Victory against Montenegro propels Macedonia to second EHF EURO stage


After a 25:24 victory against Slovenia in their EHF EURO 2018 opener in Zagreb, Macedonia recorded another one-goal win in Group C on Monday, thereby booking their ticket for the next stage.

It was another hard-earned win for coach Raul Gonzalez’s side and top scorer Filip Mirkulovski, who was awarded best player of the match after his five goals helped his team leave Montenegro behind 29:28 (15:16).

The first ever official duel of the neighbors, Montenegro and Macedonia, saw a solid defensive battle through to the middle of the second half, when the Macedonians took the upper hand.

Montenegro, who have now lost 13 of their overall 14 EHF EURO matches, and failed to win a game since 2008, were far better than in their opener when they were defeated by Germany 19:32. But in the end, the Macedonians secured their place in the main round, taking the lead in Group C with the maximum four points after two wins.

Before the final match day in Group C in Zagreb, Macedonia and Germany are confirmed for the next stage, while Montenegro (still on zero points) need a victory against Slovenia (one point) to proceed. The Macedonians and Germans face each other in the battle of the group leaders.