Coach Andrej Žakelj praised his players' approach and thanked the fans for their support.
"The atmosphere was great and I thank the fans for that. I have nothing to fault the players, they gave their maximum at this moment. We were left without important players during the game, but that's sport, you have to adapt. In the third quarter we found energy and a game that suited us, but in the end we ran out of strength and concentration. Greece hit shots that maybe they didn't have in Athens, we gave them a little more space. However, the guys showed character and I believe they have a good future ahead of them," said Žakelj, who pointed out that several players suffered injuries during the match:
"I think both Popović and Nidam injured their ankles, and Hadžibegović injured his finger, but he continued to play. Unfortunately, that's how it is, but we have to hold our heads high."
He also commented on the referee's decisions and the possibility of a challenge.
"The referees are what they are, I don't have much to comment on. There were decisions that we saw differently. I wanted to call a challenge in some situations, but they told me that according to FIBA rules, that's not possible. We have to adapt. There was a lot of contact and pushing, but we need to focus on our game."
Žakelj stressed that he was satisfied with his performance in this qualifying window.
"I am glad that I got the opportunity to lead the Montenegrin national team and I am grateful to the Federation for their trust. I hope that I justified it. In November, we may have played worse, but we achieved the victory we wanted. Now we may have taken more than we planned. We have to be satisfied, but we have another window waiting for us and I believe that we will be even stronger then."
Young basketball player, Danilo Ivanović, pointed out that the team, despite the defeat, showed that it can handle a strong opponent.
"It was difficult, the Greek team is very strong and in this lineup, I don't think they're missing too many players, except for Giannis Antetokounmpo, there aren't many who can come to them. We showed that we can play with them - we beat them in Greece. We had two bad lucks here, Petar Popović and Derek Needham got injured, we were weakened, and yet we showed that we can fight back. Unfortunately, the victory eluded us. I think we could have turned the match in our favor in the third quarter, but luck was on their side this time," said Ivanovic.
He added that playing time for the national team means a lot to him.
"This is the second window for me and I can say that this is a dream come true for me, especially playing in this kind of atmosphere. It pleases every player. We are sorry that we did not give our audience a better game and result, but we hope to be better in July."
Montenegro continues its qualifiers on July 2nd with a visit to Portugal, while three days later they will host the Romanian team.
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