 Champions say farewell to their title
On 13 May of last year, Budućnost defeated Györi Audi ETO KC in Morača hall and won their first Women’s EHF Champions League trophy.
Almost ten months later, at the same venue and against the same opponent, Budućnost had to say goodbye to the title.
Györ’s 22:21 win means Budućnost are out of the semi-final race and the last game in Norway with Larvik will be just for pride for the Montenegrins, as Larvik and Györi Audi ETO KC have secured their passage to the last four of the competition.
The win in Podgorica was the 11th in 11 games so far in the competition for Györi Audi ETO KC, but it was the first one by less than five goals.
That says a lot about the game played by Dragan Adžić’s team against one of the big favourites for this year’s competition.
Compared to last season clash in the final, Györ’s team have been strengthened with couple of new players, while Budućnost played without eight players from last year’s final.
Absentees for Budućnost include big names such as, Bojana Popović and Maja Savić, who have retired, while Katarina Bulatović, Ana Đokić, Ana Radović, Sonja Barjaktarović, Dijana Jovetić, and Adriana Tacalie left the club.
An ankle injury for right wing and Montenegro national team player Radmila Miljanić caused her to miss the game, which forced Adžić to use left winger Majda Mehmedović on the opposite side, as cover for Željka Nikolić.
Despite all of this, Budućnost had a chance to win the game, or at least to get a draw which would have kept alive their push for a semi-final place in the last game with Larvik.
“Györ are significantly stronger than last year, they have more experience, and with 11 wins in as many games, they showed why they are, in my opinion, the favourites to win the Champions League trophy.
“We didn’t create a miracle, as we have not qualified for the semi-finals, where four teams who have apparently invested the most this season will play.
“I can be proud of my players for the way they played against,” Budućnost’s coach Dragan Adžić said.
In the middle of the first half, Budućnost were trailing 11:5, but turned things around and were 20:18 ahead with 10 minutes to play.
At the very end, at 22:21 for Györi Audi ETO KC, the home team had a chance to claim a draw, but they were unable to do so, even with a two player advantage.
“Mistakes are an integral part of the game, in this game we had less than in previous matches, which means the players are maturing from game to game.
“I'm pleased that we have these things corrected and how the girls were dedicated to correct them in every new game.
“I think against Györ we surpassed ourselves, and the future will show how much this generation of Budućnost gave and proved compared to previous generations.
“We were in the semi-final race until the fifth round, we must be proud about that.
“Finally, we owe a big thanks to our phenomenal fans, who gave us great support this season even though they knew that the team did not have the same quality as in the previous two seasons,” added Adžić.
For the second consecutive game, Dragana Cvijić was top scorer for the team with six goals.
The line player enjoyed playing in front of 4,500 fans in the Morača hall.
“The game with Györi Audi ETO KC was tight and I'm glad about that. We fought, and lost. We managed to come back from six goals deficit which makes me really happy.
“I see only positive things after this match. At the end we were to rash, we had two more players on the court, but we did not take advantage of it.
“But, that’s sport and we need to look towards future challenges,” said Cvijić.
In the final game, Budućnost will play against Larvik, in a repeat of the semi-final from the past two seasons.
“We want to win that match, because I think we deserve two points against Larvik after such a performance against Györ.
“We must prepare the best we can, regardless of the fact that we have not qualified for the semi-finals, which will remain a dream for the next season,” Cvijić added.
“I'm glad that players are already thinking about the match against Larvik, a great opponent and one who is already in the semi-finals.
I believe in that game we will do our best to correct some of the mistakes that happened in this match. Then we could say that we got a lot out of the six matches in the Main Round,” coach Dragan Adžić concluded.
 Györi Audi ETO KC coach Martin Ambros was pleased with another victory for his team.
"I will first congratulate my team, because we managed to beat such a good opponent.
“I want to congratulate also our rivals, who fought like a champion. Until the last moment they tried to stay in the semi-final race, making our victory even more important,” Ambros said.
Ambros praised his squad for the way they came from behind at the end and secured the crucial victory.
“Budućnost caused us a lot of problems at the end of the first half and in the first 15 minutes of the second.
“We had a two-goal deficit, but we reacted and have shown that we can win the Champions League trophy,” Ambros added.
Former Budućnost’s player Joan Radičević played a major role in the victory with four goals.
"It was an extremely tough game, as we expected. We knew that it would not be like in the first game, this time Budućnost provided strong resistance for all 60 minutes.
“I think that all the people in the hall and those who saw the game on TV enjoyed watching the two teams.
“I am happy that we played well and gained another victory. We wanted to take advantage of this match against Budućnost to better prepare for the semi-final,” concluded Radičević.
TEXT: Saša Jončič / cor
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