A dominating defensive display, spearheaded by goalkeeper Katharina Filter, saw Germany thoroughly outplay Montenegro, 28:24, to seal their second win in as many matches in the Olympic Qualification Tournament #3, in Neu-Ulm.

Germany are virtually qualified for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, with their last match on Sunday being against Paraguay, while Montenegro are due to face Slovenia in a do-or-die clash.

Olympic Qualification Tournament #3
Germany vs Montenegro 28:24 (11:7)

Having lost three of the four mutual matches against Montenegro in their history, Germany might have thought seriously about this match, but the matter of fact is that they were the favourites, both as hosts, and especially after a convincing win against Slovenia on Friday.

A win would have seen Germany with their name almost printed on the Paris 2024 Olympic Games ticket and the hosts started off strong, especially in defence, where they limited Montenegro to only three goals scored in the first 15 minutes, one of which was from a penalty.

It was a mix of excellent defending, a part of the game where Germany have truly improved since the arrival of Markus Gaugisch on their bench, but also some excellent exploiting of Montenegro’s issues in defence, as Bojana Popovic’s side conceded four penalties in the first 12 minutes, all converted by Germany right back Julia Maidhof.

As Katharina Filter was otherworldly between the posts, having seven saves for a 70% saving efficiency after 23 minutes, Germany continued to pounce, stopping Montenegro to score for eight minutes, as they built a healthy 9:5 lead after 21 minutes.

Sure enough, that gap hovered around that mark until the end of the first half, when Montenegro realised something needs to be changed, especially as they scored only seven times in 30 minutes, with the alarm bells sounded after their win against Paraguay, 30:25, confirmed.

Not only the break did not bring a better face for Montenegro, they also found themselves with the backs on the wall, as a 4:0 unanswered Germany run, spurred by two goals from Maidhof, prompted another team time-out from Bojana Popovic.

With any goal having a pivotal importance in the Olympic Qualification Tournament #3, especially as Montenegro might finish tied on points with Slovenia, Popovic’s team collapsed entirely, especially in defence, where they shined in past competitions, as Germany opened a 10-goal lead, 20:10, after 42 minutes, as Filter continued to dominate, being named the hummel Player of the Match, with 14 saves and a 47% saving efficiency.

As Germany turned off their engines and replaced some of their key players for the last match against Paraguay, Montenegro clawed their way back into the match and used a 5:1 stint to cut the gap to only four goals, sweetening the loss, 24:28, which saw Germany celebrate a crucial result.

Maidhof became the top scorer of the three Olympic Qualification Tournaments with her nine-goal outing, improving her overall tally to 18 goals, four more than Sweden’s Jenny Carlson and Argentina’s Elke Karsten, who had 14 goals in their first two matches.

Germany have two out of two now and could be through to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games tonight, provided Slovenia do not lose against Paraguay, Germany’s opponent on Sunday. On the other hand, Montenegro will play a do-or-die match against Slovenia on Sunday, facing a must-win scenario against the team led by their former coach, Dragan Adzic.

hummel Player of the Match: Katharina Filter (Germany)