Montenegro women's national handball team

Last updated

Montenegro
Handball Federation of Montenegro logo.svg
Information
NicknameZlatne lavice (Golden lionesses)
Association Handball Federation of Montenegro
Coach Suzana Lazović
Assistant coach Igor Marković
Captain Đurđina Jauković
Most caps Jovanka Radičević (192)
Most goals Jovanka Radičević (1103)
Colours
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1st
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2nd
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3rd
Results
Summer Olympics
Appearances3 (First in 2012 )
Best result2nd (2012)
World Championship
Appearances7 (First in 2011 )
Best result5th (2019)
European Championship
Appearances8 (First in 2010 )
Best result1st (2012)
Last updated on Unknown.
Montenegro women's national handball team
Medal record
Olympic Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2012 London Team
European Championship
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2012 Serbia
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2022 Slovenia/North Macedonia/Montenegro
Mediterranean Games
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg 2018 Tarragona Team
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2009 Pescara Team

The Montenegro women's national handball team is the national team of Montenegro. It is governed by the Handball Federation of Montenegro and takes part in international handball competitions.

Contents

History

Montenegro's women's national handball team was formed in 2006, shortly after Montenegro gained independence. It was founded upon ŽRK Budućnost Podgorica, a club with numerous European trophies, which produced many famous Montenegrin players.

2006–2011

Montenegro has been playing in official competitions since 2006. [1] They played for the first time during the qualifying tournament for the 2007 World Women's Handball Championship in Cheb, where they finished second with four wins and one defeat. A year later, Montenegro did not qualify for the 2008 European Women's Handball Championship after a defeat in the playoffs against Croatia. The same result occurred at qualifiers for the 2009 World Women's Handball Championship in China, as Montenegro lost to Sweden in the playoffs.

Montenegro's first significant success came in 2010. After passing the qualifiers without any defeats, the team participated in the 2010 European Women's Handball Championship in Denmark and Norway. Montenegro finished in sixth place, with 46 goals from Montenegro's Bojana Popović.

For the first time, Montenegro played at the IHF World Women's Handball Championship in 2011. After passing the group stage, Montenegro was eliminated by Spain in the round of 16.

Olympic silver and European gold (2012)

On 11 August 2012, Montenegro won a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. On 16 December 2012, they became champions at the 2012 European Women's Handball Championship in Belgrade.

At the 2012 Summer Olympics, Montenegro passed the group round with two defeats but won elimination matches against France and Spain. In the final match, Montenegro was defeated by Norway 23–26. With their second place title, Montenegro won the first Olympic medal for Montenegro since their country became independent. Bojana Popović and Katarina Bulatović were prominent players on the team during this tournament.

At the 2012 European Women's Handball Championship in Serbia, Montenegro won its first title at a major handball championship. In the semi-finals, Montenegro defeated Serbia 27–26. In the finals, Montenegro defeated Norway 34–31, winning the championship. The players Katarina Bulatović and Jovanka Radičević played significant roles in the team's victory. With 56 goals, Bulatović was the top scorer of the championship.

Montenegro won both medals, in London and in Belgrade, with head coach Dragan Adžić.

2013–present

After two successes in 2012, Montenegro was eliminated by Denmark in the round of 16 at the 2013 World Women's Handball Championship.

Montenegro did well in the 2014 European Women's Handball Championship. After making it to the semi-finals, the team was defeated by Spain. In the end, Montenegro finished in fourth place.

Montenegro made significant strides in the 2015 World Women's Handball Championship. After a notable win against Hungary 32–15, Montenegro eliminated Angola in the round of 16. However, in the quarterfinals, Norway defeated Montenegro 26–25. That was the first performance of Montenegro in the quarterfinals of a World Women's Handball Championship.

At their second appearance in the Summer Olympics, Montenegro did not perform as well, in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. With five defeats during the group stage, Montenegro finished in nearly last place.

After the Olympics, Montenegro made big changes to the team and recruited many new young players produced by ŽRK Budućnost. The first main competition for the newly formed team was at the 2016 European Women's Handball Championship, where Montenegro had the youngest team. With one win and two defeats, the team finished in 13th place.

In November 2017, The Handball Federation of Montenegro stated that the new head coach of the national team would be Per Johansson instead of Dragan Adžić, who had served the team for seven years. As a coach, Adžić led Montenegro to nine big international competitions, winning gold during the 2012 European Championship and silver during the Summer Olympics the same year.

With a new head coach, Montenegro finished sixth in the 2017 World Women's Handball Championship, with equal wins and losses, 3–1–3. The next year, they played at the 2018 European Women's Handball Championship in France but did not succeed. After six games, Montenegro finished the tournament in ninth place.

Competitive record

The Montenegrin national team has participated in many international competitions, including the Summer Olympics, World Championship and European Championship.

TournamentMatchesWinsDrawsLoss
Olympic Games 196112
World Championship 5228222
European Championship 4627118
Qualifying matches EC/WC/OG705659
OVERALL187117961

Olympic Games

Montenegro has participated in three Summer Olympics (2012, 2016 and 2020). In 2012, the women's handball team won the first Olympic medal for Montenegro since their independence.

