The boys really gave it everything they had, fighting like lions out there, but things just didn't go our way. Horvat missed a tough penalty, I guess, but honestly, his grit and that relentless drive are already legendary, so only some total idiot who doesn't know ball would even try to blame him. It’s kind of like when Mus missed that sitter right before the penalty, or if any other guy on the team had blown a wide-open chance. I feel like once we stop obsessing over whether sports represent the soul of the nation—you know, all that stuff about veterans, widows, blue-collar workers, the unemployed, and so on—and just focus on them actually executing the plays they drilled during training camp, we might finally see some consistent, high-level results. Right now, we’re just cranking up the tension for no reason and handing the media a free pass to manufacture more sensationalist drama, which probably just messes with the players' heads even more. But then again, that moment of clarity probably isn't ever going to happen.
The Canadians will probably just run right over us tomorrow, and I honestly don't know if we'll even have the strength to get back up by then. If I could get a word in with the guys in charge, I’d tell them that calling it "bad luck" is really just a convenient excuse for failing. Look, nobody is saying the guys didn't pour their hearts and souls into this or give it everything they had, but I guess that absolute maximum just wasn't enough against an opponent like this. It isn't "luck" that Pesic had to make ten saves, just like it isn't "luck" that their keeper had to pull off those miracle stops against Musi and Horvat. We can try to convince ourselves it was just misfortune, but in other parts of the world, people call that thing "quality"—or rather, the total lack of it. When things got critical, they actually had it, even if it was just a matter of mental toughness, whereas we just didn't. They’re headed to the finals while we’re stuck fighting for bronze, and honestly, the refs or the red cards... none of that had anything to do with our loss today; it was strictly down to our own limitations. It’s pretty simple, really—we just lost to a better team.
That’s my boy. Duvnjak is absolutely bullying them out there, 3 to 13. I mean, Stepančić barely even got off the ground once the whole game; maybe three jumps total? And then you’ve got Tip, who somehow pulls this miracle save on a breakaway in the final second to keep the finals dream alive. Then Tip goes ahead and shuts down a penalty right after the buzzer sounds, too.
Yeah, I guess they just had more luck last time. And yeah, the refs totally screwed us over.
So, I guess the luckier guy just pulled it off... They totally blew it, man. Just completely choked when they had it in their hands. Let's call a spade a spade, you cowards.
It’s kind of funny, I guess, because just when you think you’ve finally shaken off some minor annoyance like Kopljar on the right, an even bigger mess starts playing out right in front of you. 🤦
Honestly, even if they had taken the loss, I probably wouldn't have had anything bad to say about it. Major props to the guys, seriously, hats off to them!!@ 👋
I’m mostly just worried about the fatigue factor, you know? Between the officiating, the guys being young, and how heavy their legs looked after that massive energy drain in the last few games... plus, missing five starters is a huge hole to fill. I guess we'll see, but it's a lot to deal with.
France was playing all over the place, pretty chaotic really, but Iceland looked solid—like, they never actually lost control of the game. If they hadn't hit that weird stretch of turnovers right after halftime and let the Frenchies pull ahead 4-6, things might have gotten a little dicey for them. The way Karabatić's been acting toward the refs is just getting on everyone's nerves, though I guess they feel obligated to give him credit. Honestly, the guy can't even play through contact anymore without all that theatrical flailing and acting! It's just a disaster.