The semi-final was lost in just twenty hours during the first two matches of the main round, but the European Championship was not over then for Montenegrin handball players, and it may not be tonight either.
If the "lionesses" defeat Sweden from 20.30:1 p.m. and win the third position in group XNUMX, they will secure a trip to Vienna for the finals of the tournament, where they would play for fifth place on the Old Continent.
- We dreamed of a trip to Vienna, we regret that we cannot play for a medal, but fighting for fifth place would also be a great success - she said. Đurđina Jauković.
And the fifth place could mean a place in the next big competition - the World Championship, which will be organized by Germany and the Netherlands in 12 months. The condition for such a thing is that the rival of our national team in the capital of Austria is Denmark.
Of course, everything will be better known first tonight when Montenegro has to overcome Sweden, and then tomorrow (18:5) when the Danes and Dutch women will decide in a direct duel who will go to the semi-finals and who will fight for XNUMXth place.
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the selections from this EP will be placed in the World Cup - as France, as the world champion, is a sure participant in the World Cup, three tickets should be won by the teams that take the second, third and fourth positions at the Euro. In the event that the Netherlands, as the host of the World Cup, enters the semi-finals, then even fifth place means a trip to the World Championship
With the Netherlands as one of the hosts of the next World Cup and France as the current world champion, selections that do not play in the qualifiers, Norway and Hungary will receive two of the three tickets for the World Cup 2025, while the last third would be decided by the match for 5th place.
- There is no lack of motivation, whether it is playing for fifth or 10th place. We have shown character many times and I think that winning the fifth position and the option to directly qualify for the World Cup is a great success for this national team - he believes Marta Batinović, the goalkeeper of Montenegro.
She had the same message Matea Pletikosic.
- Surely it would be nice to finish among the six best teams at the European Championship, which would probably mean a direct placement in the World Cup - says the center back of the "Lioness".
It won't be like Gothenburg
Before any combinations about the next big competition of the chosen one Suzana Lazović they have to say goodbye to Debrecen in the right way - with a fifth win in the seventh match of the EHF Euro. The rival is Sweden, a team that played in the semi-finals of the World Championship last year, and in the main round in the match between the two best teams in the group, it was better than Montenegro - 32:25, in Gothenburg.
- For sure, our game against them at that time and this one now cannot be compared. I don't think we will repeat such a performance because then before the match with Sweden we knew that we were going through - explained Matea.
It's likely that tonight's opponent's plans were much bigger than the fifth-place game.
- They are certainly disappointed because they were "shooting" for a medal, but I am sure that they will not give up because fifth place is also a good ranking. We are ready to fight, we know what we need to do to go to Vienna - she emphasized Marta Batinović.
Tiredness is (not) a problem
The duel with Sweden will be the seventh match of the "lionesses" in only ten days - with all that, it is still difficult to understand the system in which our handball players had to play two decisive matches in only 20 hours.
- It is something that is unrealistic to endure, but now we have time to get ready for Sweden, thanks to i Andrija Damjanović i Danica Delić, who are doing a superb job in the recovery process - underlined Đurđina Jauković.
There is fatigue, but there is also motivation.
- It is not easy for the girls to play 60 minutes each match, without even having 24 hours to rest between duels with strong national teams such as Hungary and France. We don't have such a width that all the girls can provide equally - several players carried the main burden and they simply don't stop, and they will certainly be ready to give everything to win against Sweden - Marta Batinović has no dilemma.
Vienna or home - in any case, Germany, the Netherlands and the new big competition are closer from the Austrian capital.
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