North Macedonia beat Croatia 25-22 to finish second at Trophy Macedonia 2026

North Macedonia clinched a 25-22 victory over Croatia in the closing match of the Trophy Macedonia 2026 tournament on September 26, 2026, securing second place in the event while Montenegro took the title.

Strong start, tense finish

The hosts dominated early and opened the game with a 5-1 run. Coach Igor Markovic prepared a specialised defensive scheme for Croatia, with Sedloska pushed forward; the "5-1" formation worked very well and North Macedonia went into the break leading 14-9 after spells of 10-5 and 12-7.

Croatia turned the momentum after halftime, producing a four-goal burst to cut the deficit to 14-13. Rizoska halted that run by scoring North Macedonia's first goal of the second half in the 37th minute. The home team rebuilt a three-goal advantage (17-14) by the 43rd minute thanks to Jankulovska and Ristovska.

The match remained tight: Croatia levelled at 19-19 early in the 50th minute. Ristovska — the game's top scorer with six goals — added two more, and Kiprijanovska pushed the score to 22-19 in the 54th minute, prompting Croatia coach Ivica Obrvan to call a timeout. Both coaches later tried seven-on-six in the closing stages; the opposition again drew level at 22-22.

In the decisive sequence Dzhatevska produced two goals out of her four to move the score to 24-22 and effectively announce the win. The hosts closed out the game 25-22.

Damjanovska also contributed four goals for North Macedonia. Earlier in the tournament Bulgaria were beaten at home by Luxembourg.

Photo: press material from the event