RK Vardar started the play-off in North Macedonia one point behind rival RK Pelister. The riveting duel on away ground took Vardar to the very top with 34–35 on the board.
The clock was stopped for a Vardar free throw with four seconds to go. Dmytro Horiha resumed the role as shooter and put the ball in the net behind Nikola Mitrevski with a quality attempt to give Vardar the advantage in the table.
Local media counted a high number of penalties, 15 for Pelister and eleven for Vardar to account for the many duels on the court.
Mladen Krsmancic performed excellent with eleven goals for the winning team, while Dejan Manaskov in Pelister nearly followed suit with ten.
With five rounds remaning of the winners stage, the capital team is now one point ahead of Pelister. It seems likely the return game in Skopje June 8 will crown the champion.
RK Pelister–RK Vardar 34–35 (16–17)