HC ALKALOID – HC VARDAR 1961 28-33 (16-18)

Venue: Park in Strumica. Referees: Nenad Nikolovski and Ismail Metalari. Delegates: Leri Mircheski and Boban Majnov

HC ALKALOID: Galevski, Kizikj, Djonov 1, Þordarsson 2, Markoski 1, Stojkovic 2, Velkovski, Simonoski, Ivanovski, Nenad Kosteski 4, Petkovski 1, D. Mitev 6, Borzas 4, Alarov, Nikolov 4, Gjorgovski 3

Seven-meter throws: 2/3 Suspensions: 4 min.

HC VARDAR 1961: Walach, Gogov, Stojanovski, Vorkapic 5, Bono 1, Georgievski 4, Mitrović, Tankoski 1, Lazarevski, Marciniak 1, Tuzolana 6, Horiha 3, Atanasovski, Da Silva 2, Malus 9, Jankovski 1

Seven-meter throws: 2/3 Suspensions: 10 min.

HC Alkaloid concluded their Macedonian Cup campaign at the Final Four tournament in Strumica following a 28-33 (16-18) semi-final defeat to HC Vardar 1961.

The team entered the match significantly weakened by several absences due to injuries, including Igor Gjorgiev and Nikola Kosteski, while Marko Mitev, another regular starter, was also unavailable after sustaining an injury in the recent derby against Eurofarm Pelister.

Despite the setbacks, HC Alkaloid started strongly, taking early leads of 4-1 and 5-2 before Vardar responded to level the score at 5-5. The remainder of the first half was evenly balanced, with Vardar edging ahead to take a two-goal lead into the break (18-16).

In the second half, HC Alkaloid’s shortened roster became more evident, which Vardar capitalized on to build a decisive advantage.

In the closing stages, both coaches rotated their squads, giving opportunities to players with limited minutes, who ultimately shaped the final scoreline.

HC ALKALOID – HC EUROFARM PELISTER 33-35 (22-16)

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

HC ALKALOID: Kizikj, Galevski 1, Djonov 3, Þordarsson, Markoski, Stojkovic 3, M. Mitev 5, Velkovski 1, Simonoski, Ivanovski, Nenad Kosteski 6, Petkovski, D. Mitev 7, Borzas 2, Alarov, Nikolov 4

Seven-meter throws: 5/5 Suspensions: 8 min.

HC EUROFARM PELISTER: Mitrevski, Heidarirad, Manaskov 7, Vidomski, Ristevski 2, Hackbarth 2, Grahovac 1, Henigman 3, Radivojevic 1, Kuzmanovski 6, Abutovic, Kalajdjioski, Petar Atanasijevic 1, Peshevski 2, Hosni 5, Pavle Atanasijevic 3

Seven-meter throws: 4/6 Suspensions: 14 min.

HC Alkaloid missed a golden opportunity to take points in the derby clash against HC Eurofarm Pelister in the closing match of Round 27 of the Super League playoffs.

After an even start, Alkaloid found their rhythm and took firm control, building a solid six-goal advantage by halftime (22-16). They continued in the same fashion after the break, extending the lead to a maximum of eight goals (25-17) in the 34th minute.

However, from that point on, Alkaloid fell into an uncharacteristic spell of mistakes, allowing the visitors to gradually close the gap. Twenty minutes into the second half, the score was level, and Eurofarm Pelister seized the momentum, completing the comeback and walking away with the points.

HC Alkaloid’s consistent performances and strong results have been officially recognized by the City of Skopje and the Skopje Sports Union, with the club receiving two prestigious accolades.

The team has been named Best Sports Team after achieving the most notable European success in the past calendar year, highlighted by winning the EHF European Cup. The award was accepted on behalf of the club by operations director Milosh Miloshevski.

In addition, the Best Coach award from the City of Skopje and the Skopje Sports Union also went to HC Alkaloid. Our club can also boast the Best Coach of the past calendar year, and that is our handball legend, Kiril Lazarov.

