HC Alkaloid will start off the new Macedonian handball season with a match in the Macedonian Super Cup against HC Eurofarm Pelister, as announced by the Macedonian Handball Federation (RFM).

The match for the Super Cup trophy will take place in Gevgelija. The event will be hosted at the 24 April arena on Wednesday, September 4, starting at 19:00h. The Macedonian Super Cup match will also be broadcast live on MRTV.

Our club, which won its first senior competition trophy last year in the Macedonian Cup, will be competing in the Super Cup for the first time, while HC Eurofarm Pelister, the reigning Macedonian champion, has claimed the title twice already, in 2021 and 2022.

HC ALKALOID – HC DINAMO PANCEVO 27:22 (16:9)

Venue: Biljanini Izvori in Ohrid. Referees: Mihajlo Ilievski and Metodija Ilievski. Delegate: Slavcho Ristevski

HC Alkaloid: Galevski (11 saves), Trajkovski (1 save), Djonov 1, Kosteski 6, Mladenovikj 1, Serafimov 5, Karasmanakis, Stojkovic 2, M. Mitev 4, Velkovski, Simonoski, Ivanoski, Bingo 3, Oliveira 2, Petkovski 2, Savrevski

Seven-meter throws: 1/1 Suspensions: 10 min.

HC Dinamo Pancevo: Cirovic (4 goals), Kosanovic (8 goals), Kolundzic 1, Sokritis, Arsic, Bogdanovic 2, Perovic 4, Stamenkovic 3, Stanisavljevic 3, Rancic, Stamatovic, Djurovic, Fejes 3, Tasic, Ilic, Pavlovic 3

Seven-meter throws: 2/3 Suspensions: 16 min.

HC Alkaloid started with a victory against HC Dinamo Pancevo (27:22) in the third Krste Andonovski memorial tournament, taking place over the next four days at the Biljanini Izvori arena in Ohrid.

At the tournament’s opening match, HC Alkaloid met a formidable, driven, and determined opponent, with both teams fighting fiercely.

After a tense start, HC Alkaloid’s defense was extremely strong, especially in the first half, keeping their opponent to just five goals for an extended period. At 6-5, HC Alkaloid went on a decisive 6-0 run, setting the tone for the rest of the match.

The match evened up in the last ten minutes of the first half, after HC Alkaloid had taken a 12–5 lead. The opposing team attempted to close the gap and get back into the game, but HC Alkaloid remained focused on both offense and defense, going into halftime with a 16-9 advantage.

In the second half, HC Dinamo Pancevo came out aggressively from the first minute, attempting to reverse the score, and managed to cut the deficit to four goals (16-20) by the 40th minute.

Shortly after, HC Alkaloid extended their lead to 24-17, and while the advantage was never seriously threatened for the remainder of the match, it required considerable effort from the team to keep it that way.

The outcome of the match was already decided by the 57th minute, when the score was 27-20, ending in a final score of 27-22.

Ivan Galevski stood out with 11 saves, while Nikola Kosteski and Martin Serafimov were the squad’s top scorers netting six and five goals, respectively. This game provided coach Kiril Lazarov with an excellent opportunity to assess a lot of players.

HC Alkaloid will take a rest day at the tournament before facing the Greek champions, Olympiakos, in the second round. They will compete against the top Montenegrin team, HC Lovcen, on August 23 in the third round.

As the central event in the final stage of their preparations, HC Alkaloid has chosen to compete in the summer tournament hosted by CHC Ohrid. The Krste Andonovski memorial tournament will take place for the third time, featuring eight teams—three domestic and five international. The teams are split into two groups of four.

HC Alkaloid will have a brand-new experience with this tournament as they will be taking on Olympiakos, the champions of Greece, and HC Lovcen Cetinje, the champions of Montenegro, on the court for the first time.

We will first face the team of HC Dinamo Pancevo, again. This is a squad we have competed against multiple times in preparations over the past two seasons. This game will provide a fresh opportunity for comparison with previous matches.

