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HC ALKALOID – HC EUROFARM PELISTER 32-25 (16-12)

Hall: Avtokomanda in Skopje. Referees: Gjorgji Nachevski and Slave Nikolov. Delegates: Marjan Nachevski and Aco Nikolovski

HC ALKALOID: Kizikj (8 saves), Galevski (1 save), Djonov, Markoski, Kosteski 5 (2), Mladenovikj, Serafimov 8 (4), Karasmanakis 1, Stojkovikj 2, Mitev 2, Gjorgiev 3, Velkovski 4, Simonoski 1, Bingo 6, Silva, Petkovski

Seven-meter throws: 6/6 Suspensions: 14 min

HC EUROFARM PELISTER: Mitrevski (11 saves), Ivic, Manaskov 3, Cehte, Ristevski 2, C. Kuzmanoski 1, Tajnik, Borzas, Radivojevic 2, F. Kuzmanovski 12 (6), Abutovic, Peshevski 1, Gjorgovski, Hosni 1, Hadzic, Pavle Atanasijevikj 3

Seven-meter throws: 6/7 Suspensions: 8 min.

HC Alkaloid won their eighth straight championship victory in as many matches, a particularly significant one as it was a derby match against the reigning champion, HC Eurofarm Pelister.

HC Alkaloid had already taken down HC Eurofarm Pelister in the season opener, during the Super Cup match, but tonight’s game brought an entirely different pace, flow, and finish.

HC Alkaloid came out strong, with their defense clicking early, opening up a three-goal lead (4-1) just five minutes in. Bitola’s team goalkeeper, national team player Nikola Mitrevski, staved off several attacks shortly after, which the visiting players capitalized on, allowing them to get back into the game.

Nikola Kosteski and Arnaud Bingo led the charge in this phase, and the team quickly regrouped, allowing Pelister only to level the score at 6-6. Alkaloid immediately responded with two goals, taking a new two-goal lead (8-6), with the margin fluctuating between one and two goals for the next ten minutes.

HC Alkaloid played an outstanding match with the team operating at peak collective performance, soon pulling away to a 14-9 advantage. They maintained this gap until the end of the first half, which concluded with a score of 16-12.

The second half saw more of Alkaloid’s stellar teamwork pay off, with their lead extending to six or seven goals as the match settled into a goal-for-goal rhythm. An unfortunate setback struck when Nikola Kosteski had to leave the court in the 38th minute due to injury. But the tempo didn’t dip. HC Alkaloid held their ground, even widening the gap to a maximum eight-goal lead (30-22).

As the clock wound down, the energized crowd cheered HC Alkaloid to a resounding seven-goal victory. This win preserved their two-point cushion atop the league standings. Their next match is scheduled for Saturday in the Lithuanian city of Klaipeda, where they will play the return leg of the second round in the EHF European Cup. The result of the first match was 42-31 for HC Alkaloid.

KIRIL LAZAROV, HEAD COACH OF HC ALKALOID:

“It was a true derby; we played very well, and this may be one of our best performances. Eurofarm Pelister didn’t quite play to their potential; I don’t know if was because of us or perhaps fatigue from their Champions League schedule. I’ve been in this position, and it’s tough to focus on a match like this with thoughts already on the next challenge against a team like Veszprem. We have the utmost respect for them and their entire team.

We are proud and satisfied. I said after the Klaipeda match that I’m happy with how we’re playing. Some may appreciate that win, some may not, but I felt that it was something special. We took a day or so to regroup and prepare, and it paid off.

Hats off to all the players, all of them as a team. I told them it doesn’t matter who scores—it’s all about functioning as a unit. And so far, that’s exactly how it’s been, and I hope it continues,” said Lazarov.