, 6 October - the team that beat Gummersbach in Germany in the first round. If the favourite looks like this at home, what awaits it on the road in Poland?

Denmark knock Norway off the throne

In the final of the women's EHF EURO Cup in Bucharest, Denmark beat Norway 34:30 and ended the Norwegians' run of 19 straight wins in a competition Norway had won on both previous occasions. The hero once again was goalkeeper Anna Kristensen with 15 saves, just as in the semi-final against hosts Romania. Henny Reistad scored 10 goals in the final and finished as the tournament's top scorer with 56. For Denmark this is a small historic revenge after defeats to the same rival in the EHF EURO 2022 and 2024 finals, the Olympic semi-final in Paris and the 2023 World Championship semi-final. The two teams could meet again as early as December, at the EHF EURO 2026 in Cluj-Napoca.

Balkan neighbours in the European League: Nexe and Izviđač celebrate

The new format of the EHF European League kicked off with 16 games, 15 wins and just one draw. Croatia's Nexe beat Saint-Raphaël 33:26, and Bosnia's Izviđač edged Chambéry 34:33. Slovenia's Slovan won away in Tatabánya behind Tim Cokan, who scored an incredible 16 goals. Croatia's Sesvete could not hold on in Sweden and lost 27:34 to Sävehof. The biggest upset came from Poland's Gdańsk, who beat Gummersbach 38:34 - Pelister's very next opponents. The region started stronger than the favourite from Bitola - will Pelister find its rhythm before it is too late?

Romania take bronze in a derby with Hungary

Hosts Romania won bronze at the women's EHF EURO Cup after beating neighbours Hungary 33:30. The Hungarians led 12:9 behind ten saves from Zsófi Szemerey, but Crina Pintea levelled it at 16:16 by half-time. A 5:1 run at the start of the second half turned the game, and goalkeeper Bianca Curmenț shut the door in the closing stages. Katrin Klujber scored 11 goals for Hungary, but it was not enough. The match between the two beaten semi-finalists was played with the intensity of a final - a rivalry between neighbours clearly doesn't care what place is at stake.

Tomovski held off the champions in the Bundesliga

Macedonia's national team goalkeeper Martin Tomovski had a game to remember in the German Bundesliga, even though Bietigheim lost 24:33 away to champions Magdeburg. Tomovski spent 58 minutes between the posts and made 16 saves, a 33 percent save rate against one of the best teams in Europe. The club paid special tribute to him and posted a video of his best stops on social media. He was one of the main reasons Bietigheim made it into the Bundesliga this season. When Pelister concede 31 at home, it is some comfort that Macedonian handball has someone to show off abroad.