The tournament will take place at the Biljanini Izvori arena, from August 20 to 24. After facing Dinamo Pancevo, we will play against Olympiakos, followed by our last group-stage encounter against HC Lovcen.

The tournament will culminate on August 24 with a final including the top teams from each group in line with the placement matches. The teams of CHC Ohrid, HC Vardar 1961, HC Partizan, and HC Celje are in the other group.

HC Alkaloid is re-energizing at the Mavrovo camp, where the team has the peace, focus, and optimum environment needed to perform well and accomplish their objectives. The squad will return to Skopje to oversee the remaining preparations after completing the 10-day schedule of activities in Mavrovo. The players and coach Kiril Lazarov and pleased with the training atmosphere and the progress made during the early days of the summer pre-season.

KIRIL LAZAROV:

“Mavrovo offers us fantastic conditions to get ready for what is ahead! The most important thing is that we have peace here, allowing us to work, analyze, and build a positive atmosphere. This environment helps us come together as a strong community. The players are fully focused, motivated, and disciplined in their work, and I am pleased with how the preparations are going. We have a system in place which we continue to improve, and I feel optimistic about both the preparation phase and the challenges that await us.

As their sparring partner before the European Championship, we’ve already had a friendly match with Macedonia’s cadet national team. There will also be five or six high-quality friendly matches. Although winning is not the main focus, my goal is to provide every player with an opportunity to prove themselves and ensure they are prepared for the demanding and long season ahead. “

IGOR GJORGJIEV:

“We finished the initial phase of our preparations in Skopje, where we spent ten days. Now that we’ve been in Mavrovo for a few days, everything is going smoothly. We’re focusing on playing well, especially with the integration of new players. Francisco, our new international recruit, is also with us, and we are all helping him settle in. We’re working hard on our physical fitness and also focusing on tactical training with coach Lazarov.

The upcoming season looks promising, but we must be well-prepared for our objectives and forthcoming challenges. As a team, we have set our goals, but will take it one match at a time. Our first official game will be the Macedonian Super Cup, and we intend to take on our opponents as prepared as possible.”

MARTIN SERAFIMOV:

“The entire team is working cohesively during preparation, and we have excellent conditions to prepare both physically and tactically for the challenges that lie ahead. I am happy that we were able to keep the core of Alkaloid’s team while also bringing on a few new players. After our preparations in Mavrovo, we will have friendly matches where we’ll aim to give it our all. We need to focus on preparing thoroughly for the Super Cup, however, we will analyze it after completing our preparations. Right now, our focus is solely on getting ready, without thinking about anything else”

IVAN DJONOV:

“Our preparations are going well, with a major emphasis on physical readiness for the upcoming difficult season, which will be intense and require significant effort. We are all giving it our best, since the work we do now will set the foundation for the entire year. New challenges lie ahead, and as players, we’re prepared to tackle them effectively. HC Alkaloid always aims to win, thus the goal remains the same”

MARKO MITEV:

“I missed being active in handball after the break. I expect us to improve on our performance with the new additions this season, repeating and building on last year’s success in the league, the Macedonian Cup, and in Europe. We will also compete in the EHF Cup this year coming into it with the experience we gained in last season’s matches. Since the competition has a different system than the EHF European League, we anticipate it will be quite exciting for us being a young squad looking to get better every year”

As the reigning Macedonian Cup champions, HC Alkaloid has begun the second phase of preparations for its third Super League season.

At the Mavrovo camp, the groundwork is being laid for the team’s form, which will continue to develop in the run-up to the competitive season. There, the players and coach Kiril Lazarov have the optimal conditions and are making the most of every moment to reach the desired performance level. The team will remain in Mavrovo for 10 days before heading back to Skopje to coordinate their remaining summer activities.

The squad will play several control matches, mostly against international opponents. The first game will be against HC Vranje, followed by participation in the Krstе Andonovski memorial tournament in Ohrid from August 20 to 24. Preparations will then continue in Skopje, with the possibility of additional control matches.

