Young talents into spotlights as Serbia meet Montenegro

Serbia and Montenegro share a long history and the battle for the top position of group 6 will mark their 13th mutual encounter.

Both teams went through changes in recent years, introducing new names to the team. While Montenegro await a new round of qualification matches with a well-structured squad, Serbia went through additional changes since playing round 2 last October.

“In a way, I am happy there are a lot of young talents in the team. We have been learning for years from experienced players, taking in all advice and now they left us to lead,” says Jovana Jovovic, one of Serbia’s young players but already with vast experience.

“Still, we made a big change within the team, maybe a little bit unexpected at that moment, but the most important thing is that the work ethic and system remained the same. We need time to make progress, but I know this team can do great in the future. Already at the World Championship, we showed good fighting spirit.”

The 22-year-old left back debuted for the national team in 2019 and has since become one of the main players, both in the national team and at EHF Champions League side DVSC Schaeffler.

Jovovic showed her skills already in the youth national team and with the trust gained from the coaches, she went from pupil to becoming a leader.

“Since I was young, I liked to be the one taking the burden. I always loved to be the one taking the responsibility and being the leader on the court,” Jovovic says.

“There is some pressure on my shoulders, especially from the media. But then again, playing for your country is a huge responsibility. Of course, my biggest wish is for the whole team to play well, that we are winning, but no matter the result, I am proud to be here every time.”

Serbia are ranked second in group 6, after a convincing win against Bulgaria (40:16) but dropping a point against Türkiye (29:29). They are on a good course for securing their 13th EHF EURO berth, but with still plenty to play for, starting with two matches against current leaders Montenegro.

“Even though the other two opponents were not easy, we knew Montenegro would be our biggest rivals,” Jovovic says. “Montenegro are a strong team with a bronze medal from the last European Championship and they played great at the World Championship. We are preparing well, just like for any other match but we all know their quality.”

Facing a strong opponent is a lot easier when you have great support from the stands and Jovovic hopes it will help them win the Highlight Match of round 3 on Thursday (live on EHFTV at 18:00 CET).

“I am expecting a packed venue in Zrenjanin. I believe people who love handball will be there and give us additional energy to play even better. We also need to be prepared for the same atmosphere in Montenegro in the reverse fixture (on Sunday). But for our young squad, it will mean a lot to play the game in front of our fans and to feel like we have an eighth player with us.”

On the other side, Montenegro travel to Zrenjanin full of confidence as the group leaders. Bojana Popovic’s squad threw off the qualifiers with a 39:23 win against Türkiye, followed by a 34:20 victory over Bulgaria. Still, they know they need to be careful against motivated Serbia, says line player Ivana Godec.

“We are aware that the Serbian players will do their best to try to beat us. But I can also say that we want to finish the qualification in the first place of the group. It won’t be easy, they are a rejuvenated team. Age doesn’t matter anymore, we just need to play good.”

Still only 22, Godec has been playing at a high level for years and this season she is WHC Buducnost BEMAX’s top scorer in the EHF Champions League with 56 goals.

She made her debut in the Montenegrin national team almost seven years ago and won a bronze medal at the Women’s EHF EURO 2022.

“Oh, when I think about my debut... My biggest dream was to play for the national team, and I got there so young. I scored my first goal at the age of 16. It was an incredible feeling against Slovenia in Podgorica,” Godec says. “First of all, just to get a chance to be there is a big thing, and to be able to score and play is even bigger.”

Trying to close in on a berth for the EHF EURO final tournament, Godec hopes the games againt Serbia will also be good for their confidence ahead of the Olympic Qualification Tournament in April, when they meet Germany, Slovenia and Paraguay for two tickets to Paris.

“Every time the national team gathers, we play for something. Now, we are fighting for the European Championship, the next time is for the Olympics,” Godec says.

“Every gathering has its own story and it means a lot to us to play together. There is not much time, so we use every minute to play and build a team for what awaits us – hopefully both the European championship and Paris this summer.”

Still, their main focus for now is on Serbia, and especially the first away match in Zrenjanin. Line player Godec reveals what could be Montenegro’s strength.

“I think their back line is good, but the biggest emphasis is always on us,” she says. “Everything starts with our defence. The more we allow the opponent, the more difficult it will be for us. If we enter the match with thoughts that we will have it easy, it will be even more difficult.”

photos © 2023 Ivica Veselinov; Ekrem Ozsoy; Stefan Ivanovic; MSV Photographers