The Montenegrin handball team faced a challenging defeat in Italy, putting their chances for the World Championship in jeopardy.

They lost to the “Azzurri” with a score of 32:26, trailing by eight points with just over six minutes left on the clock. Coach Vlado Šola expressed his dissatisfaction:

“I believe we didn’t respond well to the environment and atmosphere in the arena. The players seemed sluggish, despite our warnings and preparations to play deeply, aggressively, and vigorously. Our offense struggled; we missed numerous shots and made several technical errors. Meanwhile, they thrived in that atmosphere, and we faced challenges for nearly all 60 minutes,” said Šola.

The second match will take place on Sunday in Morača.

“The situation is what it is. We have two days to adjust to their gameplay, and I am confident we can do so because this is far from our best performance,” Šola added:

“I should have placed more pressure on the players. It appears that fatigue has built up in their legs. We had to play seven against six as it was clear our players were exhausted, while the opponent played aggressively. In these scenarios, breaking through such defenses becomes difficult. I had hoped to reposition them deeper, allowing Branko Vujović and Vuko Borozan easier access to shooting opportunities. However, uncertainties and doubts plagued our movements. Our defense faltered as we lost too many one-on-one matchups, which plays into Italy’s strength,” concluded Šola.

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