The match against one of the favorites in the group concluded last night around 10 PM, while the face-off with the second favorite kicks off today at 6 PM. After suffering their first defeat at the European Championship against Hungary (26:20), Montenegrin handball players are now seeking victory against France.

The European Handball Federation’s system can be perplexing, but the “lionesses” have little time to dwell on it, as a loss to the world champions would mean the end of their dreams of reaching the semi-finals.

“We have the strength and we must tap into it. A formidable match lies ahead, so we need to replicate our initial round performances and avoid technical errors because in this stage, no team will overlook mistakes,” said Marina Rajčić following the match with Hungary.

Despite starting off strong after three victories in the first phase, Suzana Lazović’s team faltered midway through the first half, allowing Vladimir Golovin’s team to capitalize on their mistakes.

“We began to make numerous technical errors, and Hungary capitalized on that. This was our first defeat, but we will move forward with our heads held high—there’s a very tough game coming up, and nothing is lost yet,” noted the Montenegrin goalkeeper.

The upcoming match with France will be a rematch of the contest for third place from the last EHF Euro, where Montenegro secured the bronze medal.

“We will give it our all, and it’s natural to experience a slight downturn after such matches in the first round. We will keep pushing forward and won’t give up on ourselves,” Marina is determined.

Jelena Vukčević acknowledges the challenge of regaining strength just twenty hours later.

“It’s definitely not easy, but a new day brings a new game—this is the tough part of our job, having to pick ourselves up after a loss and prepare both physically and mentally for the next match,” explains our right back.

Still, she is confident that the “lionesses” will be ready to face one of the tournament favorites.

“It will be tough; the girls who play for the full 60 minutes will get worn out, but I believe we can recover and be prepared for that match.”

She reflected on the defeat against Hungary as well.

“It didn’t surprise us too much; I think it was primarily our errors in attack that led to the fall, but I am confident everything will be much better against France,” concluded Jelena Vukčević.

EHF EURO 2024

Group 1 (Debrecin)

Today

Sweden – Romania (3:30 PM)

France – Montenegro (6:00 PM)

Hungary – Poland (8:30 PM)

Group 2 (Vienna)

Saturday

Switzerland – Slovenia (3:30 PM)

Denmark – Germany (6:00 PM)

Netherlands – Norway (8:30 PM)

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