Varaždin, 17 January 2025 (MIA) - The Macedonian handball team was defeated by the Netherlands on Friday with a score of 37:32 (18:15) at the 2025 IHF Men’s World Championship in Varaždin. 

One of the key indicators of the defeat is the 14 lost balls by the Macedonian handball players, which is too many when playing against an opponent of such class as the Dutch. 

North Macedonia trailed by three goals at the break, but the Netherlands had a blistering start to the second half, setting a five-goal lead early on. As the clock was ticking towards the final whistle, Milan Lazarevski's red card and the 7-meter throw awarded to the Dutch ended all hopes of any comeback. 

Kuzmanovski with nine goals and Serafimov with six goals were the most effective among the Macedonian handball players.

In the Dutch national team, Ten Velde netted 11 goals and Stavast netted five. 

North Macedonia will seek their first win at the World Championship against Guinea on Sunday.

Photo: MIA