Was it their late arrival in Ulm, just under 24 hours before the opening match, or was it a touch of complacency against the least challenging opponent? The “lionesses” appeared “drowsy” at times during their initial encounter in the pre-Olympic tournament…

Ultimately, they secured victory against a team they had previously defeated 41:26 just four months ago at the World Championship, clinching the win with a margin of five points, thanks to a strong finish in the latter part of the game.

In their Olympic qualifying kickoff, the Montenegrin handball team showed a superior performance against Paraguay (30:25). However, judging by their play tonight in the picturesque German city by the Danube, the Olympic rounds and Paris seem quite distant.

This weekend marks the beginning of critical encounters against much tougher opponents, Germany and Slovenia.

Only the top two teams will advance to Paris.

Country – Montenegro faced a tough match against Paraguay, ultimately winning 30:25.

Jelena Despotović contributed two goals, while Ivone Pavićević and Tanja Brnović each scored one from their own half. Montenegro finally sealed their first win in Ulm with a score of 30:25.

Several times Paraguay nearly leveled the score, but the “lionesses” managed to hold their ground. The current score is 25:24 with six and a half minutes remaining.

What the Paraguayans failed to do moments ago, they achieved with a new goal from More, as the “lionesses” now only lead by one point (22:21). Bojana Popović called for a time-out, instructing her players that nothing should come easily.

With a swift 3:0 series, Paraguay narrowed the gap to 21:19 and even had a chance to equalize, but Atingre was reliable in goal and scored consecutively against Mugoša on a counter.

Tatjana Brnović opened up scoring in the 20:16 situation, leading to a seven-pointer for Mugoša, restoring the “lionesses'” five-point lead (21:16).

Paraguay narrowed the score to 3:0 at 17:15, but Jelena Despotović halted their momentum at the start of the second period (18:15).

Paraguay began the second half strongly, reducing the deficit to 17:14. Armel Atingre has now taken over in goal for Montenegro.

The second half has commenced in Ulm.

The first half is complete – the “lionesses” closed the first period on a 6:0 run, ending at 17:12 and overcoming a challenging 25 minutes in Ulm.

The top scorer for our national team was Dijana Mugoša with seven goals, while Anastasija Marsenić and Itana Grbić each netted three times against the Paraguayans.

Marina Rajčić also excelled in goal.

Anastasija Marsenić and Mugoš both scored twice each, easing the pressure as the score stands at 17:12.

Montenegro has finally gained a slight advantage with goals from Dijana Mugoša and Itana Grbić. The score is now plus two for the “lionesses” (14:12), with only three minutes left in the half.

Thus far, most of Paraguay’s goals have come from two players, Marija Fernandes Estigaribija (5) and Fernanda Mora (4).

Twenty minutes into the match in Ulm, the quick and tenacious Paraguayans are still challenging Montenegro, with the score at 10:11, thanks to several remarkable saves from Marina Rajčić in the “lionesses'” goal.

Paraguay answered back with two consecutive goals to reclaim the lead at 7:6.

Bojana Popović’s team finally took the lead for the first time after ten minutes when Nina Bulatović scored (6:5).

The Paraguayans have been strong offensively; however, Dijana Mugoša has shown notable performance, scoring four out of Montenegro’s five initial goals (5:5).

Paraguay began with a good start, leading 1:0 and 2:1, but Dijana Mugoša equalized both times (2:2).

The match in Ulm has started…

Just four months ago in Helsingborg at the World Championship, the Lionesses convincingly bested their current opponents (41:26), yet they still enter tonight’s game as overwhelming favorites.