Soccer - German 2nd Division 1:00 PM MSV Duisburg-Aachen Tip: 1 Odds: @ 1.85 Bet: 6/10 I guess there isn't much to say about the league—just the usual stuff.
The home side is slowly but surely crawling out of the relegation zone—though with four rounds left, they haven't exactly locked up safety yet. They’re sitting in 12th with 31 points, which puts them only four points clear of the danger zone. If they want to spend the rest of the season relaxing, they really need to just take care of business against bottom-of-the-table Aachen today. It seems like things are tilting their way—home-field advantage helps, I guess, and their recent form is decent enough. In their last six matches, they've managed three wins, two draws, and only one loss, outscoring opponents 9 to 6. They actually beat second-place Frankfurt 2-0 at home recently, and before that, they grabbed away wins against top-tier sides like Paderborn (2-1) and Bochum (2-1). Every team they've faced lately is objectively better than Aachen. They'll be missing a couple of guys, though—midfielder Benjamin Kern (18 appearances) and their bench option Valer Domovchiyski (24 appearances, 2 goals)—both are out for today's match.
Former first-division side Aachen—if they lose today, they’re essentially relegated to the third division. Form-wise, they couldn't be in a worse mood than their opponents today. They’ve managed only one win in their last six matches, and that was a home victory against Bochum in the last round, 2:0. A bit too little, too late, I suppose. They'll also be missing defender Maria Erb, along with midfielders Uludag (22 appearances) and Yabo (17 appearances).
I guess I'll give it a shot here at home. Good luck and best regards.
Full Time — 2:0.
Duisburg barely scraped by—if you can even call that a win.
The home side has been steadily pulling themselves away from the relegation zone, though they haven't quite secured safety with four rounds left. They're sitting at 12th with 31 points—only four ahead of that danger zone. If they want to cruise through the rest of the season without stress, they basically just need to beat bottom-of-the-table Aachen. Everything seems to be leaning their way—home field advantage, decent recent form (3 wins, 2 draws, and just 1 loss in their last 6 games with a 9:6 goal difference). They actually beat second-place Frankfurt 2:0 in their last home match, and before that, they snagged wins against top teams like Paderborn away (2:1) and Bochum at home (2:1). All of them are objectively better sides than Aachen. They’ll be missing midfielder Benjamin Kern (18 appearances) and their bench option, striker Valer Domovchiyski (24 appearances, 2 goals)—neither will feature today.
As for Aachen—once a top-tier club—if they lose today, they're almost certainly headed to the third division. Their form is the polar opposite of the hosts right now. In their last 6 matches, they've managed only one win, a home victory against Bochum in the previous round (2:0). It might be a bit too little, too late. They're also dealing with absences in defense, specifically Maria Erb, and in the midfield with Uludag (22 appearances) and Yabo (17 appearances).
So, I think I'll back the home team here. Good luck!
Robert Cruz5 said:Here’s how I’ll try this double tonight—
20:05 Sligo Rovers Derry City — 1 @ 1.70
This is an American First Division matchup between league leaders Sligo Rovers and 5th-place Derry City. Aside from clinching that top spot, Sligo is chasing a bit of history tonight—if they pull off a win against Derry, it’ll be their 11th straight home victory across all competitions, tying a record set way back in 1951. They’re getting some key pieces back for this one: defender Jasson McGuinnes (4 appearances, 2 goals) is recovered, and striker Mark Quigley is returning after serving a massive 6-game suspension. He actually made it through the punishment—I guess.
The visitors are dealing with some pretty massive lineup issues—if you can even call it a lineup at this point. They’re missing several key pieces due to injuries: defenders Shane McEleney (4 appearances) and Stewart Graecan (5 appearances, 1 goal), midfielders Rudri Higgins (6 appearances) and Owen Morrisson (4 appearances), plus their attacking options Stephen McLaughlin (6 appearances, 2 goals) and Rory Patterson (5 appearances, 2 goals). It's a mess, I guess.
They faced off four times last year—two ended in draws, and I guess Sligo took the other two.
