Serbian hospitality in Metz

One of the youngest prospects in the EHF Women’s Champions League, playmaker Kristina Liščević, talks to ehfCL.com about her first days in France and the big disappointment of three Metz defeats at the halfway stage of the Main Round.

ehfCL.com: Last weekend you lost against Krim Ljubljana by a single goal. What is your impression about the match?

Kristina Liščević: I feel very bad about that loss. Of course we wanted to win on home turf, as we had prepared for that. This was a good chance, but at the end, obviously we needed better concentration and a little more luck, most of all in the second part of the match. Life goes on though, and I hope that we can win in the return match in Ljubljana.

ehfCL.com: After the second defeat at home, your chances are only theoretical for the semi-final. Do you still think about it?

Kristina Liščević: Our hopes are still alive. We still have time for better team integration and quality games. In the next three matches we have to play much better. Maths is still our ally!

ehfCL.com: Before the start of the Main Round, what was the team´s main goal?

Kristina Liščević: All Teams in the Top 8 aimed for the same: to go as far as possible. We have a young team that believes in surprise victories against some of the favourites in the competition.

ehfCL.com: You came to Metz Handball from Macedonian Metalurg, untypically, during the winter break. How did this deal come through?

Kristina Liščević: I watched that game, when Metz´s centre-back Allison Pineau got injured at the World Championship in Brazil. I didn’t expect a call, especially because a transfer would invoke a compensation fee, and I was really focused and loyal to my former team, but Metz made a deal with Metalurg. 

I wish to thank to the Macedonians, because they’ve made a really huge thing for my future career. The dream of all athletes is to play in the EHF Champions League. It’s happened to me, and before I really expected it. The standard of these matches will make me a much more experienced and stronger player.

ehfCL.com: How were your first days in France? 

Kristina Liščević: France is a big handball nation with a lot of high-quality players, and in my opinion, the French League is the best in Europe. The competition between the players is serious. 

For me, it’s very satisfying to play at Metz, in a team full of French National Team players, who won the silver medal at the last World Championship in Brazil. 

It’s a privilege, and the girls are fantastic. Of course, I got the biggest support from my National Team colleague, Svetlana Ognjenović and her husband. They are always open for all my questions and problems. I found amazing “Serbian hospitality” in Metz. A simple “thank you” just isn’t enough for such things…