The Montenegrin handball team missed the chance to progress to the main round of the 16th European Championship following a narrow defeat to Iceland (31:30).

Much like their encounter against Hungary, the “lions” had one last opportunity to force a draw, but Vuk Borozan’s shot was saved by Bjorgvin Pal Gustavsson from a difficult angle.

“We’ve reached a level where we can compete with anyone. It might not seem so after several losses in official matches, but to contest against Hungary and Iceland at the European Championship and have a legitimate chance to win in both matches is a significant achievement,” remarked Branko Vujović.

Although Montenegro arrived in Germany aiming for a place in the main stage, they unfortunately fell short.

“Our primary goal must be to showcase our talent at major tournaments, after which we can aspire for even more,” stated the 25-year-old from Nikšić.

Miloš refrained from blaming Luka Radović, who was sent off with just 88 seconds remaining due to a substitution error.

“Luka performed admirably, and I take pride in him for his debut at the European Championship. The young players have shown that Montenegro can depend on them for the future,” emphasized last year’s top left wing at the EHF Euro.

Similar to the match against Hungary, Montenegro had a chance to secure victory, holding a lead just four minutes before the conclusion but ultimately finished empty-handed.

“This loss stings; we knew the match was crucial for us. We exerted our best effort, but some moments just didn’t go our way. We faced bad luck, and their goalkeepers thwarted our clear opportunities. It’s encouraging that we battled Iceland until the very end, and just one ball decided it. Montenegro should feel proud; I hope we can avenge these defeats and bring joy to our fans,” said the 30-year-old from Cetinje.

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