Slovenia women’s senior national team secured their maiden Olympic Games berth, after a fantastic outing in the do-or-die match against Montenegro, the last match of the Olympic Qualification Tournament #3 in Neu-Ulm, where they cruised to a 30:26 win, thanks to a very efficient defensive display.

The European side made it with both the men’s and the women’s teams at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, after the men’s team finished second in the Olympic Qualification Tournament #1 in Granollers one month ago.

Olympic Qualification Tournament #3
Montenegro vs Slovenia 26:30 (11:14)

A high-pressure scenario, 60 minutes to go and a ticket for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on the line. It was now or never for both Montenegro and Slovenia, as each of the two sides had previously won against Paraguay and lost against Germany in the Olympic Qualification Tournament #3 in Neu-Ulm.

But Slovenia, which enjoyed an 18-goal win on Saturday, had the upper hand, as a draw would have been enough for them, while an underwhelming Montenegro side looked in serious need of improvement, in spite of what coach Bojana Popovic said after their two matches played so far.

Slovenia had one more ace upon their sleeve: coach Dragan Adzic, who led Montenegro between 2010 and 2017 and fully knew the mentality and the core of his opponents and put that to good use, as Slovenia enjoyed a great start, especially from a defensive point of view, as Montenegro constantly found it difficult to score.

Down four goals, 4:8, after 16 minutes, with only four goals scored in that space, Montenegro had their first team time-out called by coach Bojana Popovic, who urged more focus and a better execution of the gameplan, especially as Slovenia looked to be running away with the win.

Led once again by their most experienced player, Ana Gros, who had four goals and two assists in the first half, Slovenia kept their lead at the break, 14:11, after Montenegro had previously cut it to a single goal, as Gros and line player Nataša Ljepoja combined for eight goals.

Montenegro’s only chance was to create something in defence in the second half, but with key lynchpin Tatjana Brnovic already on two suspensions, the general feeling was that Bojana Popovic’s side did not have what it took to apply the needed pressure.

Therefore, Gros and fellow back Tjasa Stanko shined for Slovenia, as they went on a 8:2 run, with Stanko scoring five of those goals, to open an unassailable seven-goal lead, 25:18, with only 11 minutes left, as Montenegro were left in tatters, wondering what went so wrong during the past four days.

Helped by goalkeeper Amra Pandžić, the hummel Player of the Match, who had 12 saves for a 36% saving efficiency, Slovenia weathered any possibility of comeback from Montenegro, which could only cut the gap to a minimum of three goals, the same scenario from the match against Germany, when they were down 10 goals and only conceded a four-goal loss on Saturday.

Eventually, Slovenia started celebrating with a few minutes left, as it was impossible for Montenegro to come back, as Dragan Adzic’s side secured a win after a match dominated from start to finish, where Stanko and Gros each scored seven goals.

Slovenia women’s team has written history now, as their steady improvement, started with the eighth place at the EHF EURO 2022 and the 11th place at the 2023 IHF Women’s World Championship is crowned with their maiden Olympic Games berth, a fantastic achievement for a team whose best placement at the IHF Women’s World Championship is the eighth place in 2003.

Since entering the fray, Montenegro have made it to three Olympic Games edition, finishing 11th at Rio 2016, sixth at Tokyo 2020 and securing the silver medal at London 2012. However, the European side will have their streak snapped now, after failing to qualify, which will surely prompt a rethink of their macro strategy.

hummel Player of the Match: Amra Pandžić (Slovenia)