There was considerable tension in Stockholm, yet the true stakes in the EuroBasket contest remained low.

Montenegrin basketball players will compete in the continental championship for the fifth time in their history, despite a close loss in Sweden (86:83 after overtime). This is due to Germany’s expected victory against Bulgaria (94:85), confirming their status as favorites.

The Germans, who are the reigning world champions, topped the qualifying group, followed by Montenegro in second and Sweden in third—these three teams have qualified for the European Championship, while Bulgaria has been eliminated.

The “Reds” completed the qualifiers with three wins and three losses, with the pivotal moment being their November win in Botevgrad, where they defeated Bulgaria for the second time in the group.

“That win was essential if we wanted to qualify for EuroBasket,” said coach Boško Radović at the beginning of preparations for the February “window”.

This proved to be true, as nothing held Montenegro back on their path to a fifth place finish at the European Championship, following their previous appearances in 2011, 2013, 2017, and 2022.

There was plenty of nail-biting action in Stockholm, culminating in an additional five minutes that were determined by free throws from the home team and a technical foul on Radović with 12 seconds remaining due to a controversial call on Đorđi Jovanović.

As a result, the Swedes surged to a four-point lead (84:80), but Jovanović countered with a three-pointer, leaving insufficient time for a comeback. John Radebau then missed the shot that could have forced another overtime.

The American had a standout game for the Montenegrin national team, scoring 24 points along with seven rebounds and two assists, while Nikola Ivanovic also shone with 26 points before fouling out just a minute into overtime.

Zoran Nikolić added to the scoreline with 13 points, marking a solid performance for our team…

SWEDEN – MONTENEGRO 86:83 (20:14, 12:19, 21:18, 19:21, 14:11)

Stokholm – “Hovet” Hall. Audience: 5,000. Officials: Conde (Spain), Yilmaz (Turkey), Zapolski (Poland).

Sweden: Anderson 14, Ramštet, Borg 7, Terins, Hakanson 9, Čerapovič, Spajrs, Gadefors 13, Pancar 18, Enđije 5, Birgander 19, Lundkvist 1.

Montenegro: Hadžibegović 2, Slavković, Radončić 3, Radović 7, Radebau 24, Jovanović 5, Živanović, Nikolić 13, Ivanović 26, Popović 3, Mirković.