15 goals from Kuzmanovski not enough for a Pelister win, Vardar chase their first points against Płock

Pelister let the win slip in Gdańsk, Kuzmanovski alone against everyone

Eurofarm Pelister drew 31:31 away at Wybrzeże Gdańsk in the second round of the EHF European League and took their first point, despite leading 16:17 at half-time. Captain Filip Kuzmanovski scored 15 goals from 19 attempts, after a match against La Rioja in which he didn't score a single one. Sadou N’Tanzi added seven goals and Saeid Heidarirad made 11 saves. Lino Červar's side led 24:20 in the 41st minute and went into the last five minutes at 28:31, then failed to score again. Pavle Atanasijević's suspension at the key moment opened the door for the hosts, who also had the last attack for the win but didn't take it. Next up is a trip to Gummersbach on 13 October, without the suspended Nick Hennig.

Vardar on zero points, Čupić: "Not everyone can play for Vardar"

Vardar host Orlen Wisła Płock on Thursday at 20:45 at the "Jane Sandanski" arena in the third round of the EHF Champions League. The red-and-blacks are without points after two defeats by a goal or two: 31:33 in Melsungen and 32:33 at home to Nantes. According to coach Ivan Čupić, Płock have the best defence in the Champions League: "Our attack has to be better than ever this season if we want to win points." Čupić also has a message for the dressing room: "Not everyone can be a coach or play for Vardar." Lazarevski, Pedro and Stojanovski return, while Bomastar is injured. In the domestic league Vardar have five wins from five games, including 27:18 over Ohrid. The last meeting between the two sides, in 2018, ended 31:31, and there will be a fan zone outside the arena from 18:30.

Veszprém, club world champions, visit Belgrade

Veszprém have just won the IHF Super Globe, the club world championship, for the second time, beating Barcelona 42:33 in the final in Cairo, and on Wednesday at 18:45 they visit Partizan in Belgrade. The Hungarians are on four points after 36:28 against Porto and 35:29 in Berlin, while the Serbian champions are on zero after 33:44 against Füchse Berlin and 28:32 in Porto. Partizan have won four in a row in their domestic league, but the gap between the Champions League and the Serbian league shows in every statistic. In the third round Celje visit PSG and Zagreb host Aalborg. Füchse Berlin are without Mathias Gidsel, the competition's top scorer with 19 goals, who was injured at the Super Globe.

Budućnost and Krim still without a point, Podravka finally win

Round four of the women's EHF Champions League was not kind to the Balkans. Esbjerg beat Budućnost 27:21, with 16 goals between Nora Mørk and Henny Reistad, and Brest overcame Krim 28:25. That game was Krim's 350th in the elite competition, the second club after Budućnost to reach that number, but both teams are on zero points after four rounds. The bright spot is Podravka: 33:31 against debutants Blomberg-Lippe, with 11 goals from Matea Šošo, even though she has only just returned from injury. Metz and Győr remain unbeaten with four wins from four games. Experience in Europe clearly doesn't bring points on its own.

A camera right on the goal line: the EHF tested it at the EURO Cup

The EHF successfully tested new cameras mounted exactly above the goal line at the final tournament of the women's EHF EURO Cup in Bucharest at the end of September. The cameras are built into each top corner of the goal, where post and crossbar meet - something that hadn't been possible in handball until now. Head of the EHF referees' unit George Bebetsos called it "a technical breakthrough not achieved in any other goal sport". The system will be used in all six arenas of the women's EHF EURO 2026, from 3 to 20 December in Poland, Romania, Czechia, Slovakia and Turkey. If the system works as promised, referees will have one excuse fewer.