Olympic Games Qualification
YearPos.PldWDLPldWDL
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2008 Did not qualifyDid not qualify
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 2012 2nd84133300
Flag of Brazil.svg 2016 11th50053210
Flag of Japan.svg 2020 6th62042101
Flag of France.svg 2024 Did not qualify3102
Total1961129713

World Championship

Montenegro has participated in six World Championships. After failing to qualify for championships 2007 and 2009, they have participated in seven consecutive tournaments. The best results Montenegro had were in 2015 and 2017, when they played in the quarterfinals.

World Championship Qualification
YearPos.PldWDLPldWDL
Flag of France.svg 2007 did not qualify5401
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg 2009 7511
Flag of Brazil.svg 2011 10th63032200
Flag of Serbia.svg 2013 11th6402DNP
Flag of Denmark.svg 2015 8th95132110
Flag of Germany.svg 2017 6th73132101
Flag of Japan.svg 2019 5th97022101
Flag of Spain.svg 2021 22nd61052200
Flag of Denmark.svg / Flag of Norway.svg / Flag of Sweden.svg 2023 7th9504DNP
Flag of Germany.svg / Flag of the Netherlands.svg 2025 qualified2200
Flag of Hungary.svg 2027 to be determinedTBD
Flag of Spain.svg 2029
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg / Flag of Poland.svg 2031
Total4627217241824

European Championship

Montenegro has participated in seven European Championships. After having failed to qualify for the European Championship 2008, they have participated in all subsequent tournaments. Montenegro was the European champion in 2012, the bronze medalist in 2022 when was a co-host along with Slovenia and North Macedonia, and a semi-finalist in 2014.

European Championship Qualification
YearPos.PldWDLPldWDL
Flag of North Macedonia.svg 2008 did not qualify6402
Flag of Denmark.svg Flag of Norway.svg 2010 6th74036510
Flag of Serbia.svg 2012 1st87016501
Flag of Croatia.svg Flag of Hungary.svg 2014 4th85036510
Flag of Sweden.svg 2016 13th31026501
Flag of France.svg 2018 9th63036600
Flag of Denmark.svg / Flag of Norway.svg 2020 8th6213Cancelled
Flag of Slovenia.svg / Flag of North Macedonia.svg / Flag of Montenegro.svg 2022 3rd8503Qualified as co-host
Flag of Austria.svg / Flag of Hungary.svg / Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg 2024 Qualified6600
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg / Flag of Poland.svg / Flag of Romania.svg / Flag of Slovakia.svg / Flag of Turkey.svg 2026 TBDTBD
Flag of Norway.svg / Flag of Denmark.svg / Flag of Sweden.svg 2028
Total4627118363024

Team

Current squad

Roster for the 2024 European Women's Handball Championship. [2]

Head coach: Suzana Lazović

No.Pos.NameDate of birth (age)HeightApp.GoalsClub
1GK Marina Rajčić (1993-08-24) 24 August 1993 (age 31)1.78 m1775 Flag of Romania.svg CS Măgura Cisnădie
9LB Đurđina Jauković (1997-02-24) 24 February 1997 (age 28)1.85 m102251 Flag of Romania.svg CSM București
10CB Matea Pletikosić (1998-04-24) 24 April 1998 (age 27)1.69 m6080 Flag of Croatia.svg RK Podravka Koprivnica
11P Ivana Godeč (2001-05-11) 11 May 2001 (age 24)1.77 m2510 Flag of Montenegro.svg ŽRK Budućnost
12GK Armelle Attingré (1989-01-15) 15 January 1989 (age 36)1.79 m101 Flag of Montenegro.svg ŽRK Budućnost
13LW Dijana Mugoša (1995-10-22) 22 October 1995 (age 29)1.69 m54120 Flag of Romania.svg SCM Craiova
15RB Jelena Vukčević (2004-12-11) 11 December 2004 (age 20)1.78 m108 Flag of Montenegro.svg ŽRK Budućnost
24RB Tanja Ivanović (1996-11-05) 5 November 1996 (age 28)1.82 m3620 Flag of Montenegro.svg ŽRK Budućnost
25RB Đurđina Malović (1996-05-05) 5 May 1996 (age 29)1.82 m5975 Flag of Hungary.svg Szombathelyi KKA
34P Tatjana Brnović (1998-11-09) 9 November 1998 (age 26)1.84 m80140 Flag of Slovenia.svg RK Krim
37RW Nina Bulatović (1996-12-09) 9 December 1996 (age 28)1.72 m4460 Flag of Montenegro.svg ŽRK Budućnost
43GK Marta Batinović (1990-04-20) 20 April 1990 (age 35)1.85 m302 Flag of Romania.svg CS Măgura Cisnădie
44RB Katarina Džaferović (2002-07-14) 14 July 2002 (age 22)1.82 m155 Flag of Romania.svg SCM Craiova
55P Andrijana Tatar (1995-12-10) 10 December 1995 (age 29)1.79 m00 Flag of Romania.svg CS Minaur Baia Mare
90CB Milena Raičević (1990-03-12) 12 March 1990 (age 35)1.78 m168492Not attached
91LW Ivona Pavićević (1996-04-21) 21 April 1996 (age 29)1.78 m96135 Flag of Montenegro.svg ŽRK Budućnost
96CB Itana Grbić (1996-09-01) 1 September 1996 (age 28)1.71 m108236 Flag of Slovenia.svg RK Krim
97P Nikolina Vukčević (2000-07-28) 28 July 2000 (age 24)1.80 m186 Flag of Romania.svg CS Gloria Bistrița-Năsăud

