Elverum too fast for Lovćen, maybe it will be different in Podgorica

The return to the big stage showed that the handball players from Lovcen are still far from the elite - when visiting Elverum in the 1st round of the EHF European League, Pero Milosevic's team was defeated 37:25.

The team that played in the Champions League in the previous three seasons, before the mighty Kolstad arrived in Norway, led from the start, and it took the Cetinje team five minutes to score the first goal.

Thanks to the playful Tobias Grendal, the home team quickly reached a four-point difference (7:3), with very aggressive defense keeping Vuk Borozan away from the goal, but Lovćen played better and better as the 1st half progressed.

Milošević raised the intensity of the game with several substitutions, Ivan Perišić scored several great goals, and Luka Vujović in the 21st minute did what captain Mirko Radović failed to do on the counter - to reduce the difference to a minimum (11:10).

Elverum then responded with seven-on-six attacks, quickly returning the maximum four points, which was at halftime (17:13), after Grendal's seventh goal.

The result was "active", but it was quickly canceled, because Elverum continued to play deeper in defense and forced Lovćen to make mistakes. It's fatal in handball - the Norwegians took a 36:23 lead with easy counter goals in the 15th minute and forced Milošević to a time-out, but it didn't help, because already in the 43rd minute there was a double-digit difference (27:17).

The issue of the winner was resolved, but the people of Cetinje tried not to experience a debacle. Several times they came close to minus eight, but in the finish they again lost the balls easily, so Elverum reached plus 13 (37:24)...

Next Tuesday, Cetinje welcomes the giants of German handball, Flensburg, and it is illusory to expect anything. But, if Milošević's team improves and speeds up the game, they will have a chance in the "Bemax Arena" against tonight's rival, as well as in a duel with the Swiss Kadeten from Schaffhausen.

The administration of Lovćen decided that the entrance to those matches will be free.

ELVERUM - LOVĆEN 37:25 (17:13)

Elverum - "Terningen Arena". Viewers: 1.565. Referees: Kul and Tint (Estonia). Sevens: Elverum 5 (3), Lovćen 4 (3). Exclusions: Elverum 8, Lovćen 6 minutes.

Elverum: Paulsen (13 saves), Mizera (two saves), Blomgren 4, Hibbert-Larsen 3, Torsen 7, Anderson, Avad 1, Grendal 9 (3), Seradilja 2, Stark, Langos, Sendeno 3, Lukacs, Heldal 8 .

Lovćen: Lutovac (five saves and seven goals), F. Borozan (save and seven goals), Stanojević, Perišić 4, Krivokapić 6 (2), Pajović, Lekić, Bakić, Radović 4 (1), Šćekić, Vujović 4, Petričević 1, Perišić, Madžovski 2, Eraković, V. Borozan 4.