With two wins, plenty of goals, and impressive plays, the “lions” are showing their strength again…

The Montenegrin handball team kicked off a new chapter under Didier Dinar’s leadership, starting off with a perfect four points and effectively securing their eighth spot in the European Championship.

Mirko Radović and his teammates triumphed over Finland in Podgorica (29:28) and Slovakia in Košice (38:35), placing them among the nine teams with flawless performances at the start of the EHF Euro 2026 qualifiers.

Alongside the “lions,” the list includes Slovenia, Hungary, Iceland, Spain, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, and Portugal.

While the entire team deserves credit for this strong start, two players made notable contributions – Nebojša Simić with his goalkeeping and Radojica Čepić with his scoring.

Our goalkeeper made 26 saves, including two crucial stops on seven-meter shots, boasting a save percentage of 30.23, placing him among the top performers statistically. Meanwhile, Čepić netted a total of 16 goals.

In the opening match against Finland, the “lions'” defender was flawless (7-7), and against Slovakia, he scored nine out of eleven attempts. Additionally, he provided seven assists. Branko Vujović also shone, scoring 14 times against the Finnish and Slovakian goalkeepers throughout the two matches.

The Montenegrin team found the net 38 times against Slovakia, marking the second-best offensive display in the national team’s history—only surpassed by the 41 goals scored against Finland in January 2007, during the first official match post-independence.

The initial rounds also yielded some surprising outcomes, including Lithuania’s victory over North Macedonia and a draw between Poland and Israel. Italy, however, once again stole the spotlight.

This team, which unexpectedly knocked Montenegro out of the World Cup six months ago, put Spain to the test in Valencia (falling 31:30) before defeating Serbia (31:30) in Fasan.

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