After a year and a half, the handball players from Budućnost faced a tough challenge with only 16 minutes played at home in “Morača” and about 40 minutes in Bucharest…

In their second match of Group B in the Champions League, Budućnost was overpowered by the favorites, losing decisively to the French team Brest with a score of 35:22.

In the last 16 matches in the EHF elite, the two-time European champions have secured only two wins (both against Savehof last season) and one surprising draw against Brest ten months ago.

This loss marked one of Budućnost’s most significant defeats in Morača, only second to a prior defeat in 1998 when Mar Valencia triumphed with a score of 40:26.

Bojana Popović’s squad struggled from the start; Brest consistently maintained a one or two-goal lead initially. However, an encouraging moment came when Budućnost equalized at 7:7 with a goal from Jelena Radivojević.

That moment marked the 16th minute, but shortly after, quick counter-attacks from Rafaela Tervel’s team reestablished Brest’s lead, pushing the score to 12:7.

Aside from Jelena Radivojević, other players struggled in the attacking phase, and the defense led by Sakara Hauga was insufficient as Brest extended their lead to 16:8 following a goal by Kristina Novak.

Buducnost managed to score four consecutive goals—two at the end of the first half and two at the beginning of the second half—bringing the score to 16:12. However, Brest quickly responded with a 5:0 run, taking a commanding 21:12 advantage.

At this point, captain Ivona Pavićević faced automatic exclusions due to ironic applause directed at referees from the Netherlands, allowing the French team to further extend their lead to 14 points. Brest’s goalkeeper Florian Andre even scored twice from her own half.

Ultimately, the match concluded with Budućnost trailing by 13 points. Despite the defeat, the players received a warm round of applause from around 800 spectators for their efforts following a challenging summer.

This match highlighted some positives, including goals from debutant Nina Ramusović and the impressive performance of 19-year-old Jelena Vukčević, who scored all seven penalty attempts and added one field goal.

Budućnost’s next challenge will be away against Odenze on Saturday.

RESULT – ELMS 22:35 (10:16)

Podgorica – “Morača” Hall. Attendance: 800. Referees: Vejmans and Volbertus (Netherlands). Penalties: Buducnost 9 (8), Brest 5 (3). Exclusions: Buducnost 12, Brest 8 minutes.

Buducnost: Atingre (four saves), Hauge (three saves and seven goals), Marsenić, Danijelson, Vukčević 8 (7), Godeč 1, Popović, Marković 1, Ivanović 1, Radević 1, Bulatović, Tomova, Ramusović 3 (1), Radivojević 3, Kadović 2, Pavićević 2.

Brest: Andre 2 (14 saves), Filter (two saves), Nokandi 3, Merot 4 (3), Lasurs 4, Ondono 3, Vjahireva 5, Novak 3, Fore 2, Kanor 2, Fopa 1, Let 2, Koatanea, Žariž 1, Dembele 1, Mladenovska 2.

News