Forever Young: Checking out Montenegro's youngest top flight club (Montenegro Part Two)

A very rainy Milennium Bridge.

Montenegro - well, where to even begin? The turbulence as the plane from Krakow landed at Podgorica Airport should have perhaps been a sign of things to come. Or perhaps the rickety lift up to the sixth floor of the apartment building I'd be staying for the next three days. In any case, it was clear to me that even on arrival, keeping this break short was a wise idea.

Don't get me wrong, some parts of Podgorica have a certain charm, and I'd certainly be interested in one day visiting the coastal resorts of Montenegro, but I can safely say I've had better trips. Saturday night was the night to adjust after a long day of travel, so the trip began in earnest on the Sunday. The weather was absolutely ungodly, so I tried to time my venture into the city centre to be in between the gargantuan showers to little avail. 

Some rainy glimpses of the national stadium, and home of Buducnost.

I did manage to stop off for some amazing Currywurst (that traditional Montenegrin dish) at Munchen Beerhouse. At first I was confused as to why it just had the curry powder on top without any sauce, but on tucking into it, it had this gorgeous creamy middle. I went back out to the rain to catch a glimpse of the national stadium, before essentially drowning in the elements on the way back to the apartment - a day later and my shirt is still not fully dry.

I had a few hours to relax at the apartment before the game I'd had planned - Mladost Donja Gorica v Mornar Bar which kicked off at six. I was surprised the match could still go ahead given the conditions, but its postponement would have just been typical. Google Maps said it was an hour and twenty nine minutes' walk, or an eleven minute taxi. There were bus options too, but no prizes for guessing which I opted for. I'll do anything to save ten euros.

The weather had mercifully held off during the walk to the stadium, though there was a mini-shower on the way back. It was an odd walk on the path alongside the motorway before veering right and essentially wandering along the country roads before getting to one of only two bridges across the Moraca River. I decided to take a longer route back which stuck to the motorway, but it was a gorgeous walk in the last remnant's of daylight, which even went past a monastery at one point. 

Some of the more unique snapshots en route to Donja Gorica

I can't, however, disregard the horrors of the Montenegrin underbelly which is sadly more prevalent in these rural or low population zones - stray dogs are absolutely everywhere. Just before getting to the bridge and away from the countryside, a group of dogs emerged from their ramshackle kennels having been tied up and left in abysmal conditions. Just as harrowing and heartbreaking was the dead dog I'd seen by the side of the road on the way back. 

It's hard to even know what to say when you see things such as this, but there's clearly something barbaric going on here that needs attention. Having seen plenty of domesticated dogs and cats around Podgorica, it's clearly not a reflection on society as a whole. But clearly it's a problem stemming from poverty that has to be dealt with.

Mladost v Mornar - the Youth take on the Sailors

Free football - all it cost was my sanity.

I took the long walk to the stadium rather stupidly without bringing or buying a drink along the way - in fairness there weren't too many options for the latter. My reasoning was the fact I could surely get a drink when I arrive. Well, not quite - the DG stadium lacked many things, namely anywhere to buy a drink, and even a toilet. Come half-time, I was marking my territory behind the very stand I'd been sitting in for 45 minutes.

Much like the Radomlje v Aluminj game I attended back in July in Slovenia, I was able to just walk in without paying anything. There were marginally more people in attendance here, which made that decision slightly confusing, particularly given that Mornar are a pretty big club by Montenegrin standards. How do these clubs make money?

One thing that was clear was that they had no money for a playlist prior to the game, with the most irritating club song playing on loop half an hour before the game, at half-time, and of course, at full time despite a 3-1 loss. I can't understand Montenegrin, but I could have sworn one of the lyrics was Ivor shooting at the goal. Well, good for him. Maybe play another song now though please?

As you might expect, the pitch was a bit of a mess given the day's downpour, but both teams put on a surpisingly good spectacle. It took 28 minutes for Mornar to break the deadlock through a defensive lapse, which allowed Stefan Denkovic through on goal to chip the goalkeeper. More like Dinkovic, right? Right?

Anyway, it was two just seven minutes later via a parried shot that fell to Denkovic, whose low cross found Jovan Dasic for an easy tap-in. Heads were then well and truly lost, as Argentine Rodrigo Faust commited a horror tackle and left the hosts with ten men. In for a penny, he then punched Jovan Baosic in the face, which of course meant retaliation via a kick. The ref then decided to even the scores, sending Baosic off. The melee on the pitch even seemed to spread to the crowd, though my lack of Montenegrin and my sitting on the other side of the stand meant I didn't catch a lot of what was happening.

I went for that aforementioned piss behind the stand at half-time with Ivor shooting at the goal still playing on infinite loop, with the second-half then initially lacking that bit of quality. Some sloppy defending played Mornar's Balsa Sekulic in, but Mladost's Ognjen Milovic made a superb stop. Mladost themselves had chances, but the majority were long range efforts which Vasilije Stojanovic was equal too. 

Balsa Sekulic wouldn't be denied a goal though, as another defensive lapse allowed him clean through - it would have been easier to miss. Some goal-line heroics from Stojanovic and Vladimir Ljutica kept the sheet clean for Mornar, only for a soft penalty to allow Mladost to have at least something from a woeful evening. Andelko Jovanovic converted the penalty, but it was a mere 89th minute consolation.

In truth, the quality of football on show was a pleasant surprise, given Montenegro's reputation as one of UEFA's weakest leagues. I was even surprised to see Ivorian former Skalica winger/wing-back Yann Yao, who I'd actually seen score for Skalica against Trencin. By sheer coincidence, that was also a game I'd walked for at least an hour to get to across the Czech border.

So yes, my life has now unwittingly become one of walking long distances to see an Ivorian journeyman play throughout Europe. I can only hope his next move is somewhere a little sunnier. I still haven't been to Italy yet, so if you could move there next, Yan, that would be great.