It was a true Balkan derby in Debrecen, with North Macedonia and Montenegro fighting for their first points. In the end, Montenegro took the win, 28:24.
Still missing their coach Zoran Roganovic, Montenegro pushed their limits and stayed strong until the buzzer. North Macedonia stepped up in last 10 minutes of the match, carried by few hundred supporters, from the stands, however, it was not enough.
GROUP A
North Macedonia vs Montenegro 24:28 (16:17)
- Porto goalkeeper Nikola Mitrevski returned to the North Macedonia squad, finishing the night with 10 saves
- coach Lazarov was not happy at the start of the match, as Montenegro had 4:0 run and North Macedonia struggled with offensive efficiency
- Nebojsa Simic was the true Montenegrin hero. His 13 saves helped his team achieve the long dreamt second EHF EURO win and he was elected Grundfos Player of the Match
- Milos Vujovic and Bozo Andjelic netted six times apiece as they helped write Montenegro’s history
- right back Martin Velkovski scored six for North Macedonia and Filip Kuzmanovski had the speediest shot of the game at 133.96 km/h
Solid defence the key
From 6-0 to 5-1, Montenegro’s defence was a nightmare for North Macedonia. The sturdy defence helped goalkeeper Nebojsa Simic to another amazing night. His 13 saves and per cent 35 efficiency were the wind in the back for his teammates.
