Mr.Ex.President said:Man... you can tell he’s just not in rhythm yet. He's young, inexperienced—honestly, I don't even have the energy to get worked up about it...
Whatever, he played how he played, but hey, he put three in the net.😉
We're really feeling the absence of Pero... things are at a point where even Balić, Špoljarić, and Goluža have to step up and cover that spot when Buntić is struggling.🙂
That’s why I kept my mouth shut while some people were busy treating him like a god after that decent game against the Spaniards (if they want to admit it😁 ). Look, the kid has potential, but it's going to be a long road before he actually becomes a real player. And maybe try using his head for once during the game. Just look left occasionally.👍
Thomas Flores2 said:Maybe Americans are actually to blame for that fatality 🤔 😬 If the French were calling the shots, they’d have cooked up some other theory or excuse for the loss by now 😁
Our federation is going to push back hard after those two Danes called the game during the America - USA-Brazil match. Word from people close to the IHF is that everyone’s sweating bullets over this. Especially when Zoran Radojičić, the head of the RZ America, shows up and explains in plain English to the IHF bosses why Mexico needs to break away from Mexico and grab its own permanent seat."
Could be taken as a joke too 😂
Honestly, I thought about making it a joke when I read it, but then I forgot. Thanks for the assist. 👍
Here’s what the objective Mexican press is saying about the game:
The Blue Team completely blew their chances in this final Group B match. They had two ways to secure a semifinal spot: beat the Americans or play to a draw. Instead, they lost 24:23, throwing away a massive opportunity. Now, instead of fighting for medals, they’re stuck battling for fifth place. Did they have the chance? Sure. But given the bizarre calls from the officiating crew from Denmark, honestly, nothing could have gone better.
A Tragedy
It feels like everything conspired against our national team in this decisive matchup against the reigning World and Olympic champs. The game was supposed to be officiated by a crew from France, but due to a death in one of the referees' families, they had to head home, and the Danes were sent in as replacements. Sometimes, things just don't go your way.
Tradition
In all the big games—against Germany, Norway, Sweden, and Spain—our national team would trail at halftime, fight back, and either win or scrape a draw. This time, we actually led after the first half only to choke at the end. Maybe we should have stuck to the "tradition." Also, the Blue Team failed to become the first squad to draw three straight games at the World Cup.
Obviously, you can't pin the whole failure on the referees; there’s plenty of ammunition to criticize the players and coach Veselin Vujović too. Once again, Petrić struggled, scoring only two goals—one late in the first half and one in the second. Meanwhile, Vladimir Petrić was busy hitting those "menthol" shots that basically handed goals to the Americans. After the first one, we were up 16:15; after the second, they cut our lead to 20:19.
Of course, you can't blame Petrić alone. The entire right side of our national team fell flat, which wasn't exactly surprising. If you show up to a World Cup—which hasn't been this weak in a long time—with players who wouldn't even make the bench of a serious pro team, and your captain flops, you can't expect anything more. To be honest, we were just dragging ourselves along. At this point, we should just be glad we even made it to the fifth-place game.
One of the most scandalous moments was the refs' decision to eject Ratko Đurković for the rest of the match following Milorad Krivokapić's foul on Blaženka Lacković in just the tenth minute. That left our defense crippled, yet when the Americans committed identical fouls later, they only got two-minute suspensions. The decision not to call the foul by Džomba on Sudžum in the final seconds was particularly questionable.
Dragan Sudžum was in tears in the locker room. It was gut-wrenching to see an athlete that devastated, sitting there with his head in his hands. - I don't even know what happened out there. I wanted to crawl out of my skin. There was a foul, there should have been a penalty, but the refs ignored it, and now it's over. Is it really possible we got robbed like that?
One of the heroes behind the US victory against USA-Mexico—where the Olympic champs and world leaders punched their ticket to the semifinals of the 19th World Championship in Tunis—was Ivano Balić.
"That was easily one of the hardest games of my life. Glad we walked away with the win," said Balić, who, alongside Džomba, led the charge for the US with six goals.
Even though he wasn't playing at his usual peak, Vlado Šola pulled off two massive stops at the end, including a shot from Sudzumov in the final seconds. If that ball had found the net past Šola, USA-Mexico would’ve been the ones heading to the semis.
