Serbia - Preview

 

Head Coach: Dejan Peric

 

Key Players: Stefan Terzic (Right Back), Stevan Sretenovic (Left Back), Darko Dukic (Right Wing)

 

Road to Qualification: Group 8 winners – European Qualification

 

History in Tournament: 1977: 3rd (YUG), 1979: 2nd (YUG), 1981: 1st (YUG), 1983: 5th (YUG), 1985: 3rd (YUG), 1987: 1st (YUG), 1989: 3rd (YUG), 1991: 1st (YUG), 1993: DNP , 1995: 5th (YUG), 1997: 9th (YUG), 1999: 5th (YUG), 2001: 7th (YUG), 2003: 11th (SRB & MNE), 2005: 2nd (SRB & MNE), 2007-2009: DNP, 2011: 18th, 2013: 10th

 

Overview:

Brazil 2015 marks the third time Serbia play in a Men’s Junior Handball World Championship as an independent country. Their highest finish since the independence in 2006 was 10th at the 2013 edition in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

 

With arguably one of the world’s best handball goalkeepers of the past twenty years – Dejan Peric – at the helm at Brazil 2015, the ‘Eagles’, as they are known, will be hoping to at least equal their result of 2013.

 

In the past, the Men’s Junior World Championships has bought the former Serbia and Montenegro and Yugoslavia region much success, with three gold, two silver and three bronze medals in their tally.

 

Peric, who has won the EHF Champions League with RK Celje Pivovarna Lasko and FC Barcelona, as well as winning three bronze medals at European and World Championships with the former Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro ), took his first coaching role as head coach of the Serbia men’s national teams  in June 2014. The 43-year-old comes to Brazil after successfully guiding the senior team to the EHF EURO 2016 in January, in Poland.

 

His assistant is Vladimir Stanojevic, who led the U21 players through the qualification tournament in Greece last January.

 

Serbia had a relatively easy route to qualification, winning their European Qualification group comprised of just three teams – the other two being Greece and Faroe Islands – in Nea Klos, Greece. The hosts and Faroe Islands drew their opening game, which opened up a direct route to qualification for Serbia. Serbia beat Faroe Islands 34:21 and then recorded a somewhat surprising 15:15 draw against Greece, with an incredibly low half-time score of 6:5 to the Greeks.

 

In that tournament Partizan Belgrade’s left back Stevan Sretenovic top-scored with 11 goals, closely followed by right back Aleksandar Radovanovic, who plays club handball in France, with 10 goals.

 

Radovanovic is one of four players on the provisional squad list to play their club handball outside of Serbia: Stefan Terzic at RK Vardar Skopje, Darko Dukic at RK Metalurg Skopje in FYRO Macedonia, and Nemanja Mladenovic also in France, at Cesson Rennes.

 

At just 21, Terzic already has an impressive resume, winning the VELUX EHF Champions League with HSV Handball in 2013 in Cologne.

 

“A large number of players in Brazil have been involved with the men’s senior team in the EHF EURO 2016 qualification rounds,” said Peric in relation to players like Dukic.

 

Many players of the ‘1994 Generation’ will remember their losses against Spain in the semi-final stage at the U19 World Championship 2013 and U20 EHF EURO 2014. In both matches, Spain’s victory over Serbia was decided in the last second of the match. Serbia will be looking for a different result when they meet Spain in the group phase at Brazil 2015.

 

Despite losing Nemanja Belos just before the tournament after he was diagnosed with arrhythmia (rapid heartbeat), the same issue that saw him miss the last Junior World Championships in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia look to be one of the strongest teams at the 2015 Men’s Junior World Championship.

 

“The players and the entire coaching staff involved are aware that this is the only big competition this year and we are the only team from the region who will participate at Brazil 2015.

 

“We will fight for the best performance but it is also a good opportunity to gain experience as a strong competitor. This team has quality as a group of strong individuals, and as a team it is even stronger – I will be looking at players to show that they are serious candidates for the senior team.

 

“We are proud of the footballers and basketball players who have won medals and we go to Brazil with the same aim – to get to the finals and come back with one of the medals.

 

“Many things decide whether you will open the door to the medals, or play for one of the places, but we won’t be lacking in defiance, desire, motivation, perseverance and faith.”

 

Coaching the U21 players in tandem with the men’s senior team allows a smooth transition of younger age players into the senior set-up – and the conveyor belt of talent from Serbia shows no sign of stopping. Those lucky enough to be in Brazil may just see the new golden generation of Serbian players.

 

Follow the Serbian Handball Federation on Facebook HERE.

 

Group at Brazil 2015:

Group B: Spain, Qatar, Romania, Portugal, Serbia, Angola

 

Games at Brazil 2015:

All times local

Monday 20 July: SRB-ANG (20:45)

Wednesday 22 July:POR-SRB (20:45)

Thursday 23 July: ROU-SRB (18:30)

Saturday 25 July: SRB-ESP (17:45)

Sunday 26 July: SRB-QAT (18:30)

 

Click here for a full list of all the games at Brazil 2015