The ticket for the handball event in January is secured in another Nordic nation—today at 17:30, the Montenegrin handball team aims for victory against Finland in Vantaa, which would officially secure their position in the European Championship in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Even should the “Lions” face a defeat, their chances of qualifying for the continental championship remain strong; at the very least, they would still qualify among the top third-placed teams in the qualifiers. However, Mirko Radovic and his teammates aspire to beautify their journey to the eighth EHF Euro accordingly.

Hungary clinched the top position in the group with a victory over Slovakia yesterday. Montenegro hopes to leverage their success to advance from second place to another significant competition, thereby securing a favorable seed in the forthcoming draw.

– We have a crucial match ahead of us, and Finland is an exceptionally tough opponent, particularly at home – Luka Radovic cautioned.

The squad of Didier Dinar will face challenges this evening in Vantaa and three days later in Bar against Slovakia, as the Montenegro head coach is without his first two goalkeepers due to injuries: Nebojša Simić and Nikola Matović.

– We are missing several key players, but I believe we can secure two points and confirm our place in the European Championship – Radović maintains.

Confidence in the new goalkeeping duo

The right wing of the “Lions” has faith in the new goalkeeping partnership.

– Though we face squad issues with the absence of two goalkeepers, we are confident in their abilities. Haris Suljević and Danilo Mihaljević—we trust they can lead us to victory – says Radović.

Additionally, the experienced Mile Mijušković, a coaching staff member, is ready to step in if necessary. Regardless, the “Lions” understand the challenges awaiting them in Vantaa, having met their opponents previously in the qualifiers during Dinar’s debut, where they narrowly won 29:28 in Podgorica.

“The Finns will undoubtedly present a different challenge now as they play in front of their local crowd. We anticipate a packed arena, making for an uncertain match until the final whistle. Our task is daunting, but we aim for victory,” emphasized the handball player from French Saran.

Only two victories away

A win in the outskirts of Helsinki would enable the “Lions” to celebrate their qualification for their seventh consecutive European Championship with fans in Bar on Sunday, in a match that holds no bearing on the final results.

– Our aim is to secure four points from the next two games. There’s no room for calculations. We will do everything possible to conquer Finland, then triumph over Slovakia before our supporters – there’s no question about it, asserts Miodrag Ćorsović, Montenegro’s pivot.

Right now, my focus is solely on Finland.

– We all hope that a victory will mathematically secure our place at the European Championship. We are close to achieving our goal, have worked hard so far, and we look forward to confirming this in Vantaa – concluded Ćorsović, adding:

– I can’t declare who the favorite is; all I expect is a fiercely contested game, hoping for a victorious outcome for us.

Finland has never participated in the European Championship but now aims to end that streak by qualifying alongside its neighbors as one of the third-placed teams.

– Finland appears different now compared to the match in Podgorica last November, and so do we. Primarily, we are weakened by the loss of two goalkeepers, yet it’s also important to note that was our first match under a new coach, and we are now more in sync. I anticipate we will perform significantly better than we did six months ago – concluded Ćorsović.

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