The atmosphere in our largest arena could not inspire the Montenegrin handball players to victory this time. However, unlike earlier matches against Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Italy, the clash with Hungary revealed the longstanding zeal and intensity of the “lions”.

In this European Championship qualifier, our national team faced its first defeat—Didier Dinar’s men never backed down, yet they met a formidable opponent that narrowly missed the World Cup semi-finals, ending the match at 29:26 in the M:tel “Morača” arena.

There’s no need for concern about qualifying for EHF Euro 2026, as Montenegro has already secured two crucial victories against Finland and Slovakia.

The “Lions” appeared a bit shaky in their attacking play at the beginning, with Hungary taking early leads of 2:0 and 3:1. However, Nebojša Simić’s goalkeeping efforts electrified the “Morača” arena and motivated his teammates.

Radojica Čepić equalized at 3:3, and from that point onward, both teams exchanged goals. At 7:7, our national squad had an opportunity to take the lead for the first time, but Aleksandar Bakić’s attempt from the wing was thwarted by Krištof Palašič.

If Didier Dinar’s players had capitalized on their penalty opportunities against Palašič, the halftime score could have been more favorable than a two-goal deficit (14:12).

In that moment, Ćemo Rodríguez’s side, guided by the exceptional pivot Mikloš Rošta (the even more impressive Bence Benhidi was unavailable), surged ahead with a three-goal lead. Nevertheless, Čepić kept the “lions” competitive with his impressive goals, assists, and defensive contributions.

When hopes were high for improvement after the break, the “lions” stumbled at the start of the second half, allowing Hungary to quickly extend its lead to 18:12.

Despite this setback, Dinar’s squad persevered, although things became more challenging when Čepić received a red card, which seemed excessively harsh after a clash with Zoltan Sit.

Montenegro pressed on, with Luka Radović spearheading a counterattack that could have narrowed the gap to three, but he missed, which allowed Hungary to pull away to 27:20.

The “lions” continued to fight, and upon the roars of the crowd and Nikola Matović’s contribution, they clawed back to 27:25. They even had an opportunity to narrow it to one, but a final error dashed their last hopes…

Montenegro is set to face the same opponent again in four days in Tatabanja.

MONTENEGRO – HUNGARY 26:29 (12:14)

Podgorica – “Morača” Hall. Attendance: 5,000. Referees: Leščinjski and Pjehota (Poland). 6-pointers: Montenegro 6 (6), Hungary. Suspensions: Montenegro 4, Hungary 37 minutes. Red card: Čepić (Montenegro) in the 57th minute.

Montenegro: Matović (two saves), Simić (eight saves), F. Vujović, Bakić 3, Dragašević, Čavor 2, Čepić 5, Ćorsović 3, B. Vujović 6 (2), M. Radović 1, Kaluđerović 1, S. Vujović 1, Vujačić, L. Radović 4 (4), L. Vujović, Pelidija.

Hungary: Palasic (17 saves), Bartuc, Sipos 1, Boka 4, Krakovsky, Ligetvari, Pap, Gyori, Tot, Fazekas 4, Sita 3, Bodo 1, Rosta 9, Lekai 1, Onodi-Janoskuti 3, Imre 3.

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