A moment of inspiration and creativity decided the big derby - 54 seconds before the end, when they had the right to only one more pass, the Montenegrin handball players came up with a phenomenal action and scored a goal to win over Serbia (31:30) in Zrenjanin.
A block was being made, everyone was expecting a pass for Jelena Despotović to shoot, but Tatjana Brnović "tricked" the ball to Itana Grbić, who broke out alone in front of Jovana Risović and routinely beat her.
The home team tried to win a draw, but Jovana Jovović lost the ball. This canceled the great comeback of Uroš Bregar's team in the 2nd half, after they lost almost all the time...
Serbia took the first lead, with a goal by Sanja Radosavljević after 63 seconds, but the answer was great - the "lionesses" scored four goals twice and reached 4:1, and then 8:3.
Bregar asked for a time-out when the score was 7:3, but his team never got closer than three points until the end of the half, and Bojana Popović's players reached plus five eight times.
They could have had that difference at the break, but Brnović's shot from the center crossed the empty goal of Serbia, which reduced the score to 16:12 just before that.
However, no one could blame anything on the phenomenal pivot, who was an unsolvable enigma for the Serbian women in attack, and especially in defense, because in tandem with Despotović, she held the middle and was the most responsible for the fact that Montenegro had as many as six more shots (24 vs. 18).
Later, Armel Atingre made her debut in the Montenegrin jersey, but the Serbian women found it easier to find a solution for the defense of the "lionesses" and in the 34th minute Jovović's goal brought the score to 17:15.
It was goal for goal until Bregar's time-out, after which Radosavljević reduced the score to 20:19 in the 42nd minute, and in the 46th minute, Jovović equalized with her sixth goal to make it 22:22.
Popović had to call a time-out, but Serbia's onslaught was not stopped. What's more, Pletikosić's goal for 24:23 was annulled, because someone came in earlier instead of the sent off Ivana Godeč, so the home team turned it around to 24:23.
The center back from Romania's Craiova regained the advantage with two new goals (her seventh and eighth), then scored for 26:25, and then Atingre and Despotović took responsibility - the naturalized Montenegrin saved the shot at 27:27, then at 29 :28, while the youngest in the team that won gold at the EHF Euro in Serbia in 2012 scored two goals and assisted Itana Grbić for 30:28 with three and a half minutes left.
Bregar took a time-out, Anđela Janjušević tied the score at 30:30 with goals from the seven and penetration, and with 54 seconds left, her teammates from Crimea "sold" a great feint to the home team and brought two points that secured their place at the European Championship in Hungary. Austria and Switzerland. And almost certainly 1st place in the group of 6 qualifications, therefore a better hat before the draw...
SERBIA - MONTENEGRO 30:31 (12:16)
Zrenjanin - "Crystal Hall". Spectators: 2.520. Judges: Pirvu and Potirnike (Romania). Sevens: Serbia 7 (6), Montenegro 6 (5). Suspensions: Serbia 10, Montenegro 12 minutes.
Serbia: RISOVIĆ (five saves and seven goals), Kubina, RADOSAVLJEVIĆ 5, Veličković 2, Majkić, VUKAJLOVIĆ, Mandić, Nuković, JANJUŠEVIĆ 8 (2), Vasić, JOVOVIĆ 7, Stamenić 5 (4), Bojičić 1, RADEVIĆ 2, Simić , PETROVIĆ.
Montenegro: RAJČIĆ (two saves and seven goals), Atingre (three saves), MARSENIĆ 5, PLETIKOSIC 9 (4), Godeč 1, MUGOŠA 3 (1), Agović, Nada Ćorović, Ujkić, Ivanović, BRNOVIĆ 4, Klikovac, DESPOTOVIĆ 4, Pavićević, Kepić, GRBIĆ 5.
Bonus video:
