The applause in the Podgorica airport building was a sign that they were coming!
With the youth national team came the first, historic placement at the European Championship for one of the Montenegrin national teams.
Our under-19 football players won the qualifying group in Tbilisi, ahead of Poland, home team Georgia and Slovakia, paving the way for the biggest event of the Seven Continent in Romania, where the final tournament of the eight best on the Old Continent begins on June 13th.
There will not be a France, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Serbia or Croatia, there will be Montenegro.
At the airport, the great team, considered by many to be one of the most talented generations in our football, was welcomed by the management of the Football Association, led by Dejan Savićević, numerous fans, family members and their friends.
"Congratulations! On behalf of the Football Association, I would like to congratulate you on your success. You have achieved an incredible success for a small country like Montenegro. You played well, you represented Montenegro excellently and achieved a result that will encourage you to be good in your career, to be the best. In the last few years since we formed this team, you have had good results, good play and continue to achieve excellent results. And may you progress, be in a young national team, although I have no doubt about that, but not only a young one, but soon I expect some of you in the A selection of Montenegro. And very soon. Congratulations once again and good luck," said Savićević.
Two years ago, our youth team, then cadets, were minutes away from the biggest showdown in Wales with Goran Perišić, who in the meantime took over the helm of the youth team. He passed the first round, Nenad Vukčević took over the super talented youth team, ahead of the second successful round of qualifications for the biggest competition.
"It's nice to be here tonight and nice to be part of a group that has earned a historic success for Montenegrin football and Montenegro. These guys have undoubtedly earned their success with great work and effort. I don't think they are even aware of their own success and results right now, but they will be after a good night's sleep. In a few months, new challenges await us and the goal is to do something similar. This team does not have secondary roles. We hope to go to the biggest event on the Old Continent and play in the same rhythm," Vukčević emphasized.
A draw with Slovakia (1:1), then a sensational victory over Poland (1:0) with a Euro goal by Vasilije Adžić, but due to a booking, without the captain and the scorer of both goals, Vukčević's team was in danger of defeating the hosts.
"We succeeded, we achieved great success for Montenegro, for Montenegrin football. Qualifying for a major competition is no small feat, but we are going there to show the quality we have. And we have great quality," said midfielder Andrija Bulatović, who played every minute in Tbilisi and assisted the equalizer in the decisive match.
Without a captain and with a goal deficit in the early stages of the game, Bulatović and his teammates still found solutions to turn things around and be the better rival (3:1).
"We entered the decisive match weaker, playing below our expectations until halftime. In the second half, we gathered strength and showed the quality, the winning character that characterizes us. We finished with a victory and fulfilled our goal and expectations," explained Bulatović.
And it will be difficult in Romania, in the draw on April 15, potential rivals Spain, Germany, England, the Netherlands...
"We have no particular wishes in the draw, because all these teams have enormous quality. We played with them, showed that we also have quality. Whoever we draw in the draw, we can play against them. We have quality and we will certainly not go out on the field with our guard down, but we will try to win every game," concluded the 18-year-old Lens footballer on loan at Buducnost.
Bonus video:
