Italy’s nightmare is now behind us as a new era begins with a victory, one that Didije Dinar will fondly recall marking his debut as head coach of the Montenegrin handball team with a win…

This victory is crucial following the first match of the European Championship qualifiers, where they triumphed over Finland (29:28), despite some familiar mistakes being visible at the “Bemax Arena”…

“It was vital to start off on the right foot; we were well-prepared and anticipated what to expect, particularly from the 7-6 formation. Overall, we performed well, though there were numerous errors in our game… Nonetheless, we maintained our concentration, and the crowd was outstanding,” Dinar remarked during the press conference.

The “lions” were primarily in the lead, enjoying a four-goal advantage at times, but ultimately everything was decided in the closing moments.

“We have seasoned players who made the right choices in crucial situations; Nikola Matović saved a penalty which was pivotal for us and forced them into making errors,” added the iconic French coach. “We have a clear game plan and strategy with specific tasks that needed execution.”

Nebojša Simić shone again, making an impressive 15 saves.

“Simić was excellent, contributing many crucial saves. He is a top-level goalkeeper, and we replaced him to inject new energy into the team; Matović helped us when we were stalling. That was encouraging since he saved that penalty, which I mentioned earlier—it uplifted our energy and confidence,” he explained.

Radojica Čepić excelled in attack (seven goals without a miss) but struggled defensively.

“He is a very intelligent and skilled player, particularly in one-on-one scenarios. However, he lost some strength, which impacted his performance toward the end of the match,” Dinar clarified.

The next challenge awaits against Slovakia on Sunday, to be held in Košice.

“Slovakia commands respect. There are no ‘small’ teams; we will be adequately prepared for them too,” Dinar concluded.

Branko Vujović emerged as a key player for Montenegro once again, as did Čepić, both scoring seven times against the Finns.

“This win is significant following the setback against Italy—these two points are essential for boosting our morale and reinforcing our self-belief, especially since we missed numerous open shots,” stated Vujović, who plays for Dinamo in Bucharest.

Vujović expressed his satisfaction that the “lions” managed to control the game:

“We led for the majority of the match, and we had several opportunities to extend our lead to five points, but technical errors allowed them to capitalize with counterattacks and simple goals. They returned to within one or two points, but in the end, we secured the win, and that’s what matters most. We couldn’t have achieved this without the support of our fans. I’m grateful for their unwavering support, even after the elimination by Italy,” Vujović added.

Reflecting on his experience with the new coach, a handball legend who led France to a world title seven years ago, Vujović said:

“So far, everything’s been great. We’ve only had one practice session, but during that time, everything seemed fine to me. We’ve been working on various aspects, and although everything is new with new plays, the short preparation time impacted our performance against Finland,” Vujović concluded.

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