Alkaloid — Kumanovo HC: 37:21, Superleague

Alkaloid defeated Kumanovo 37:21 in the Super League on Friday evening here in Skopje. The home side made no mistake against a visitor that has struggled to find its identity this season. By then, the pattern was already clear from the opening exchanges.

The result keeps Alkaloid top of the table with six points from three games. Kumanovo remain eleventh with zero points from three matches, having drawn every fixture so far. To be fair, the gap between these two sides was always going to show up eventually.

We had called for the home victory at 74 per cent confidence, and the scoreline confirmed that reading. Alkaloid controlled territory and tempo without allowing Kumanovo any sustained periods of pressure. And here's the thing — when a team keeps possession this consistently, the visitors rarely get enough momentum to threaten.

Alkaloid's form has improved since that mid-May defeat to Eurofarm Pelister 26:31. They have won both Super League outings so far, including a 31:27 result against the same opposition last month. Kumanovo, meanwhile, have drawn 30:31 to Vardar 1961 and 31:38 to Prilep, showing they can compete but cannot close out results.

The goal difference now sits at plus sixteen for Alkaloid and minus twelve for Kumanovo after three rounds. The home side will look to build on this early dominance, while Kumanovo need a breakthrough before the fixtures pile up further.