Grbović: Maybe it's sweeter this way

"I'm sorry we didn't go through to Cologne, we had it in our hands, but we were unlucky," said the 33-year-old pivot. "My boys, both in victory and in defeat, show that they have a heart like Lovćen, I am proud of them," said captain Mirko Radović

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Photo: Reuters/Angelika Warmuth

Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

16.01.2024. 20:51h

Branko Vujović played spectacularly and with eight goals from 10 attempts was deservedly declared the player of the match, Vuko Borozan was key both in defense and in attack, more than the numbers show even though they are excellent (six goals and an assist, two steals each), but he is a hero was Nemanja Grbović.

The experienced pivot, who since the injury at the World Cup in Poland and Sweden did not play a single match for Montenegro until the preparations for the European Championship, brought the "lions" a great victory over Serbia (30:29).

Six seconds before the end, Montenegro started from the center, Vladimir Cupara saved Stefan Čavor's shot, but the 33-year-old pivot grabbed the ball and put it into the net a few hundredths of a second before the final siren for a big party in the "Olimpijahale" in Munich (30:29 ).

With that, the "lions" won the 3rd place in group C and opened an easier path to the World Championship in Norway, Denmark and Croatia, because they will be in the 1st hat in the play-off draw.

"I probably have a magnet in my hands," Grbović said with a smile about how the ball often bounces into his hands after the goalkeeper's defense.

The Steaua Bucharest winger was overjoyed.

"Great night, great win. It was a tough game, but maybe it's sweeter that way. I'm sorry we didn't go through to Cologne, we had it in our hands, but we were unlucky”.

Grbović did not want to promise a big result at the World Cup.

"We are going step by step. First, let's see who will come as our rival in the play-off, so that we can win a place. I don't like to promise anything, only to have it turn out to be a disaster".

His peer, captain Mirko Radović, had a message for his teammates as well as for his rivals.

"We wanted to close the tournament in the right way. The match was manly, a real fight. All credit to the Serbian national team, we all 'disappeared', and we got back to what happened in the first two games. My boys, both in victory and in defeat, show that they have a heart like Lovćen, I am proud of them".