Brnović: I'm not losing hope, everything is still up to us

The head coach of the Montenegrin national football team, Branko Brnović, said in an interview with the Anatolia agency that he does not lose hope that the "falcons" can qualify for the World Cup in Brazil in 2014.

A heavy defeat against Ukraine in Podgorica (4:0), the first in the qualifiers, made the road significantly more difficult, but Brnović is not giving up.

"I never made an alibi, but against the Ukrainians we were missing seven players, which is irreplaceable for a team from a small country like Montenegro. Despite that, I still think today that we lost by too much of a margin, that is, for the balance of forces on the field, the result was unrealistic. However, it is a lesson for us going forward. It's still all up to us. With seven points from the remaining three games, we can win at least a place in the playoffs," Brnović said.

As for the other national teams from the region, Brnović believes that only Bosnia and Herzegovina plays consistently well, and that it is very close to qualifying for the next World Cup.

"BiH finally got what it deserved after all these years. It has one foot in Brazil, and I must stress that, very deservedly. Safet Sušić's team is playing excellently. BiH has been playing well in the last few qualification cycles. However, various bad luck and strong Portugal in the barrage, they stopped them on their way to major competitions. I don't believe that anyone can stop Bosnia on their way to Brazil," says Brnović.

The coach of Montenegro points out that Croatia has lost its chances for first place in group A.

"They failed, just like us, when they least expected. They lost to the Scots at home and it will cost them dearly. Now they should hope that they will get as easy an opponent as possible in the play-off in order to see Brazil. Belgium is very strong team and they will not drop the first place in the group", claims Brnović.

About the regional derby and the high-risk match in which Serbia will host Croatia in Belgrade on September 6, Brnović said:

"Serbia will beat Croatia in Belgrade. Croatian players are not stronger than Serbia, and in addition, Mihajlović's team will pay back little by little, that is, take as much as they can for their bad results so far. The people would forgive them a lot if they win Croatia," he concluded. is Brnović.