Montenegro kept Sweden on their toes from the start, managing to erase their opponents' advantage repeatedly throughout the game. The final result was decided in the last seconds of the match, with the Swedish side displaying nerves of steel to secure the win and, consequently, their seat for Vienna.
GROUP I
Sweden vs Montenegro 25:24 (14:14)
- the score was balanced in the first 10 minutes of the match, until Nathalie Hagman netted her fourth goal of the game in the 12th minute to take the score to 8:5; however, it was Jamina Roberts who took the gap to four goals for the first time (11:7)
- after a team timeout and a double two-minute suspension on the Swedish side, for Emma Lindqvist and Jamina Roberts, Suzana Lazovic’s squad reset the game at 11:11 through Dijana Mugosa
- with Ivana Godec on the bench for two minutes at the start of the second half and Johanna Bundsen showing off her skills with some crucial saves, Tomas Axnér’s team managed once again to build a three-goal difference
- the Montenegrins showed mental strength by levelling the game in the 53rd minute (23:23), keeping the score close until the very end; 22 seconds before the final buzzer Montenegro had the chance to draw, but they missed their attack and settled for a defeat
- Milena Raicevic made a comeback for Montenegro to net once from two seven-metre shots, after she suffered an injury at the start of the competition
- Djurdjina Jaukovic received another Player of the Match award, presented by Grundfos, following a strong performance with nine goals from 14 shots; wings Nathalie Hagman and Clara Lerby were Sweden’s top scorers with six and five goals, respectively
Sweden finish strong in Hungary
Before the Women’s EHF EURO 2024, the two teams had had four previous encounters at EHF EURO final tournaments, three of them won by Montenegro. The only time Sweden managed to grab a win at the EHF EURO was in 2014, in Budapest. Back then, the two powerhouses were fighting for the bronze medal and the Swedes secured a 25:23 win after being led at the break by one.
In the last main round game in Debrecen, Sweden added another victory to their name and counted on nine players to score against Montenegro. Additionally, Johanna Bundsen made 12 impressive blocks in the most important moments of the game to bring another win to the Swedish side.
We won it by one goal and we had to win to be in the fifth-place match in Vienna, but it was a hard game, a close game: two good defences and two good goalkeepers. I think were a little bit better when you see the whole game, but Montenegro never gave up, they always fight and they are very clever about how they play. It was a tight game, but we won in the end.
On the first way I'm sad; on the second I'm proud as they tried to give their best. I think we lost because of ourselves because we had a lot of technical mistakes with missing goals, some things not going well, but I'm happy that until the end we had a chance and we were all the time there.
