From the special reporter "Vijesti"
The end of the premier presentation of Montenegrin football on the biggest stage is approaching - the appearance at the European U19 Championship, the youth selection closes with a match against Spain, tomorrow at 19 pm in Ploesti.
"It's a privilege to play against Spain, who have been European youth champions nine times," says coach Nenad Vukčević.
A privilege, but also a "danger" - the Spanish team is superior and has secured a place in the semifinals, while the Montenegrin team is shaken by an unfortunate defeat to Romania at the start (2:1) and a heavy defeat to Denmark two days ago (5:0).
"We will try to be much better than we were against Denmark in every way," said coach Vukčević.
The Spaniards may be playing without pressure to score, possibly with a combined squad, but with class that is evident at every moment.
"We saw quality and dominance from Spain in all segments of the game in the first two matches. They are a strong team, we will try to minimize their individual and team qualities, and for us to be at the highest level," says Vukčević.
Montenegro has already paid the price for its debut on the big stage – both physically and mentally.
"We didn't leave a good impression against Denmark and none of us are happy, but after a good night's sleep you realise that this happens in football. We had a tough game with Romania, then a tough defeat against Denmark, and that left its mark. However, there is one more game left and we want to play it as best as possible."
An additional challenge is the pace of play, which most national team players are not used to.
"Most of our players come from domestic competitions, which are far from this level in terms of quality. We are not used to this kind of rhythm, this is the top level and you pay the price if you are inferior in any segment," the coach points out, with a message for the future:
"This is a great experience for all of us, especially for the players who, I am convinced, will play in a major competition again."
Bonus video:
