Against Serbia on Saturday (6 December) Montenegro had to win and hope Spain did not beat Germany in the following game to progress into the quarter-finals of the 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship.

At the start of play on the final day of main round, group II action in Dortmund, Serbia were in the prime position to qualify, a point above their neighbours in the final qualification spot with one game left to play.

But Armelle Attingre in the Montenegro goal had other ideas.

In one of the best individual performances in goal at Germany/Netherlands 2025, she helped prevent Serbia scoring in their first eight attacks, and when they eventually did, Montenegro were already 5:0 ahead.

She did not stop there though, going on to make an incredible 18 saves out of 29 shots to end on a 62% save ratio – unprecedented, perhaps, in such a do-or-die game. And after Montenegro's win and Spain's loss, the Balkan side is in the quarter-finals of the 2025 IHF Women's World Championship, where they are due to meet Olympic champions Norway.

“62%? That's amazing,” says Attingre to ihf.info when shown her final numbers, ahead of Spain being beaten by the co-hosts and Montenegro having their qualification confirmed.

“But we gave ourselves one mission and I am so happy it is accomplished. I wanted it so much. I worked on my psychology and with all the help from my people outside, this win is for everyone. I'm really happy that we showed the character.

“Sonja (Barjaktarovic, Montenegro goalkeeping coach) also gave a great performance and I have to say it's not only me, but the goalkeeper team (including Marija Marsenic and Andrea Skerovic). The atmosphere every day and the work that we put into it, the team is living good.”

Living good is a phrase which applies to Attingre’s life in Podgorica, the capital of Montenegro where she moved to five years ago. 

The Cote d’Ivoire-born player started her club handball in France where she spent a decade at Fleury Loiret Handball and Paris 92 before a move to Turkiye, back to France and then Hungary.

In August 2020 Buducnost and Bojana Popovic came calling and the player, who represented France in her early career, signed a one-year contract for the club at 31-years-old in the middle of the European covid pandemic.

Now, in December 2025, the 36-year-old is still on a journey she could never have expected when she put pen to paper in Montenegro.

 

“No, never. I thought it would be only for one year,” says Attingre full of happiness about her life in Podgorica. “It's been really great and it will be six years soon. I really like being part of the team and living in Montenegro; I don't know how to say it in English anymore. I actually wanted to say it in Montenegrin.”

“The players try to help me to speak in their language and some days they don't even allow me to speak English, so I'm understanding it really better, I'm doing a lot of mistakes, but, now, we can really communicate. I can live in the country without English and everything is fine, but they have a lot of rules, different than the French language. It's amazing though as I love to learn any language.”

The 2025 IHF Women’s World Championship is not the first taste of the senior event for Attingre. Back in 2011 she was the third-choice goalkeeper for France at the World Championship in Brazil but suffered a hamstring injury during training in the South American country and was flown back to France.

“It was amazing to be part of this big squad,” says Attingre about the French side featuring goalkeepers Cleopatra Darleux and Amandine Leynaud who lost to a Norway side featuring Katrine Lunde in the final – who Attingre could face in the quarter-finals at Germany/Netherlands 2025.

“I remember these hard moments because it was a really serious injury. Of course, it makes me stronger – those scars are here, part of me, but they make everything more beautiful. It made me know that we can prepare for some things, but we don't have our hands on everything; especially in the future, we don't know what will be.

“I had stress enough in the past, and now I'm pretty sure that I'm close to the end [of my playing career] so I am just enjoying it,” she adds. “I wish to have had it earlier, but it's now, so I'm really enjoying it. I'm learning to just dream and let go; if it comes, it comes. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.

“I'm trying to work every time on myself to just improve like I'm young, trying to get the experience, to just cool down the head and the heart. My wish is to be healthy, happy and really enjoying life.”

After knee surgery in 2021, Popovic invited Attingre to be part of her support squad at the 2022 European Championship, an event which saw Montenegro win their first medal in a decade and third of all time. Earlier in the same year she was goalkeeping coach for Montenegro’s U20 side at the IHF Women’s Junior World Championship in Slovenia.

And two years later, in February 2024, she made her Montenegro debut – against Serbia – after applying for and gaining Montenegrin citizenship.

“I had heard before then that it could be possible, but it was a bit far ahead for me,” she said. “I'm not a big dreamer, but in 2022, when they won the medal, I was really dreaming for the first time. They are nation of fighters and I just wished to be part of it.”

 

And Attingre reserves her final thoughts to the fans and supporters who have helped on her continuing journey and the team reach the top eight of the world.

“I just want thank those who are supporting us and didn't give up,” she says. “Thank you to my people who never gave up on me. I'm so thankful for them, this win is for them.”

What the captain thinks: Jaukovic on Attingre

“Armelle ‘Attingrinovic’ from my home town of Niksic,” jokes Montenegro captain Djurdina Jaukovic when asked about her teammate.

“She's amazing, first as a person, then as my teammate on the court. We are really happy and grateful that we have her in the team and in many moments, she is there to push us as a defence and to make great saves behind us. She has our back. I can just say that I'm really proud of her.”