Vardar lost their second match by a single goal too, and a fan measured 100 decibels in the Jane Sandanski arena

Vardar lost to Nantes by one goal - a second defeat by the same margin

Vardar 1961 lost 32:33 to Nantes in the second round of the Champions League, in their first home game in the competition after a break of several years. The decisive goal again came from Noam Leopold, who finished with 13 goals; Vardar's most effective was Mohab Abdelhak with 10, with Jaka Malus adding six. At the start of the final minute Malus went through one-on-one with the keeper and missed, after which Nantes got a penalty. "The second half was incredible for both teams. It was goal for goal," said coach Ivan Cupic. Vardar are on zero points after two rounds, both defeats by the narrowest margin. The difference between zero and three points here is measured in one saved shot.

The Jane Sandanski arena measured 100 decibels

A Vardar fan measured on his watch that the noise at the Nantes match reached 100 decibels, and the clip ended up on social media. The arena was full almost to the last seat and the chanting went from the first minute to the last. That is a figure that earns no points, but it says something the scoreboard does not: the Macedonian crowd did not go anywhere during the years the club was out of this competition. The next home game is against Wisla Plock on 8 October - the same side that tonight surprised Melsungen 25:24, with a goal twenty seconds from the end. The group is tighter than it looked.

Veszprem tore apart Fuchse Berlin in Germany, four teams on maximum points

Veszprem won 35:29 in Berlin against the 2025 and 2026 finalists, and goalkeeper Emil Nielsen was decisive - his saves built a six-goal lead in just 17 minutes. Hugo Descat scored nine, and for the hosts Mathias Gidsel scored 10, which was not enough. Nantes, Sporting, Kielce and Veszprem all have perfect records after two rounds. Barcelona won 28:27 in Montpellier, and Magdeburg 39:29 in Lucerne. Porto beat Partizan for the first time in history. When even Partizan falls to a team that has never beaten them - the group stage this season has no easy visitors.

Ohrid gets its first Women's Handball Forum - five legends in one place

The Handball Federation of Macedonia is organising a Women's Handball Forum for the first time, on 26 September in Ohrid, as part of the Trophy Macedonia tournament. Under the motto "One game. One voice. One future.", the speakers will be Indira Kastratovic, Andrea Lekic, Lidija Horvat, Suzana Lazovic and Dragana Cvijic - names the region knows without explanation. The topics are not only medals: the prejudices they faced, the support they had or did not have, and what comes after a playing career ends. That last one is a question domestic sport usually has no answer to. The forum will not change that in a day, but at least it puts the question out loud.

Trophy Macedonia is our dress rehearsal - and Markovic's first test

The Trophy Macedonia tournament runs from 24 to 26 September at the Biljanini Izvori hall in Ohrid, with Croatia, Serbia and Montenegro joining Macedonia. Our players open against Serbia, play Montenegro on day two and Croatia on the final day. This is the first real look at new coach Igor Markovic, and in the hardest possible format - three Balkan sides in three days, with no easy warm-up match. Some federations tailor tests like these to size. This one scheduled them all at once, at home.