Maccabi Tel Aviv Loses European Handball Opener; Holon Wins

Maccabi Tel Aviv's handball team suffered a significant defeat in their first European Federation Cup match, losing 39:25 to Switzerland's Bern. The game took place in Switzerland, with both teams scheduled to play a return match in the same venue within 24 hours. 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.

For Maccabi Tel Aviv, Shnir Natzia was the top scorer with 9 goals, followed by Assaf Sukolitzki with 4, and Victor Polotchenko and Itay Shamla each with 3. Goalkeeper Toma Stojkovic made 7 saves, with Tom Shem Tov adding 3.

In contrast, M.K. Holon secured a victory in their opening "home" game against Italy's Siracusa, winning 36:32. Holon, coached by Nissim Pelach, started strong with Or Levi and Caio Vinicius contributing to an early 8:3 lead. The advantage grew to double digits in the first half, with Nadav Cohen and Amit Reinberg extending the lead, and Reef Cohen and Or Levi pushing it to a 10-goal difference. Loïc Bacqué made it 21:12 at halftime.

Holon continued their dominance in the second half, with Or Levi extending the lead to 27:15 by the 40th minute. Siracusa attempted a comeback, narrowing the score to 29:23, but Itulo and Or Levi helped Holon maintain control. Despite a late push from Siracusa, Amit Reinberg and Or Levi sealed the 36:32 win for Holon ahead of their return match.

Or Levi was the standout scorer for Holon with 10 goals, supported by Amit Reinberg and Itulo with 8 each. Caio Vinicius scored 4, Nadav Cohen 3, Loïc Bacqué 2, and Reef Cohen 1.