LOGROÑO LA RIOJA – HC ALKALOID 29-29 (18-15)

La Rioja Sports Hall in Logroño, Spain. Referees: Ivars Cernavskis and Edmunds Bogdanovs from Latvia. Delegate: Marco Brandi from Italy

LOGROÑO LA RIOJA: Soler 2, Preciado 7, Fernández 4, Ponciano, Zaja 3, Tuá 2, Uríos 3, Ortíz, Palasics, D. Cadarso 4, Palomino 3, E. Cadarso 1, Abdelmotaleb

Seven-meter throws: 2/2 Suspensions: 4 min.

ALKALOID: Romero, Trajkoski, Djonov 6, Markoski 2 Mladenovikj, Serafimov 3, Stojchevikj, Stojkovic 2, M. Mitev 2, Gjorgiev, Velkovski 4, Omeragikj, Bingo 7, Petkovski 3, D. Mitev, Savrevski

Seven-meter throws: 1/1 Suspensions: 6 min.

HC Alkaloid commenced the match with less anxiety, despite some missed shots and technical errors. The home team initially maintained control and gained a 4-1 lead. Arnaud Bingo was in a goal-scoring mood and until the first crisis passed he kept the team in the game. Subsequently, Alkaloid overcame the pressure, with other players contributing to tie the game at 7-7 within the first 14 minutes of play.

However, the home team maintained a high conversion rate, allowing them to maintain their lead, while Alkaloid consistently remained close, just a step behind. But whenever we were in a position to equalize, technical errors or the opposing goalkeeper’s strong defense thwarted our efforts. As a result, La Rioja retained their lead until the end of the first half. With the final goal, they managed to reestablish a three-goal lead, setting the score at 18-15.

At the start of the second half, Blagojche Trajkovski found his form between the posts. His strong performance allowed HC Alkaloid to go on a scoring spree, reversing the score from a 20-16 deficit to a 20-21 lead with five goals. From that point on, the match in Spain turned into a tense, nerve-wracking battle. HC Alkaloid had several opportunities to extend their lead to a two-goal advantage, but their lack of experience proved costly, resulting in missed scoring opportunities.

La Rioja capitalized on this, taking a 27-25 lead with seven minutes remaining. However, Trajkovski once again delivered a stellar performance, making two crucial saves and, combined with Djonov’s sixth goal, brought the score to a draw at 28-28. In the final play of the match, winger Petkovski scored, securing a draw and the first point in our team’s history.

Post-match statements:

ARNAUD BINGO: “It is not easy for the young players in our team to compete against teams that have extensive experience and numerous appearances in European competitions. Hence, I believe this is a good result for the club. Nevertheless, I also know that we can perform much better.”

IVAN DJONOV: “The draw is a favorable outcome, but we missed the opportunity to secure two points. Our focus dropped. At one point, we had a series of unsuccessful attacks. Our opponents also made errors and missed opportunities, but if we capitalized on our chances, we could have come out victorious. We are content with the draw, but we will not stop there. We will approach every upcoming match with the determination to win.”

HC GOLDEN ART – HC MULTI ESSENCE 30-21 (15-10)

Venue: Jane Sandanski in Skopje. Referees: Ismail Metalari and Nenad Nikolovski. Delegate: Dushko Kamishevski

HC GOLDEN ART: Daskalovski, Trajkovski 4, Onchev 1, Gligorov, Daev 4, Stamenkovikj, Shilegov 5, Jankovski 5, Goshevski 4, Stojanoski, Milanov, Leshnikoski, Milosheski 5, Drpljanin, Bardakoski, Gajikj 1

Seven-meter throws: 1/1 Suspensions: 6 min.

HC MULTI ESSENCE: Ermanoski, Dimevski, Kostovski, Ilieski 5, Petkovski, D. Uzunchev, Petreski, Trajchev, Omeragikj 2, Vasilevski, Todeski, T. Uzunchev, Dimovski 1, Trajkovski, Jordanov 5, Karasmanakis 5

Seven-meter throws: 4/4 Suspensions: 4 min.

The team of HC Multi Essence failed to mount a comeback against HC Golden Art. This afternoon, our young players left empty-handed after their match with the new rival from Skopje at the Jane Sandanski arena.

The match ended with a final score of 30-21. During most of the first half, HC Multi Essence was evenly matched with the opponent, but from a score of 9-8, the home team embarked on a 6-2 run, leading to a 15-10 halftime advantage.

The second half played out in a similar fashion, with the home team ultimately securing a 30-21 victory and winning the points.

HC ALKALOID – HC SKOPJE 2020 38-25 (21-10)

Venue: Avtokomanda in Skopje. Referees: Ivo Georgievski and Igor Naumovski. Delegate: Marjan Ognjanovski

HC ALKALOID: Romero, Djonov 3, Mladenovikj 1, Serafimov 1, Stojchevikj 3, Stojkovic 6, M. Mitev, Gjorgiev 5, Galevski, Velkovski, Omeragikj 2, Bingo, Kofiloski 2, Petkovski 6, D. Mitev 3, Savrevski 6

Seven-meter throws: 1/2 Suspensions: 10 min.

