Montenegro had already won their group and promotion to League B before they landed in Limassol. They still beat Cyprus 4-1 on Sunday, and Nikola Krstović had a hand in every goal. The Atalanta striker set up the first two and scored the last two. Mirko Vučinić's side finished Group C2 with five wins and a draw, 16 of a possible 18 points.
Four goals, one name
Krstović started it in the fifth minute. He carried a counterattack, drew the Cyprus defense toward him and slipped the ball to Milutin Osmajić on the right, and Osmajić finished it with a precise shot. Cyprus leveled in the 52nd minute when Igor Vujačić brought down Marcus Edwards in the box and captain Ioannis Pittas converted the penalty after a VAR check.
The lead lasted six minutes. Krstović found Milan Vukotić, a first-half replacement for the injured Vasilije Adžić, for the 2-1 in the 58th minute. In the 67th, Krstović went through on his own and scored the third. In the 83rd, he finished a pass from Sead Hakšabanović, who had also hit the crossbar earlier in the second half, for the 4-1 final.
According to Montenegrin outlet Vijesti, Krstović came into the game with 11 goals this season, including eight since the start of October. "It really doesn't matter who scores," he said before the match. "The team is important and I'm taking it step by step."
From the Faroes to the top of League C
The result caps a quick turnaround. A year ago, Montenegro were near the bottom of their World Cup qualifying group after a 4-0 loss to the Faroe Islands, Vijesti noted. This fall they lost none of their six Nations League games. Their only dropped points came in a 0-0 draw with Armenia in October.
"We are the same guys who played a year or two ago, when others didn't think we could do anything," Krstović told Vijesti. "Now we are finally a real group."
A Euro 2028 safety net
Promotion was settled on Thursday with a stoppage-time winner over Latvia. Sunday's win was about something else. Vijesti and Serbian outlet Sportal both reported that finishing as League C's best team puts Montenegro in line for a Euro 2028 play-off place if they don't qualify directly. Those play-offs are scheduled for March 2028.
Cyprus finish second on eight points. Latvia and Armenia drew 0-0 in Riga in the group's other game, leaving Armenia third on six points and Latvia last on two.