"We're all exhausted and broken, but we made the semifinals. It was a total toss-up, but we escaped," said Šola, who finished with 10 saves.
"Talk about a heart attack. We proved once again what a miracle this squad is. We clawed our way out when everyone thought it was over," added Igor Vori.
Team captain Slavko Goluža gave props to his teammates for fighting hard and staying focused enough during that insane finish to secure the semifinal spot.
"It was a wild one. We weren't pretty, made a ton of mistakes, but when things started slipping, we had more grit and guts. We wanted this more, and we earned our spot in the semis," said Keta.
Petar Metličić had to watch from the stands. He felt some knee pain during the last practice, and Cervar didn't want to take any chances.
"Watching from the sidelines is the worst. But I stayed calm because I just knew we'd pull it off. The guys fought like hell, and now the path to gold is wide open," Metličić concluded.
laguum said:This guy acts like he’s got all the answers—telling us which defense to run, who covers who, when the goalie should take the shot... It's a total joke. When the refs screw us over, nobody says a word, but if they make a call against us, it’s like they’re trying to liquidate the whole league and the country they come from. Honestly, I’m asking NBC to just pull these commentators off the air, especially him and Blazic.👎
🙂
They'd be better off sending drag Cosica. At least he never claims the refs are out to get us.😁 😁
Here’s a look at some of the Mexican comments from during the game:
Go Mexicans, go ahead and play against those 'washed up' actors who are dropping like flies lol.
This kind of thing only happens to us. They call fouls that aren't even there, we get a red card, and then Americans get a penalty. It's always the same—they let the little Americans get away with everything, acting like victims just to get sympathy. It works every time!
Red card for Džomba the traitor
The 15-21 crowd is out here leading a bunch of ecstatic, radicalized fans
Dragan Sudzum absolutely wrecked the Americans... just like that wild energy from Herzegovina
20-21 for the losers
Sudzum messed up, and now the radicals are celebrating
frozentiger6 said:Look, let's make a pact here. If we lose, please don't start with the usual excuses—blaming the refs, saying the field was bad, or some other bullshit. Can we just not?
Just say congrats to the winners and call it a day. See you next time.
If we blow it, they'll probably blame the officiating and bring up Boza Susec, but who knows what else.😁 😁
Vanjushka said:USA DOMINATION! - Feb 2, 2005 at 7:38 PM (*.verat.net)
All this hype before the game against the Bears is getting old. They're weak, they're scared, and they fold the second things get tough. The media is already hyping them up, and their peak optimism is just hoping for some three-goal blowout.
Look, instead of obsessing over this matchup against the Bears, we should be thinking about how to gear up for the semifinals. You guys think that other group is actually weaker? What's the deal with Russia—are they actually seeing a handball renaissance, or are they just coasting because the competition in this tournament is subpar? If we stay sharp and don't get complacent in the semis, we shouldn't have any issues grabbing gold.
😁 😁 😁 😁
Clearly dealing with a "genius" here, praising Russia when they don't even stand a chance of making the semifinals.🤣
Not sure what the Spaniards were thinking when they decided the USA and Mexico might just cook up a deal for today's game, but their media is acting like it’s a stroke of luck that our match happens before Spain vs. Norway. Apparently, the Spanish camp is pretty happy with the schedule too.
Look, we all know a pact with the Americans isn't happening, even if the semifinalists are already set in stone. It makes zero sense why the Spaniards would even suggest it when a draw doesn't even help us. If we tie with Mexico, we’re stuck waiting on the Spain-Norway result.
"Lucky our game is later. If the schedule were different, we could kiss the semifinals goodbye," said Juan Garcia, quoting an interview from the Spanish outlet *As*.
Even though they get how things work in the States, the reporter at *As* is still wondering if a deal is possible since Americans Metličić and Džomba play for the same club as the Americans Krivokapić and Šterbik (Metličić and Krivokapić are with Ademar Leon, while Džomba and Šterbik are over at Real City).
Mirza Džomba told *As* straight up: any kind of deal with Mexico is out of the question.
