Vardar took a fifth Super Cup in the last twenty seconds

In Gevgelija, Vardar beat Ohrid 32:31 in the final of the Macedonian Super Cup. Ohrid opened the match better and led 1:4 in the seventh minute, but by half-time Vardar was two goals up at 17:15. In the second half Ohrid came back and led 25:27 in the 51st minute, after which the red-and-blacks scored four in a row. At 31:31 with twenty seconds to play, Ivanković conceded a seven-metre throw - Vorkapić converted his tenth goal for 32:31, and goalkeeper Valah saved Strmljan's final attempt. This is Vardar's fifth Super Cup (2017, 2018, 2019, 2023, 2026). Ohrid made its debut and lost by one goal - that is not a defeat, that is a warning.

Gogov is Vardar's new captain

Vasil Gogov, the goalkeeper, takes the captain's armband at Vardar, with Maluš as his deputy. A goalkeeper as captain is a choice that says something about how the club reads the season - the man who sees the whole game in front of him, rather than the one carrying the ball. After a Super Cup won thanks to a save in the final second, the choice looks less like ceremony and more like a plan.

Alkaloid broke Lovćen in the second half

In the third match of the Regional League, Alkaloid won away in Montenegro against Lovćen 40:29. At half-time it was level at 18:18 - Lovćen had even led 18:17 in the 28th minute. In the second half Kiril Lazarov's side put together a 6:0 run in seven minutes to lead 24:19, then simply extended the margin. Ivan Džonov scored eight goals, Marko Mitev six, with five each from Damjan Mitev and Nikola Kosteski. Group A is led by Eurofarm Pelister on nine points, Alkaloid and Partizan have six each, Dubočica three, Lovćen none. Two Macedonian sides at the top of a regional league - a fact worth repeating, because it rarely repeats itself.

The Croatian federation paid 10,000 euros for one flag

The EHF Court of Appeal upheld a 10,000 euro fine against the Croatian Handball Federation, of which 2,500 euros is suspended for two years. The reason: at the medal ceremony of the 2026 men's European Championship, player Matej Mandić unfurled a flag not covered by EHF protocol. The court additionally fined Mandić himself 2,500 euros. An appeal to the European Handball Court of Arbitration can be filed within 21 days. Twelve and a half thousand euros for a piece of cloth on a podium - in the Balkans flags always cost more than they look.

The women's Champions League begins, Barcelona has a twelfth men's title

The women's EHF Champions League opens its group phase this weekend with 16 teams and Metz defending the title. The road leads to Budapest and the MVM Dome, and the EHF's top ten predictions include Győr, Esbjerg with Henny Reistad, last season's top scorer with 131 goals, CSM Bucharest led by Bojana Popović, Odense, Gloria Bistrița and Brest. On the men's side, a documentary about the Final Four in Cologne is a reminder that Barcelona took a twelfth title, with the brothers Petar and Đorđe Cikuša running through the story. Balkan names are everywhere in European handball - Balkan clubs at the top, still not.