The Macedonian Super Cup’s first official match is scheduled for early September.

HC Alkaloid has moved from its Avtokomanda home base to a training camp in Mavrovo, where they will undergo ten days of preparation. This camp will provide the groundwork for achieving the competitive form necessary for battles on four fronts, starting with the Macedonian Super Cup.

This season, coach Kiril Lazarov brought in four new players during the summer transfer window to strengthen and balance the team. They are already integrated into the training process and adapting well to HC Alkaloid’s system. Their ambitions are clear, and expectations are high.

KIRIL LAZAROV:

“Ever since the club was founded, our focus has been on giving Macedonian players significant opportunities. Our goal, strategy, and aspiration are to nurture homegrown talent. Building a team while aiming for victory is a difficult endeavor that calls for patience, especially when the team has a winning mindset.

We are about to begin our third consecutive Super League season, and I believe we are improving in every aspect with each season. Naturally, players come and go over time, which is part of the process. I hope this season we will be even stronger with the addition of four new players to our squad.

With Marko Kizic, a regular on the national team, joining Galevski and Trajkovski, two more excellent players, we have greatly reinforced our goalkeeping position. In the right-wing position, we added the experienced Nikola Kosteski, which was necessary since we only had young players there. Mihail Ivanovski, as a promising young talent, has earned the right to wear the Alkaloid jersey. There is also our new Portuguese addition, Francisco Oliveira da Silva, a versatile full-back whose skills were something we may have lacked. I’m optimistic he will adapt quickly and add real value to our roster.

We will take things one step at a time, fully aware of the challenging competition that lies ahead. It’s positive that our competitors are becoming more formidable and that the Macedonian championship is growing better since our squad needs a tough league to develop. The EHF European Cup will be a new experience for us; last year, we participated in the EHF European League, where we tasted both victory and a draw. This season, we are competing for four trophies—the Super Cup, the Macedonian Cup, the championship, and the EHF Cup—but we won’t rush. Many challenges await us this season, and our main focus will be to improve continuously” said Lazarov.

NIKOLA KOSTESKI:

“Returning to Macedonia after so many years spent abroad is a wonderful feeling. I have been away for eight years, and it’s great to be back, especially with a project like Alkaloid. We have a strong young team, and as one of the more seasoned players, I am here to help in any way that I can. We know the club’s objectives, and we are focused on moving forward while following coach Lazarov’s plans. We are hoping for a successful year.

I am familiar with most of the players from the national team, and they are all dedicated to being successful on the court. It’s great that we will be playing together for the Macedonian national team, as we already know each other, and I believe this team will make significant progress in the future. We’ll also be competing in the EHF Cup, and I hope we’ll be well-prepared going in, with our goals clear—we always aim for victory”

FRANCISCO OLIVEIRA DA SILVA:

“I am thrilled to be here in Skopje. I have joined a club full of young players and great potential, and I hope to contribute to Alkaloid’s success and produce some impressive outcomes. Before arriving, I had the chance to watch a few of the team’s games and saw a lot of promise. I am also excited to play in a city that has a deep passion for handball and regards it as a royal sport. I am eager to compete in the upcoming matches and am looking forward to getting started.”

MARKO KIZIC:

“I am excited to take on the new challenge of Alkaloid as a new club member. I have known most of the players since childhood, having played and competed together, which will make my adjustment period much quicker. We have started our preparations, and I am optimistic that solid training will lead to success both domestically and abroad. Despite being a young team, we have the skills to match any rival.

As for the three goalkeepers, healthy competition is always beneficial. I see it as a plus, as it forces us to challenge one another to improve with every match and ensure strong coverage this season”

MIHAIL IVANOVSKI:

“Last season was difficult due to an injury, but I made the most of the second half-season. I hope to help Alkaloid succeed this season and surpass last year’s accomplishments as a team. My goal is to defend the Cup trophy and, if given the opportunity, contend for the top spot in the domestic championship. We will also be playing in the EHF Cup, and I expect us to go far, becoming better every time we play.”