After a three-year wait, both trophies return to Cetinje – the Lovćen handball team has claimed the Montenegro Cup for the 13th time, achieving their eighth double title.

Filip Popović’s squad triumphed over Budva Riviera, last year’s Cup champions, with a score of 31:29 in a surprisingly intense final held at the “Bemax Arena.”

It looked like a one-sided affair after Mirko Radović scored just before the first half ended with the score at 18:12, but the second half brought much more excitement.

The coastal team quickly narrowed the deficit to 3:0 with a 19:16 run right after the break, and following a counterattack with a goal from Bož Brnović, they brought the score to 20:18 in Podgorica.

Filip Krivokapić responded with two consecutive goals, bringing the score to 25:20, giving Lovćen a four-goal lead at the end (28:24), but Budva Riviera, fueled by goalkeeper Lazar Pešić, fought back and entered the last two-and-a-half minutes trailing by just one (28:27).

The tension for Cetinje was eased by Krivokapić, but Slobodan Bulajić brought Budva Riviera back within striking distance again (29:28). However, Luka Vujović, after a well-executed play with Ivan Perišić, effectively sealed the victory for Lovćen at 30:28. Đorđe Peruničić’s late goal for Budva to reduce the deficit to one with just 20 seconds left came too late, allowing Bogdan Petričević to secure the win.

Perišić was the leading scorer for the winning side, netting nine goals, while Krivokapić added six.

For Budva, Peruničić was the standout performer with ten goals.

This season, in which Lovćen also competed in the EHF European League against tough opponents, they reinforced their status as favorites, while Budva Riviera remains with just one cup.

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