Montenegro’s “Lionesses” win the North Macedonia Trophy in Ohrid: Lazović — “We had good moments, but a lot of work awaits us until December 3”

Montenegro’s women’s handball team won the North Macedonia Trophy at the Ohrid tournament, as Vijesti reports, after recording two wins and a draw against national teams that, like the “lionesses,” will take part in EHF Euro 2026 in December. Suzana Lazović’s players defeated North Macedonia and Serbia, while they drew with Croatia in the tournament’s opening match.

Particular attention, according to Vijesti‘s reporting, was drawn by Ivana Savić, who was named the tournament’s best player — the young player from Nikšić once again confirming the quality and potential she has also shown in the youth national teams.

The Ohrid tournament was also an opportunity for the young handball players and for coach Lazović to verify the team’s current form, try different solutions, and get a clearer picture of the segments of play that need work until December 3, when Montenegro opens its EHF Euro 2026 campaign against Hungary, as Vijesti writes.

“I cannot say I am satisfied with everything we showed. We had good moments, but also many segments of play where we need to work seriously. That is precisely why these matches were very important to us, because they gave us a clear picture of where we stand currently, what works, but also what we need to fix,” Lazović said, adding that each match was challenging in its own way and brought something new.

The coach underlined that such tournaments are very important because they allow new talents to be seen and give the upcoming players space to feel the senior level and the responsibility that the national team jersey carries. According to Vijesti, she added that they must be realistic and aware of certain shortcomings, accept them, and find the right way to correct them in the coming period.

“Only this way can we get the best out of this team and take a step forward. Now the most important thing is to draw the right conclusions from these matches. We still have a lot of room for improvement, and I want us to be better, more stable, and more concrete as a team from one gathering to the next,” Lazović concluded.