Montenegro were seconds away from defeating France in regular time when, due to a technical error in attack, they lost the ball in the offensive half at 22-21.
To prevent a fast French attack, Itana Grbic chose to enter into a tug of war for the ball with Déborah Lassource.
Grbic was shown the red card and France were awarded a penalty, after which Deuna Zaadi sent the match into extra time at 22–22.
In the intermediate round, France had taken a clear 27–19 victory, but that match was long forgotten.
Montenegrin goalkeeper Marta Batinovic laid the groundwork for Montenegro to finally clinch its first European Championship medal in ten years. France misses out on a medal for the first time since 2014.
In the final, Norway and Denmark meet.