Nothing surprising in the duel against one of the favorites for the highest ranking at the European Championship for U17 players in Podgorica.
Montenegro held off France for a long time, took a two-goal lead at the beginning of the second half, and threatened again in the final minutes, but the quality of the big favorite came to the fore, so the first defeat (30:25) after the opening win against Lithuania was inevitable.
After a day of break, the generation of players led by coaches Miloš Perović and Bobana Krstović will play against the Czech Republic on Saturday for a place in the main round.
The duel in the "Verde" hall was full of twists and turns, Montenegro had a minimal advantage five times in the first half, but France went into the break with a "plus one" - 11:10. A great start to the second half, three consecutive goals and a 13:11 lead in the 35th minute after Maša Ulićević scored were a hint that a big surprise could happen.
France, however, made a 10:3 run and took a 22:17 lead.
By the end of the match, our national team managed to come within two goals of the deficit only once (25:23), five minutes before the end, but France repelled that attack as well.
Maša Dubljević was the player of the match with 15 saves. Martina Knežević was the most efficient with seven goals, while Anđelina Orbović and Maša Ulićević scored four each.
Bonus video:
