Missing key players Majda Mehmedovic and Jovanka Radicevic, Montenegro commenced their Women’s EHF EURO CUP 2022 campaign with an eight-goal win against North Macedonia.

Women's EHF EURO CUP 2022

North Macedonia vs Montenegro 21:29 (9:13)

• Centre back Itana Grbic had a vintage game for Montenegro, scoring a personal best 10 goals against North Macedonia
• North Macedonia’s best scorer was right wing Sara Ristovska, with the hosts’ most experienced player putting six goals past the Montenegrin goalkeepers
• A 5:2 start and a 7:2 run late in the second half were the key moments of the game for Montenegro, as North Macedonia did not lead the game for a second
• The Montenegrin side enjoyed only their third win in their last nine competitive matches, as the search to mould a new team continues under coach Bojana Popovic
• Montenegro secured their fifth win in seven games against North Macedonia

North Macedonia show their limits in preparation game

In the absence of familiar faces like Kastamonu's trio of Milena Raicevic, Jovanka Radicevic and Majda Mehmedovic, a young Montenegrin team showed grit and focus, taking a 29:21 win against North Macedonia, in a battle of two of the three hosts of the Women’s EHF EURO 2022.

The game proved a steep learning curve for North Macedonia, but with preparations for the final tournament needing to be stepped up, it is a must. Their attacking efficiency of 43% was too low with plenty of training and improvement ahead of the spectacular women’s event in November 2022.