The men’s handball champion of Moldova Olimpus-85 was beaten by Maccabi Le Zion in the first match of the qualifying competition of the EHF Cup in the evening of September 8, IPN reports.

The match played in Israel ended by 39-20 in favor of the hosts. Before the break, Olimpus-85 was only four points behind, with the score being of 12-16. In the second half, Maccabi encountered no problems and won easily. The return match was scheduled for September 9.

This year, Olimpus-85 has become Moldova’s handball champion for the fifth time. The team from Chisinau ended the competition two points ahead of its rival Universitatea Tiraspol.