Maccabi Tel Aviv Suffers European Handball Defeat; Holon Secures Victory

Maccabi Tel Aviv's handball team lost its first European Federation match on Saturday, falling to Swiss side Bern 39:25 in Switzerland. The teams are scheduled to play a second game within 24 hours in the same venue. Bern established an early lead, going up 9:5 by the 15th minute and extending it to 19:9 by halftime. Despite efforts to close the gap in the second half, Maccabi could not overcome Bern's advantage.

Shnir Natzia was Maccabi's top scorer with nine goals, followed by Assaf Sukolitzki with four, and Victor Poluchenko and Itay Shamla with three each. Goalkeeper Toma Stojkovic made seven saves, with Tom Shem Tov adding three.

In another European Federation match, M.K. Holon defeated Italian team Siracusa Sport 36:35 in their opening game. Holon, coached by Nissim Pelach, started strong with key players Or Levi and Caio Vinicius contributing to an early 8:3 lead. The advantage grew to double digits in the first half, with Holon leading 21:12 at halftime.

Holon extended its lead to 27:15 early in the second half, but Siracusa began to narrow the deficit. Despite the Italian team's efforts to come back, Holon maintained control, securing the 36:35 win. Or Levi led Holon with ten goals, while Amit Reinisberg and Itulo each scored eight. The return match is scheduled for the following day.