Ivan Cupic beat the buzer with his third goal in the game to steer HC Vardar to a 24:23 win over Paris Saint-Germain in the VELUX EHF Champions League Final claiming their premiere trophy in the European top flight.
The Croatian international also became the first player in the EHF FINAL4 history, who successfully defended the title after he raised the trophy 12 months ago with Vive Tauron Kielce.
Vardar goalie Arpad Sterbik was voted MVP of the Final 4. We’ve been watching handball intensely for at least 15 years, this man is worth every penny, easily one of the best goalkeepers to ever play the game. He was spectacular in goal both against Barcelona and in the final against PSG.
Lets not forget the quiet genius, Vardar’s coach Raul Gonzalez, the soft spoken Spaniard who adopted Macedonia as his country. In his 4th year at the club has gotten Vardar better and better, the culmination is of course the European title. He is also the coach of the Macedonian national team.
Russian born owner Sergej Samsonenko who is a Macedonian citizen was seen wrapped in a Macedonian flag and was at hand with his business partner Orce Kamchev to accept the trophy. No one has invested in Macedonia as much as Samsonenko. Millions of dollars put into sport facilities and state of the art training centers for Macedonian youth. The result today is a European title.