The Montenegrin women’s handball team was unable to reach the semifinals of the European U19 Championship held in Podgorica.

In the quarterfinals, Montenegro faced off against Germany and lost with a score of 35:33.

Germany lived up to its favorite status, but Coach Igor Marković’s squad entertained the fans at the Bemaks Arena.

The crowd recognized their efforts, as around a thousand attendees gave Anđela Guberinić and her teammates a standing ovation despite the loss to the fifth-ranked team in the world.

Following Denmark and Hungary, Montenegro took another strong contender from the top five to the edge last year. While luck and stamina were not on their side in crucial moments, the determination and performance displayed were commendable.

The atmosphere in the Bemaks Arena remained electrifying until the very end, as Montenegro achieved a three-goal lead twice in the first half, finishing the break at 19:17, before a sluggish start to the second half allowed Germany to take control.

From the start of the second half, the young “lionesses” fought to close the gap, leveling the score at 28:28 in the 50th minute, and briefly took the lead again at 31:30 in the 54th minute.

However, the favored team eventually secured their victory and moved on to the semifinals, thanks to a deeper rotation and superior quality.

Bojana Peličić converted all nine penalty shots, Elena Mitrović scored six goals, while Natalija Lekić contributed five.

Maja Ceklić earned the title of player of the match with four goals, matching the efforts of Sanja Andrijašević, who also scored four times.

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