Vardar 1961 26–32 Wisla Plock — third straight Champions League defeat

Vardar 1961 suffered a heavy defeat at home, falling 26-32 to Wisla Plock in the third round of the Champions League on October 8, 2026. The Polish side imposed itself in Skopje with a disciplined defense and left the Macedonian champion with its third consecutive loss.

Wisla's defence set the tone, Faduil outstanding

Faduil finished as Vardar's top scorer with 14 goals from 14 attempts, while Malus added four goals. Despite brief spells of improved play, Vardar could not sustain pressure against a Wisla unit that controlled large stretches of the match.

Wisla started strongly with a 0-3 run; Malus scored Vardar's first goal after four and a half minutes. The visitors extended their lead to 2-6 by the eighth minute, and after a period of disruption — including a two-minute exclusion for Serdio — Wisla still led 5-11 toward the middle of the first half.

Vardar responded at one point, using a numerical advantage to cut the deficit to 10-13, and Kosorotov provided an important offensive spark. Yet Wisla recovered and went into the break ahead 13-15 after Malus's late first-half strike.

The second half opened badly for Vardar as Wisla produced a 4-1 run to make it 14-19 within six minutes. Vardar tried to react — coach Ivan Cupic called timeouts and Gogov produced moments of energy — but turnovers and missed chances allowed Wisla to push the margin further; Bjerre's goal in the 49th minute made it 19-27.

Vardar briefly benefited from playing two extra men but failed to stage a full comeback. Wisla Plock controlled the final phases and left Skopje with a 32-26 victory. The result leaves Vardar bottom of its group with zero points after three matches.

Photo: press material from the event