Serbia’s handball team secured qualification for the World Championship after defeating Hungary in the playoff clash. Following a 31:29 victory in Niš, Serbia lost the return match in Hungary 31:30, but still advanced to the World Championship on aggregate.
Mladen Bojinović from Banja Luka, sports director of the Serbian national team, spoke to RTRS from Veszprém after the historic qualification.
“These are the moments we live for. It’s a phenomenal feeling to qualify for the World Championship,” Bojinović said.
“We made history in the Veszprém Arena, where it is extremely difficult to play. We showed a lion-hearted Serbian spirit. At no point did I doubt these players or head coach Raul Gonzalez. I knew we were improving as a team and adapting to Raul’s system. I believed in this result even after the draw and hoped we would play the first match in Serbia and the second in Hungary.”
Bojinović emphasized the importance of Serbia’s home victory in Niš.
“After the first game in Niš, I said that a two-goal advantage was enough. We defended our home court, while Hungary failed to defend the Veszprém Arena. I’m overjoyed. My heart is as big as Republika Srpska, and proudly I can say — we are going to the World Championship.”
Speaking about key moments of the match, Bojinović defended the missed opportunities by Serbia’s players.
“I told Borzaš both times that he had to shoot. He’s a backcourt player and must take responsibility. I don’t blame him at all. I also have to mention Pešmalbek, our warrior. Congratulations to him and all the players. Let the entire Serbian nation celebrate with the song ‘Veseli se srpski rode.’”
He also highlighted the tactical adjustments made by coach Raul Gonzalez.
“We played seven against six, which was part of the tactical plan. At the European Championship in Denmark it didn’t look good, but this time we executed it brilliantly throughout the second half. We prepared thoroughly and analyzed Hungary’s weaknesses. We deserved this qualification.”
Bojinović described the atmosphere in Veszprém as extremely demanding.
“As a player I competed here many times and rarely left as a winner. Now, as a sports director, this victory means even more to me. The crowd is loud and famous throughout Europe. Still, without our fortress in Niš and our incredible fans, none of this would have been possible.”
He concluded by stressing the scale of Serbia’s achievement.
“The budget of the Hungarian handball federation is almost 15 times bigger than ours, not to mention club investments. This is a huge success, but I promise — we still haven’t said our final word.”
Source: RTRS