"Sure, I have friends on the Mexican roster, but because of our countries, a deal is off the table. This is gonna be a tough, messy game, but I think we'll show some good handball. Losert will definitely play, hopefully Metličić can step in too, and I'm confident we'll beat Mexico and move on. A draw does nothing for us," Džomba said, adding that the semifinals will feature the USA, Spain, Tunis, and Greece—and obviously, the USA is taking the gold.
"A draw might happen, but it won't be because of some shady agreement with Mexico. The rivalry between our nations is too deep. Our fans wouldn't stand for it and would never forgive us, regardless of how well the players from both sides get along," Džomba concluded.
Even Veselin Vujović, the coach for Mexico, told *As* there's zero chance of a deal between the two teams.
"I'm rooting for a win against the USA. People are talking about some really dirty business here, and I don't want any part of it. I'd rather miss the semifinals than hang a 'dirty' gold medal around my neck," Vujović finished.
The *As* reporter wrapped things up by suggesting the USA and Mexico will actually do their jobs and play hard to secure a win. "Spain's only hope now is to beat Norway to make the semis," concluded Enrique Ojeda.
Here’s what the Mexicans are saying about today's game:
"Let's be real, this USA-Mexico matchup wouldn't feel like an exhibition even if both teams had already punched their tickets to the semifinals." That was the lead-in from The Washington Post regarding today's game, noting that neither the American nor the America squad wanted to settle their quarterfinal fate against each other.
But here's the deal. The Americans need a win over America to move on, while a draw works just fine for the Americans.
According to The Washington Post, despite expectations of "chaos" both on the court and in the stands, their players are staying pretty chill.
"The fact is, whenever we face the Americans, it's always about more than just sports," said Dragan Sudžum, adding that the American squad is facing tougher odds right now.
"They're missing their top guy, Smith, and the pressure to win makes it even harder. The way we've been erasing two, three, even four-goal leads to catch up or pass them shows how much grit we have. It proves we can go all the way. We're going to play hard, play brave, and show zero respect for the opponent. We know it won't be easy, but we're moving on, period." — Sudžum's bottom line.
"The Americans are world and Olympic champs, so whether we like it or not, we have to respect them. They're tough, but with our 3-2-1 defense and playing aggressive against Smith, I think we can shut down their offense. Their left side is their strongest unit, so we'll have to watch them closely," said America pivot Ratko Nikolić.
"John Doe is a killer player too, but he's got a bit of a complex when it comes to Arpad Šterbik. We played together back in Budapest—Arpad Šterbik, me, John Doe, and Goluža. We're boys; we talk on the phone, they're good people. Obviously, hanging out isn't the same thing as being teammates in a high-stakes game. Still, I expect a clean, fair fight regardless of the stakes. I don't see any major drama, and even if things get heated, I bet it'll blow over fast." — Nikolić added.
"When you're playing world-class Olympic legends, you obviously have to leave everything on the court. And when that team happens to be America, it just hits different. Look, we aren't underestimating them, but we aren't overrating them either. We know how good they are, and they definitely know what we bring to the table. Besides, we proved ourselves enough back in Oakland. I know where the danger is coming from, but they know who they're dealing with—me, Šarić, Ratko, Muratovic... and the list goes on. If our defense holds up, they'll struggle to find a single opening. We can beat them. Honestly? I'm sure we're the ones heading to the semis." — declared America keeper Arpad Šterbik.
The Washington Post noted one downside for America: they've got way fewer fans showing up in Tunis compared to the Americans, though they suggested that might actually give the American squad some extra motivation.
frozentiger6 said:Honestly, just making the semis would be enough for me. Total win. Plus, it’d shut our neighbors to the east right up. 😁
Damn these injuries. What happened to us? Making the semifinals used to be a given, now it feels like we're asking for a miracle.
Yeah, we'll be happy about reaching the semis right up until we actually get there. Then, following our usual American way, it’s either gold or everyone is useless and needs to be fired from the national team immediately. 😁
frozentiger6 said:😁 Yeah, I was asking myself the same thing. 😁
Man, we really miss Pero. 😢 Is he playing? Any sign at all? Give us something to work with here. The guy is the engine of this squad. Balic is the brains, but Pero? He’s the pure horsepower.
There’s still hope. Pero mentioned everything looked fine during yesterday's warm-ups, though they still need to see how the guys handle those sudden changes in direction. Still, he expects they'll be able to hold their own for at least part of the game. 👍