HC SKOPJE 2020: Stojkoski, Fidanovski, Mishevski, Chakalikj 1, Trkalevski, Jakimovski 1, Shokoski 9, Mitikj 8, Ristovski, Stojkoski, Fichoroski 3, Grujovski, Stojanovski 1, Kiselovski 1, Rangelov, Stojanovski

Seven-meter throws: 3/6 Suspensions: 2 min.

HC Alkaloid secured their second victory over HC Skopje this season, extending its lead at the top of the table in Group A.

In preparation for their upcoming first European away match on Tuesday, HC Alkaloid fielded a mixed squad, giving several players the opportunity to showcase their skills. Among them, Marko Stojkovic, David Savrevski, and Aleksandar Petkovski excelled, each scoring six goals.

HC Alkaloid maintained the lead throughout the game. The score was even in the early stages of the match, at 3-2, 5-4, 8-6… but a 4-0 run extended the lead from 9-7 to 13-7. The first half concluded with HC Alkaloid in complete control, holding an 11-goal advantage at 21-10.

The second half proceeded at a more relaxed pace, and HC Alkaloid’s lead reached a maximum of 15 goals on multiple occasions. Ultimately, the game concluded with a final score of 38-25 in favor of HC Alkaloid.

HC Alkaloid is gearing up for its second EHF European League match, marking the club’s first official away match in the competition.

This Tuesday (October 24, 2023), HC Alkaloid is set to face off against Logroño La Rioja, a club representing Spain in the EHF European League. The match will take place at the Logroño Sports Hall, with a seating capacity of approximately 4000 spectators, commencing at 8:45 PM. In Macedonia, the match can be viewed on the MTV 3 and Arena Sport TV channels.

The first away fixture in the EHF European League poses a considerable challenge for both our club and our players. We are set to compete on the home turf of an esteemed handball team that marked its 20th anniversary this year.

Logroño La Rioja has been a prominent contender in the premier Spanish league – ASOBAL since 2006. Their remarkable achievements include clinching the runner-up position in ASOBAL three times and securing two third-place finishes. Additionally, they have taken part in the Champions League on four occasions and featured in the second-tier European Cup seven times.

This club’s jersey has been donned over the years by renowned Spanish handball players and international stars, including Alex Dujshebaev, Rubén Garabaya, Juanín García, Rafael Capote…

The strong reputation of our upcoming opponent serves as an additional motivator for our players to deliver their utmost performance on the field, aiming to secure our first European points. Representing Macedonian handball on the international stage is a responsibility we take seriously, and our club is committed to continuous improvement in all aspects of the game.

On Monday, HC Alkaloid will travel to Spain and is scheduled to hold a training session at the Logroño hall later that evening.

HC Alkaloid faced HC Vojvodina in their EHF European League debut, a team with numerous Serbian championships under their belt and the reigning EHF Cup champions. The visiting team outperformed their opponents, securing a 31-26 victory. They effectively leveraged their greater experience and capitalized on our team’s struggles in executing clean opportunities. This triumph marked their first points in the competition.

Following the match, a press conference was held, where our team’s coach, Kiril Lazarov, shared his thoughts.

“We have a few days to analyze the match, and I am optimistic that we will perform better in our upcoming game. I believe our issues were not primarily on the defensive side, but rather in our offensive plays. There were some positive aspects to our performance, we created many goal-scoring opportunities. However, our inability to capitalize on those chances led to us conceding goals. Such situations are not uncommon in our domestic league, but at this level, we can’t afford so many missed opportunities. This is something we need to work on. While I am pleased that we had our moments, our execution was lacking,” stated Lazarov.

For the second round of the EHF European League, HC Alkaloid will venture abroad for their first international match, making their debut in Spain. Their opponent will be La Rioja Logroño. The match is scheduled for Tuesday (24.10.2023) starting at 08:45 PM.

ALKALOID – VOJVODINA 26-31 (13-15)

Venue: Jane Sandanski in Skopje. Referees: Denis Bolic and Christoph Hurich from Austria. Delegate: Predrag Pavicevic from Montenegro

ALKALOID: Romero, Djonov 8, Markoski 1, Mladenovikj, Serafimov 4, Stojchevikj, Stojkovic, Mitev 5, Gjorgiev 1, Velkovski 1, Omeragikj, Trajkoski, Bingo 5, Kofiloski, Petkovski, Savrevski 1

Seven-meter throws: 4/9 Suspensions: 6 min.

VOJVODINA: Lucin, Sijan, Vorkapic 8, Milic 6, Ocvirk 2, Vukovljak, Aziz 3, Trnavac, Milenkovic 3, Sunajko, Pušica, Radjenovic 1, Pesic 2, Rogan, Pukhouski 6, Chouiref

Seven-meter throws: 5/6 Suspensions: 12 min.

Our team had a competitive start against the opponent and performed strongly in the initial ten minutes. Vojvodina gained an advantage, extending from 5:7 to 5:10, but thanks to Djonov and Bingo’s outstanding performance, Alkaloid managed to reduce the deficit to just minus two before halftime (13:15).

However, the lack of experience at crucial moments in the second half became decisive, as Alkaloid was trailing by two goals and technical errors emerged in their offensive plays, which the experienced team of Vojvodina exploited. Additionally, Alkaloid encountered difficulties with their penalty shots, missing five during the match.

Ivan Djonov was our team’s best scorer netting eight goals, followed by Marko Mitev and Arnaud Bingo, who each contributed five goals, while Martin Serafimov scored four times.