Current staff

Head coaches

Since independence, Montenegro has been led by six different coaches. During the first years, the head coach was Nikola Petrović. After Petrović, Montenegro was led by Gyula Zsiga and then by Dragan Adžić, who was the most successful head coach.

CoachFromToRecord*Championship
MWDLWin %
Flag of Montenegro.svg Nikola Petrović 2006200811803072.73None
Flag of Hungary.svg Gyula Zsiga 20082010131021076.92None
Flag of Montenegro.svg Dragan Adžić 201020179259528064.13 EC 2010 (6th); WC 2011 (10th); OG 2012 (2nd); EC 2012 (1st); WC 2013 (11th); EC 2014 (4th); WC 2015 (8th); OG 2016 (11th); EC 2016 (13th)
Flag of Sweden.svg Per Johansson 20172020302118070.00 WC 2017 (6th); EC 2018 (9th); WC 2019 (5th)
Flag of Denmark.svg Kim Rasmussen 202020218323037.50 EC 2020 (8th)
Flag of Montenegro.svg Bojana Popović 202120243115016048.39 OG 2020 (6th); WC 2021 (22nd), EC 2022 (3rd), WC 2023 (7th),
Flag of Montenegro.svg Suzana Lazović 2024

* Data are only for official matches (qualifiers, European Championship, World Championship, Olympic Games).

Notable former players

Record against opponents

Since independence, Montenegro played official games against 41 different teams. The only national team against which Montenegro has never won is Brazil. Below is the list of the performances of Montenegro national handball team against every single opponent.

Opponents' countryGWDL
Flag of Angola.svg  Angola
6
5
0
1
Flag of Azerbaijan.svg  Azerbaijan
2
2
0
0
Flag of Belarus.svg  Belarus
4
3
0
1
Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg  Bosnia and Herzegovina
1
1
0
0
Flag of Brazil.svg  Brazil
3
0
1
2
Flag of Bulgaria.svg  Bulgaria
3
3
0
0
Flag of Cameroon.svg  Cameroon
1
1
0
0
Flag of the People's Republic of China.svg  China
1
1
0
0
Flag of Croatia.svg  Croatia
7
2
0
5
Flag of the Czech Republic.svg  Czech Republic
9
7
0
2
Flag of Denmark.svg  Denmark
11
4
0
7
Flag of the Dominican Republic.svg  Dominican Republic
1
1
0
0
Flag of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.svg  DR Congo
1
1
0
0
Flag of Finland.svg  Finland
1
1
0
0
Flag of France.svg  France
12
3
0
9
Flag of Germany.svg  Germany
4
3
0
1
Flag of Greece.svg  Greece
1
1
0
0
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  Great Britain
3
3
0
0
Flag of Hungary.svg  Hungary
5
4
0
1
Flag of Iceland.svg  Iceland
5
3
1
1
Flag of Italy.svg  Italy
4
4
0
0
Flag of Japan.svg  Japan
5
3
0
2
Flag of Kazakhstan.svg  Kazakhstan
1
1
0
0
Flag of Lithuania.svg  Lithuania
1
1
0
0
Flag of the Netherlands.svg  Netherlands
5
2
0
3
Flag of North Macedonia.svg  North Macedonia
2
2
0
0
Flag of Norway.svg  Norway
7
2
0
5
Flag of Paraguay.svg  Paraguay
1
1
0
0
Flag of Poland.svg  Poland
10
9
0
1
Flag of Portugal.svg  Portugal
3
2
1
0
Flag of Romania.svg  Romania
7
3
1
3
Flag of Russia.svg  Russia
13
4
2
7
Flag of Senegal.svg  Senegal
2
2
0
0
Flag of Serbia.svg  Serbia
7
5
1
1
Flag of South Korea.svg  South Korea
2
2
0
0
Flag of Slovakia.svg  Slovakia
6
5
0
1
Flag of Slovenia.svg  Slovenia
6
5
0
1
Flag of Spain.svg  Spain
9
4
1
4
Flag of Sweden.svg  Sweden
8
4
1
3
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg   Switzerland
1
1
0
0
Flag of Tunisia.svg  Tunisia
2
2
0
0
Flag of Turkey.svg  Turkey
2
2
0
0
Flag of Uruguay.svg  Uruguay
1
1
0
0
OVERALL
187
117
9
61

As of February 2024

See also

References

  1. "RUKOMETNI SAVEZ CRNE GORE (MNE) - Handball Montenegro | EHF".
  2. "Team Roster: Montenegro". ehf.eu. 28 November 2024. Retrieved 28 November 2024.