January 11, 2020 will be remembered. It will be remembered for the first victory of the Montenegrin handball team on the biggest European stage and for the well-deserved chance to take a much bigger step than the first triumph on Monday - to advance to the second stage.
Montenegro beat Serbia 22:21 in a handball "war", an atypical match for today's handball, in which everything bursts with counters, half-counters, quick positional attacks and shots from all sides.
On Monday, the "Lions" will play a match for second place in Group A against Belarus from 18 to 15.
The victory over Serbia was achieved with heart and fight to the last breath, great defense, as well as moments of inspiration from goalkeeper Nebojša Simić, and defenders Miloš Božović and Vladan Lipovina, who in decisive moments were dominant in favor of the Montenegrin team, along with the constant Nemanja Grbović, the best attacker option in a match with a low number of goals.
It was, of course, necessary to be a little lucky to beat a great rival, who fought with the same ferocity and wanted to win with the same fervor, and luck looked at the "lions" when Marsenić two and a half minutes before the end, with the score 21:20 from the line hit the bar...
From the beginning, it was clear that both teams would try to achieve the goal with their defense.
Montenegro started fiercely and strongly, leading 4:1, and Serbia did not score a goal for almost seven minutes, after the initial lead.
However, such a game brought a lot of risks, so with a series of exclusions (six in the first half), the defense gave way, and the huge expenditure of energy was reflected in the attack.
From 7:3 in the 14th minute, a fall followed, although it was not even expected that the clash between rivals of approximately the same quality and teams with similar characteristics would be one-way.
Serbia got back into the game, Kukić caused a lot of problems and penetrated the deep zone, while the Serbian defense, on the other hand, took away the offensive potential of the Montenegrin defenders, who had neither time nor space for shots.
At halftime, it was 11:10 for the "lions", but in the first ten minutes of the resumption, Nenad Peruničić's team made a turnaround and made the first major escape, 16:13.
In those moments, when it seemed that the game was going in favor of the Serbian team, the class of Miloš Božović, who scored three tied goals, and Nebojša Simić, who took two goals from the dangerous winger Radivojević, shone through - 16:16.
Such moments usually turn into decisive moments, the team gains strength and new energy.
Again, the defense became tight to the maximum, but unlike the first half, there were no late and rough fouls, and no expulsions.
For the victory, however, something else was needed - goals from outside positions, where Montenegro is the strongest.
Božović was joined in time by Lipovina, with two missiles, as well as Stevan Vujović, while on the other side, Kukić kept Serbia in the game.
In a thriller finish, Marsenić hit the crossbar from the zičer, and Mirko Radović from a difficult position a minute and a half before the end scored the goal of his career in 22:20...
In the next attack, Serbia lost the ball, and Roganović took a time-out to calm the passions, although it was clear that the victory was sealed.
Montenegro - Serbia 22:21
Grac – City hall. Referees: Jesper Madsen and Henrik Mortensen (Denmark). Sevens: Montenegro 1(1). Exclusions: Montenegro 7, Serbia 4.
Montenegro: Mijušković, Simić (nine saves), F. Vujović, Glendža, Bakić 1, Čavor 1, Lazović 1, Radović 2, Kankaraš, S. Vujović 2, Ševaljević 2 (1), Božović 4, Lasica 1, Anđelić, Grbović 5, Lipovina 3.
Serbia: Cupara, Ivanišević (11 saves), Mosić, Sretenović 2, Crnoglavac, Đukić 1, Pešić, Radivojević 5, Kolaković, N. Ilić 2, Pušica, V. Ilić, Nikolić, Kukić 6, Zelenović 3, Marsenić 2.
Bonus video:
