Koka Women — Bjelovar Women: 24:31, 1. HRL Women

Bjelovar secured a 31-24 victory away at Koka in the opening round of the women's First Division handball, overturning the early expectations set by both sides' recent form. The hosts had beaten Rudar Labín 34-23 just a week earlier and were favourites, but Bjelovar found a way back into the game after their last meeting ended 31-31 in May.

And here's the thing — we had tipped the hosts for a win, 52 per cent confidence, but the match went the other way. Bjelovar's visitors, who had thrashed Sinj 36-19 on the same weekend, carried that momentum through and punished Koka when it mattered.

To be fair, the table tells you little at this stage. Both sides sit on two points after one game, Bjelovar third and Koka fourth, but the gap is negligible and the standings will mean nothing until the fixture list fills out.

By then, the record of that stalemate in May might matter more than these opening results. Koka had won their previous encounter against Osijek 32-31, but Bjelovar's away win over Sinj was the more decisive statement of intent.

The scoreline reflects a match where Bjelovar found their rhythm and Koka struggled to contain it. The visitors are now level on points with the hosts, and the table goes out of the window in these games anyway — one result does not make a season.