History was written at the European Championships and the Olympic Games. Montenegrin handball players were at the top of the Old Continent, they even won a bronze medal, and they have an unforgettable silver medal from the Games, but when it comes to the World Championships, big things have always been far away.
The "Lionesses" made their World Cup debut in 2011, and have made a total of seven appearances under their belt, with their greatest success six years ago in Japan when they reached fifth place.
Our national team will begin another World Cup on Wednesday in Trier, Germany. They will once again have big dreams, they have a team for serious things, but the reality is that they are no longer among the biggest favorites.
- History has been written, but I want it to continue to be written - said the coach Suzana Lazović at the beginning of preparations for the World Cup.
And, to turn another page of history Đurđina Jauković and her friends should skip the quarterfinals - a step they have reached three times, but never passed.
Gloomy Brazil announces golden year
It all started in Brazil 2011, when much was expected from the Montenegrin "dream team", and in the end the World Cup brought a lot of disappointment.
Bojana Popović, Maja Savić, Katarina Bulatović, Radmila Petrović (then Miljanić) and other great handball players were defeated by Iceland and Norway, struggled against Germany and Angola, and then failed in the round of 16 by losing to Spain.
Few people thought then that the year after Brazil would be the most successful in the history of our handball, but also of sports. Girls Dragan Adžić They brought Montenegro its first Olympic medal in 2012, and a few months later in Belgrade, they took our country to the top of Europe.
Several quarterfinals and a collapse in Spain
Just 12 months after the European gold, the "lionesses" returned to Serbia, but there was no celebration at the World Cup this time either. Our national team did well in the group stage, but in the round of 16 they ran into Denmark and their dreams of another medal were dashed early on.
During the next three championships, the "lionesses" were both close and far from the semifinals, the closest they came in the 2015 tournament organized by Denmark.
Our handball team completed the group stage almost flawlessly, defeated Angola in the round of 16, and played an exciting match with the giants Norway in the quarterfinals. However, the then European and Olympic champions led by Norom Mark narrowly won (26:25) and shattered dreams. At that championship, Montenegro met Đurđin Jauković and she knew she was getting a great player for the next 10+ years.
And two years later in Germany, our national team reached the quarterfinals, but this time without Adžić on the bench, whom he succeeded before the tournament. Per Johansson.
The “Lionesses” reached the round of 16 through drama and a point against Brazil in the last round, and then through Serbia to reach the top eight. However, they didn't have much of a chance against the future champions France.
The tournament in Japan in 2019 had a different system, with two groups played, then a semi-final, and Montenegro, with third place in the main round, earned a match for 5th place.
And in that duel, it was better than Serbia - for the greatest success at the world championships, while Jovanka Radicevic (just like in 2015) selected in the ideal World Cup team.
Spain and 2021 are not something few people want to remember, as Montenegro fell as low as ever and finished in 22nd place (behind Puerto Rico and Argentina), but that tournament seemed to unite Bojan Popović and the players, and a year later the European bronze medal arrived.
The last World Cup so far, two years ago in Scandinavia, was one of the better ones for the "lionesses" - even though they played without Jovanka Radičević, Milena Raičević, Đurđine Jauković i Eme Ramusović They made it through two groups and in the quarterfinals they put up strong resistance against the powerful Denmark (28:26). In the end they finished in 7th place.
It's time for a new World Cup story, maybe the most beautiful one yet?
Bonus video:
