Herning, 20 January 2026 (MIA) - Macedonian handball team defeated Romania 24-23 in a dramatic match Tuesday evening in Herning. With this victory, they secured seeded status for the playoff draw for the next World Championship. To advance to the main phase of the Men's EHF EURO 2026, they will need to wait for the result of the final Group B match and hope for a double-digit win by host Denmark over Portugal.

The Macedonian handball team held the lead throughout the match, reaching a four-goal advantage at halftime and at times extending it to five. However, their pace dropped in the final 15 minutes, and in a dramatic finish, Kosteski scored in the last second to secure a narrow victory.

Macedonian team started strong, leading 4-0 after ten minutes. Romania scored their first goal in the 11th minute, but Macedonia maintained a steady lead, at times ahead by five.

In the second half, Romania kept pressing and managed to equalize for the first time in the 56th minute.

Following over six minutes without scoring, Macedonian team enjoyed a one-player advantage in the last two minutes and took the lead again with roughly 50 seconds to go. Romania then equalized with seven seconds remaining, but there was still time for a fast counterattack, and Kosteski scored the decisive goal.

Captain Kuzmanovski was Macedonia’s top scorer with nine goals, while Martin Tomovski recorded five saves in goal.

Photo: Macedonian Handball Federation