Kraainem — Montegnee, Division 1

Kraynem started their Division 1 campaign with a 26-20 win against Montagne at home on Friday evening. The result gives them two points to build on and puts them ahead of their opponents in the table.

There were no minute-by-minute events to trace through this one, so the match has to be understood from the scoreboard. Kraynem controlled the pace from the start, and by then Montagne were already playing catch-up. The home side didn't let up, and here's the thing — they kept the distance steady rather than stretching it further.

Both teams enter the season with zero games played and zero points, which tells you nothing about where they'll finish. The standings are just placeholders. What matters is that Kraynem won and Montagne lost, and neither result means much in isolation.

Kraynem's recent form before this season was mixed. They lost 21-31 to Sasya in March and 21-35 to Sprimon in February, but they also beat Ferencváros 3-1 and Hubo Handball 2 29-26 earlier in the year. To be fair, those matches don't predict anything about this one.

The two-point gap after one round is the only meaningful number in the table right now. Kraynem sit on top, Montagne are behind, and everyone else is still waiting to play their first game.