Vardar 1961 Lost 32:33 After a Miss in the Final Attack, and 14 of 20 Called-Up Players Play Abroad

Vardar 1961 lost 32:33 to Nantes in the final seconds

Vardar 1961 suffered a second Champions League defeat, the first in front of a home crowd - 32:33 (15:16) to Nantes at the Jane Sandanski arena. The French runners-up led by four goals in the 17th minute, Vardar pulled back to one by the break, and in the second half the red and blacks went ahead 29:27, carried by the hall. Then came a finish that will be replayed for weeks. At 31:31, Malus lost the ball and opened a counter-attack, but Gogov saved Leopold's shot. At the other end Malus had a clear chance - goalkeeper Bonde was better. Nantes got a seven-metre throw, Leopold converted it, and Vardar's final attack ended without a goal. Abdelhak scored 10, Malus six, Vorkapikj and Ljevar five each. For Nantes, Leopold finished with 13 goals. Two defeats, zero points - and both by a single goal.

Markovikj called up 20 players for the "Macedonia Trophy" in Ohrid

Coach Igor Markovikj announced a list of 20 players for the international "Macedonia Trophy 2026" tournament, played from 24 to 26 September at the Biljanini Izvori sports centre in Ohrid. Alongside Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Montenegro take part - so effectively a regional rehearsal, not a warm-up tournament. One figure from the list says everything about domestic handball: 14 of the 20 called up play abroad - five in Poland, two each in Romania, Hungary and Turkey, one each in the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia. The tournament is preparation for the 17th European Championship, where the red and yellows will play at a continental championship for the eighth time, in Group B in Cluj. Six players from the domestic league, fourteen proving themselves at foreign clubs - and after this many seasons we will again be asking why there are no successors.

Veszprem crushed Fuchse Berlin in Germany 35:29

The second round of the Champions League produced a result few expected. Veszprem won 35:29 away at Fuchse Berlin - finalists in each of the last two seasons. Goalkeeper Emil Nielsen gave the visitors a six-goal lead after just 17 minutes with a 5:0 run, Nikolaj Krickau's timeout did not help, and Hugo Descat was flawless from seven metres. The top scorer was the hosts' Mathias Gidsel with 10 goals from 12 attempts, while Descat had nine for Veszprem. The irony is complete: Nielsen arrived this summer from German handball, and Berlin knocked Veszprem out on seven-metre throws in last season's quarter-finals. The Hungarians have not been in Cologne for four seasons. This is the first serious signal that they want to go back.

Champions League with three narrow defeats for the pointless teams

Besides Vardar 1961, Kolstad and IFK Kristianstad also finished two rounds without a point - but the difference is stark. The Norwegians lost to Industria Kielce 29:36, with Alex Vlah scoring seven of his nine goals by half-time, while Kristianstad fell to Sporting 29:37, with a combined 15 goals from Torkelsson and Costa. Vardar lost both of its matches by a single goal. GOG beat Pick Szeged 36:34, and PSG claimed a first win against Zagreb with 18 goals from Omar and Prandi. The table will say Vardar, Kolstad and Kristianstad are in the same place. The table has no column for how close anyone came.

HC Tikvesh faces a new European test against Handball Esch

Kavadarci's HC Tikvesh plays another European tie this weekend - against Luxembourg's Handball Esch. Before the match, the mayor of Kavadarci met the team and said the town stands behind its handball players. Here, support from local government usually arrives after a good result and with a camera; this time at least it came before the match. The question that applies to every Macedonian club entering Europe remains - does the support last into next week, when travel has to be paid for rather than meetings photographed. We only ever learn the answer once the season is over.