The Montenegrin youth football team is set to face a historic performance on Friday - their first match at the European Championship.
No team has ever reached a major competition, and the U19 team does not want to have an episodic role in the Euro finals, which feature eight teams.
The first rival is Romania in Bucharest (Friday at 20 p.m.).
"Falcons" coach Nenad Vukčević believes that his players will represent Montenegro and Montenegrin football in the right way on their debut.
"The first match definitely means a lot to us and the Romanian national team. As the hosts, they certainly have their own desires and ambitions, they want to perform as well as possible in this tournament and to go as far as possible. On the other hand, we also have ambitions. Although we have a lot of problems with the squad, both due to the players' commitments at their clubs and due to injuries, we have brought 20 football players who are the best and who we believe will do everything to represent our country and football in the best possible way at this tournament," said Vukčević.
A win at the start could determine a lot in a group that also includes Denmark and Spain (they meet on Friday at 18 p.m.).
Montenegro plays Denmark on Monday (17pm), and next Thursday they play Spain (19pm).
"We see a chance to reach the semi-finals. It is certain that all the teams that came to the final tournament are very high-quality and that everyone is looking in their own way to reach the semi-finals and finals. They may see us as outsiders and we are completely relieved when it comes to placing because we have already achieved historic success," Vukčević pointed out and added:
"But there's no point in coming without ambition and from game to game we'll look at our chance to advance as far as possible. We want to win the first match, because it can determine a lot. We're most dedicated to that match and we'll do everything we can to achieve triumph."
Montenegro is writing history, it must do so without two leaders of the generation - Vasilije Adžić and Andrija Bulatović.
"The feeling is beautiful. Someone selected this generation earlier and achieved success with it. I was lucky to get this selection in the elite round tournament, which was its third appearance in the elite round and third luck when it comes to the fight for a place in the European Championship. It is definitely a great success for Montenegro and I as a coach, but also my coaching staff and the entire team, will remain inscribed in the history of Montenegrin football and that is something I am very proud of," concluded Vukčević.
The second group includes Germany, Norway, England and the Netherlands, with the two top-placed teams each advancing to the semifinals.
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