HC BUTEL SKOPJE – HC ALKALOID 21-37 (15-16)

Venue: Anton Dimitrov in Skopje. Referees: Ismail Metalari and Nenad Nikolovski. Delegate: Marjan Nacevski

HC BUTEL SKOPJE: Trsunov, Trajkovski, Subashevski 2, Markovski, Todeski 1, Gjorgievski 4, Shilegov 1, Novakovski, D. Uzunchev 7, T. Uzunchev, Kiselovski, Kaevski 4, Nikoloski, Mihajlovic 1, Zengovski, Gurmeshevic 1

Seven-meter throws: 3/7 Suspensions: 4 min.

HC ALKALOID: Galevski, Nikolovski, Djonov 8, Þordarsson 2, Markoski, Stojkovic, M. Mitev 4, Velkovski 1, Ivanovski 2, Nenad Kosteski 7, Petkovski 1, D. Mitev 6, Borzas 3, Alarov, Nikolov 2, Gjorgovski 1

Seven-meter throws: 6/7 Suspensions: 4 min.

HC Alkaloid secured an impressive away victory, collecting valuable points in the Macedonian Super League playoffs with a convincing performance against HC Butel Skopje.

The first half was finely balanced, with neither side able to break away, and HC Alkaloid went into the break holding a slim 16-15 lead.

After the restart, Alkaloid delivered a completely transformed display. Their defense proved rock-solid for a full 19 minutes, while the attack produced a devastating 13-goal run, making it 15-29 by the 49th minute.

The tempo dropped slightly in the closing stages of the match, ending with a final score of 37-21.

Ivan Djonov led the scoring with eight goals, followed by Nenad Kosteski with seven and Damjan Mitev with six.

In the next round, HC Alkaloid will host a derby clash against HC Eurofarm Pelister.

HC ALKALOID – CHC TIKVESH 40-25 (20-12)

Venue: Avtokomanda in Skopje. Referees: Dejan Georgievski and Dimitar Georgievski. Delegate: Marjan Ognjanovski

HC ALKALOID: Kizikj, Galevski, Djonov 2, Markoski 4, Nikola Kosteski 8, Stojkovic 5, M. Mitev 2, Velkovski 1, Simonoski, Nenad Kosteski 6, D. Mitev 2, Borzas 2, Trajkoski 1, Alarov 1, Nikolov 5, Gjorgovski 1

Seven-meter throws: 4/5 Suspensions: 10 min.

CHC TIKVESH: Panov, Jovevski, Stojanovski 5, Cejovic 3, Todorov, Velkov, Pecurica, Dimovski 1, Lazov 5, Simic, Kocev 5, Atanasovski 3, Mijuskovic 3, Bakev

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

HC Alkaloid recorded yet another Super League victory, further improving their points tally in the Playoff standings as the first phase of the postseason draws to a close.

Playing on home court, HC Alkaloid hosted CHC Tikvesh and produced a commanding display, ultimately sealing a dominant 15-goal triumph.

The home side set the tone early, taking a 4-1 lead after five minutes, a cushion they preserved over the next ten minutes. A subsequent 6-1 run extended the advantage to 14-7 in the 20th minute.

At halftime, the score stood at 20-12, and ten minutes into the second half, HC Alkaloid reached a double-digit advantage for the first time (25-15).

From that point on, HC Alkaloid dictated the tempo, rounding off the evening with a convincing 40-25 victory.

Brothers Nikola and Nenad Kosteski were the standout performers for HC Alkaloid, scoring eight and six goals, respectively.

The Macedonian Handball Federation conducted the draw for the semi-final matches of the Macedonian Cup for the 2025/26 season. The final tournament will be played in a Final Four format, with the decisive matches taking place in Strumica at the Park sports hall on 17 and 19 April.

HC Alkaloid will face HC Vardar 1961 in the semi-finals, setting the stage for a clash between the two most recent cup winners. HC Alkaloid lifted the trophy in 2024, while HC Vardar, the 2025 champion, enters as the defending title holder.

The other semi-final pairing features CHC Ohrid and HC Eurofarm Pelister.

The dates and kick-off times for the matches have also been set:

MACEDONIAN CUP 2026

SEMI-FINALS

FRIDAY, 17 APRIL:

17:00 CHC OHRID – HC EUROFARM PELISTER

20:00 HC ALKALOID – HC VARDAR 1961

SUNDAY, 19 APRIL:

19:00 FINAL