The Montenegrin handball team had everything they desired leading up to the match with Hungary – to reach the critical moments and confront the challenges often faced by handball players from their nation.

The Hungarians demonstrated once again that their valiance can also be a liability, while the Montenegrins, under coach Vlado Shola, have struggled to navigate tight matches.

Past encounters against Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina in “Morača,” and Croatia during the “Croatia Cup” echoed this issue, as Shola’s team found themselves repeating a pattern in one of their most significant matches in recent memory.

Hungary appeared to be faltering, relying heavily on Bence Banhidi who used his extraordinary height to navigate past both the Montenegrin defenses and the goal itself. The remaining players struggled to find their rhythm, and confusion reigned among Montenegro’s team and coaching staff toward the end.

The multitude of errors in the last 15 minutes is impossible to tally, with the alarming fact that Arsenije Dragasevic scored the final goal with six minutes left, making it his sixth successful attempt out of seven.

Shola then substituted him out, bringing in an unprepared Miloš Božović, who struggled to find the net against the country he once represented for many years.

Interestingly, the Hungarians weren’t performing significantly better, which gave the team in green several chances to level the score.

Yet, they missed all opportunities, including a critical chance following a chaotic series of moments on the bench. With just 28 seconds remaining, the Croatian coach opted for a time-out, intending to attack with seven players, two pivots, only to realize he had only one – Nemanja Grbović. He had overlooked that Vuk Lazović had already received his third dismissal in the 42nd minute, while Miodrag Ćorsović wasn’t even in Munich.

Consequently, Shola asked Branko Vujović to execute the final play, attempting a shot 15 seconds before the end, only to hit Kristofa Palašič as Zoran Ilić secured the final score of 26:24 on a counterattack.

Time is fleeting for analysis or reflection, as the next challenge against Iceland looms on Sunday (6 PM). There’s no choice but to confront the group favorites, who recently had a significant performance against Serbia (27:27), and aim to overcome them.

Failure to succeed could mean the end of the Montenegrin dream for an Olympic appearance in Paris, a prospect that, while ambitious, would effectively be extinguished.

HUNGARY – MONTENEGRO 26:24 (14:14)

Munich – “Olympiahalle”. Attendance: 12,128. Officials: I. Kovalčuk, A. Kovalčuk (Moldova). Penalties: Hungary 4 (3), Montenegro 3 (2). Suspensions: Hungary 14, Montenegro 14 minutes. Red card: Lazović (Montenegro) at 42 minutes (3×2).

Hungary: PALAŠIČ (nine saves and seven goals), Bartuč, Šipos 1, BOKA 2, Ž. KRAKOVSKI 3, Ligetvari, Mate 1, Fazekas 1, BANHIDI 5, SITA 3, ANČIN 2, Bodo, Ilić 1, Rošta 1 (1), LEKAI 5 (2), Hanus 1.

Montenegro: Matović, SIMIĆ (11 saves), Bakić 1, Dragašević 6, M. VUJOVIĆ 4 (2), Čavor 1, LAZOVIĆ, Čepić, B. VUJOVIĆ 4, M. RADOVIĆ, KALUĐEROVIĆ, Božović, L. Radović 1, Anđelić, BOROZAN 6, Grbović 1.

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