Since 2010, when it defeated Russia, Spain and Denmark on its debut on the biggest stage, Montenegro has been destroying all the giants of European handball, teams that won medals at major competitions in the XNUMXst century - the superpowers Norway and France, but also the Netherlands. Germany, Romania, Sweden, Hungary and Serbia...
Everything except the national team against which the curse began in 2010 at the European Championship in Denmark and Sweden - Croatia. For the third time in major competitions, the "lionesses" were defeated by the selection from the neighborhood, and to make matters more painful, and the third time by a minimal margin - after the duel at the closing of the group in Aarhus (29:28) and in the 4th round of the Olympic Games in London (27 :26), now they lost 26:26 in Gothenburg at the opening of the main stage of the 25th World Championship.
Interestingly, with the same result as 10 days earlier at the tournament "Croatia cup" in Novigrad...
With this defeat, Bojana Popović's team missed the first chance to practically secure a place in the quarterfinals.
But he still has everything in his hands - if he defeats Senegal on Saturday, he could be in Herning even before the last match with Sweden, if the home team beats Hungary, and that team defeats Croatia on Monday.
If those results do not match, the "lionesses" will also need a victory over one of the three hosts of the championship...
More than the defeat, all those close to the heart of the Montenegrin national team were hurt by the serious injury of Marta Batinović in the 18th minute.
Wanting to help her teammates get the ball out as soon as possible, the 33-year-old started to leave the goal area, but slipped and fell to the floor with a scream. Her expression, as well as the face of physiotherapist Andrija Damjanović, clearly said that the best goalkeeper of the first phase of the championship had suffered a serious injury. Forebodings have come true...
At the start of the match, both teams struggled in attack, Batinović tied two defenses, Tea Pijević responded on the other side, so that Croatia was the first to "unblock" and lead 4:1 in the 7th minute.
With the entry of Matea Pletikosić, the girls in black jerseys started to play better and it was her goal with the player that led to the tie in the 13th minute (6:6). Croatia took the lead 8:6, then Batinović was injured, but Montenegro played better at the end of the half and tied the score at 13:13 before the break.
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After less than two minutes of the continuation, Tatjana Brnović scored the first goal and equalized at 14:14, but Lucija Bešen's net did not shake for almost 10 minutes, so the "queens of shock" went to plus five (19:14).
In that period, the "lionesses" hit the frame of the goal many times, and Popović pulled the last trump card - she left only two defenders on the field (Pletikosić and Itana Grbić), and with Brnović put another pivot player (first Ivana Godeč, then Bobana Klikovac ).
It was Klikovac who finally reduced the difference to two (53:23) in the 21rd minute, and with two minutes and seven seconds left on the counter, after the defense and a great pass by Marina Rajčić, she scored for 26:25.
Rajčić saved another shot, this time by Dejana Milosavljević, but Montenegro could not draw.
The attack, which was interrupted by the coach's time-out, lasted over a minute, and ended 18 seconds before the end with Grbićeva's shot past the post. It's a shame, because she cheated on Tea Pijević, sent it to the wrong side, but was inaccurate by about 20 centimeters.
That shot, however, should not have happened, because six seconds earlier, Spanish referees Javier Alvares and Đon Bustamante overlooked the blow that the Crimean center back received in the face from Camila Michijević.
If one of the highest handball players in the world had been sent off, Montenegro would have received a new attack and had 24 seconds to draw, which would have eliminated Croatia from all combinations for the quarterfinals...
MONTENEGRO - CROATIA 25:26 (13:13)
Gothenburg - "Scandinavian Arena". Viewers: 1.089. Referees: Alvares and Bustamante (Spain). Sevens: Montenegro 5 (3), Croatia 5 (5). Suspensions: Montenegro 8, Croatia 8 minutes. Red card: Popović (Montenegro) in the 46th minute (3X2 minutes).
Montenegro: Rajčić (nine saves), BATINOVIĆ (three saves), Pletikosić 3 (1), Godeč 1, Mugoša 3 (1), Nad. Ćorović, Popović, IVANOVIĆ, Malović, Nat. Ćorović, BRNOVIĆ 3, BULATOVIĆ 1, Klikovac 2, DESPOTOVIĆ 4 (1), PAVIĆEVIĆ 3, GRBIĆ 5.
Croatia: Bešen (four saves and seven goals), PIJEVIĆ (five saves), ZADRAVEC 3, P. Posavec 1, Šenvald, S. Posavec 1, MIČIJEVIĆ 3, MILOSAVLJEVIC 5 (2), Kalaus, JEŽIĆ 4, Burić, Brkić, ŠIMARA 1, Barišić 2, BLAŽEVIĆ 6 (3), Prkačin.
Bonus video:
