Veszprém crush Barcelona 42:33 for the world crown

The Super Globe final in Cairo was a final in name only. Veszprém opened with an 8:1 run to lead 9:3, Barcelona got back to 14:16, and then the Hungarians pulled away again and finished the match 42:33. The nine-goal win is a record margin in Club World Championship finals, and Veszprém are the first team to score 42 goals in a final. Top scorer was Hugo Descat with ten goals, and player of the final was goalkeeper Emil Nielsen - who came from Barcelona this very summer and made 12 saves against his former club. There is a Macedonian signature in the championship staff too: physiotherapist Dimitar Manevski has worked at Veszprém for six years, and before that was part of the Vardar side that twice conquered Europe. From two European titles with Vardar to a world title with Veszprém - Manevski collects crowns wherever the biggest handball is played.

Vardar crush Ohrid in the derby

The Super League derby at the "Jane Sandanski" Sports Centre was decided before half-time. Vardar led 8:3 in the 17th minute, went into the break at 14:6, and in the 46th minute the gap was plus 13 (26:13). Final score: 27:18. Ivan Čupić's side have five wins from five rounds and a maximum ten points, while GRK Ohrid suffered their first defeat of the season. For the red-and-blacks, Ljevar, Abdelhak and Faduil scored five goals each, while Ohrid's most accurate was Yoshida with four. The match also counted for the Regional League, where both teams are in Group B. If this is the main domestic rival, Vardar are for now playing the league against themselves.

Pelister fall at home, Červar remembers the rotten apple

Eurofarm Pelister opened the EHF European League with a defeat in front of their own crowd in Bitola: 24:31 to Logroño La Rioja, a team that on paper counted as the outsider. It was 8:16 at half-time. The visitors' goalkeeper Joan Ledo finished with 20 saves, while for Pelister Petar Atanasijević and Samoil Ristevski scored four goals each. Coach Lino Červar didn't look for an alibi: "Maybe the players we expected more from didn't make the necessary contribution. I would use a saying - one rotten apple can spoil the whole crate." And he added that he felt sorry for the fans who came to cheer. Next up is an away trip to Gdańsk, who surprised in Gummersbach in the first round, winning 38:34.

Ferencváros with a goal in the final seconds, Metz and Győr unbeaten

Round four of the women's Champions League brought the match of the week in Hungary. Ferencváros beat CSM Bucharest 24:23, after Petra Simon scored in the final seconds, following the 23:23 equaliser just 31 seconds before the end. Goalkeeper Anna Kristensen made 18 saves. In the other Hungarian-Romanian duel, Győr beat Bistrița 36:32, even though Johanna Reichert scored 14 goals for the visitors. Champions Metz recorded the most convincing win of the round, 36:25 against Nykøbing. Croatia's Podravka finally got their first points, 33:31 against debutants Blomberg-Lippe, with 11 goals from Matea Šošo.

The European League kicked off with Balkan wins

The first round of the new EHF European League format brought 15 wins and one draw, and among the winners are three clubs from the neighbourhood: Croatia's Nexe, Izviđač from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Slovenia's Slovan. The Slovenians won away at Tatabánya, who played in the European Cup final last season, and right wing Tim Cokan scored 16 goals from 19 attempts. In Pelister's group, meanwhile, Gdańsk surprised the Germans of Gummersbach. The group phase has only six rounds, so for Pelister the defeat in Bitola already has to be made up in Poland.