Vardar fall short in Płock as Wisła win 33-32

Vardar suffered a fourth defeat in the EHF Champions League after losing away to Wisła Płock, 33-32 (16-13), and as a result were eliminated from contention for the main round. The Macedonian champions produced a different performance than in Skopje but could not find the consistency needed at this level.

Match turning points

The teams were level at 5-5 through the 11th minute, but Wisła then produced a run that opened a 10-5 lead midway through the first half. Lj evar briefly stopped the home surge, yet new Vardar mistakes allowed the deficit to grow to 13-6 before coach Ivan Čupić called a timeout. Bjerre extended Wisła's advantage to 14-6 in the 21st minute.

Vardar answered with a 5-1 series and pulled back to 15-11 by the 27th minute. Sebate used a timeout while Bjerre converted a seven-metre to make it 16-11, but Wisła played with a man down and Vardar used that period to trim the margin to 16-13 at halftime.

The second half opened with Vardar failing to convert an attack in the 32nd minute and Wisła moving to 19-15. As the tempo shifted, Vorkapić reduced the gap to 21-19 and goalkeeper Vujović stopped a penalty to keep Vardar within reach. Later, the hosts produced a decisive 4-1 run that put them 25-20 up in the 45th minute; during that spell Abdelhak was shown a direct red card.

Vardar managed to get as close as 27-25 in the 52nd minute, but Wisła repeatedly restored a multi-goal cushion and led 29-25. In a frantic finish Vorkapić converted a seven-metre with about 20 seconds remaining to make it 33-32, yet Sebate called a timeout at the right moment and left no time for Vardar to force a draw.

Top scorers included Malus with nine goals and Vorkapić with eight for Vardar; on the other side Bjerre finished with seven. The loss leaves Vardar without a path to the Champions League main round and highlights the oscillations in form that have dogged the team this season.

Photo: RK Vardar