Vardar Let the Win Slip Seven Seconds From the End: Goodbye to the Champions League, Derby With Pelister on Sunday

Vardar: 26:25 with 25 seconds left, then 26:26 and goodbye

Vardar were 25 seconds from beating Melsungen. A penalty made it 26:25 with 25 seconds left at the Jane Sandanski arena, then Florian Drosten equalised seven seconds before the siren and earned the Germans the point they needed for the Main Round. Vardar's last free throw was off target and it finished 26:26. The record: one win, one draw, four defeats and a move to the EHF European League. "Whether it was realistic for us to go through or not, let others judge," said coach Ivan Čupić. Top scorer was Mateo Faduil with seven goals, and Miloš Valah made 14 saves. The visiting coach admitted they played badly and came without five important players. When a team like that celebrates a draw as a win, Vardar know how close they were and how little that means on the table.

Dinamo grab the last Main Round ticket

The group phase ended in drama. Dinamo București had to beat already eliminated Montpellier and did so 36:26, after a level half-time. At the same time Aarhus lost at home to Barcelona 30:27 in the closing stages. Both teams stayed on five points, and the Romanians went through on head-to-head: 25:25 in Denmark and 37:23 in Romania. Barcelona finished the group with six wins from six. Aarhus paid for the return leg: a 14-goal margin in Romania shut the door on them.

Zagreb win the derby in Celje, Partizan fall with their heads high

Zagreb beat Celje away 38:32, and the Slovenians ended the group without a point, despite ten goals from Aljuš Anžič. Partizan, already out, lost to Füchse Berlin 40:33, but caused the German side problems for 45 minutes and at times led by two. Mathias Gidsel with 12 and Tim Freihöfer with 11 goals settled the game. Partizan end the group with a defeat, but without shame.

The Main Round starts on 18 November, Vardar await rivals in Europe

The EHF has published the schedule: 12 teams in two groups of six, eight rounds, from 18 and 19 November to 3 and 4 March 2027. The top four in each group go to the quarter-finals, and the fifth-placed teams move to the last 16 of the EHF European League. There are big games straight away: Aalborg - Füchse Berlin on 18 November and Kielce - Barcelona on 19 November, both at 18:45. For Vardar these dates are now for watching on TV. Čupić says it's hard to talk about the European League until the rivals are known. Until then the real match is at home, against Pelister.

Sunday's derby: Vardar - Pelister, and the fans have already started

Vardar and Eurofarm Pelister play on Sunday at 17:45 in the Jane Sandanski Sports Centre, in round 9 of the Super League, first against second. Captain Vasil Gogov, who will lead the team in this derby for the first time, called it "the biggest Balkan derby" and says defence and goalkeepers will decide the winner. It's been a hard month, and he admits to fatigue. The stands are already warming up: Bitola's Čkembari put up a flag reading "Komiti" at the entrance to Skopje, and the Komiti are promising a choreography across the whole hall. Gogov hopes for "a beautiful handball atmosphere", but admits himself that these games don't pass without "sparks" in the stands.