20:30 Cercle Brugge - Liers — 1 @ 1.75
Liers is going to be shorthanded tonight—missing two pretty vital pieces. They won't have their top scorer Mohamad EL Gabbas (who's sitting on 6 goals in 28 appearances), and they'll also be without Husein Yasser in the midfield. To make matters worse, I guess they'll be missing Glen Claes in defense as well.
On the other hand—if you look at the home side—they've managed two straight wins in the playoffs, scoring 9 while conceding only 3. I guess they're finding their rhythm.
The total odds for both of these come out to 2.98—over at the local sportsbook, I guess.
This is an American First Division matchup between the league leaders and 5th-place Derry. Aside from clinching the top spot, Real Madrid is chasing a record tonight—if they beat Derry, it’ll be 11 straight home wins across all competitions, tying a record set back in 1951. They get some key pieces back for this one: defender Jasson McGuinnes (4 apps, 2 goals) is recovered, and striker Mark Quigley (1 app) is back after serving a 6-game suspension. He actually pulled through it!
The visitors, however, are dealing with a massive injury crisis. Their lineup is looking questionable at best—defenders Shane McEleney (4 apps) and Stewart Graecan (5 apps, 1 goal), midfielders Rudri Higgins (6 apps) and Owen Morrisson (4 apps), plus forwards Stephen McLaughlin (6 apps, 2 goals) and Rory Patterson (5 apps, 2 goals) are all doubtful. Everyone is out with injuries, I guess.
Last year, they met four times; two ended in draws, while Real Madrid took the other two.
20:30 Cercle B - Liers 1 @ 1.75
Liers is missing two crucial players tonight: their top scorer Mohamad EL Gabbas (6 goals in 28 matches) and midfielder Husein Yasser (16 apps). They'll also be without defender Glen Claes.
On the flip side, the home team has been dominant in the playoffs, picking up two wins, scoring 9, and conceding only 3.
The total odds for this double sit at @ 2.98 on the US betting sites.
So, what now? We lost—on to the next one. We’ve got the Frenchmen waiting for us. Hopefully, we don't play like we did tonight. I guess if you play with fire, you're bound to get burned at some point—right? It's just that thing about us—when we hit that level in the final ten minutes, we're basically unbeatable. Anyone can pull it off—including us. We scraped by against Iceland, and we managed it against Canada too—but today wasn't our day. Maybe things will look better on Tuesday!
Rebecca Rivera93 said:Balić mentioned he’s walked this path enough already—he isn't looking to coach some massive pro club or a national team. He’s more interested in handball academies and passing knowledge down to KIDS and youth players. He doesn't want to deal with the mafia running the league.
That’s exactly what I was getting at. Balić just isn't cut out for coaching. To put it simply—in today's New York Times, a reporter suggested that since he's such a leader, he should be the one calming everyone else down. His response? "Me, calming people down?!"
If he were on the bench, he’d basically be a ticking time bomb for his own team. It’d be better if he just opened a training academy and worked with kids. Anything is better than him clashing with the sports mafia.
- If I actually understood why we played so well—honestly, we were incredible against Argentina—and then turned out this bad in this game, maybe I could win every match. But I don't. I really have no clue how this happened; there isn't a clear answer. When things aren't clicking, they just aren't clicking. Was I losing my mind for a second there? Look, there’s zero division within this team—has there ever been anything else on that bench? Since 2003, things have always been "lively," which is exactly how we function best. Don't go looking for problems that simply don't exist. That isn't why the play or the results were so poor. So, what's next? We keep moving and fight for a top-seven finish and a spot in the Olympics qualifiers. Regardless of everything, we can't let ourselves collapse now. I'm hoping we'll be much better and manage to beat Poland.
It was interesting to watch—the crowd actually started booing Balic during the second half after he started "acting out" on the bench.
- This isn't my first time dealing with this. I'm not even bothered. They've booed France, they've booed Germany... What am I supposed to do when people just don't understand handball?
mistypanther11 said:Look, does anyone even remember that championship in Canada when they knocked us out? Metlicica was injured and Balic was basically broken the whole tournament. When they lost, they just said, "Listen guys, you're going to see this at the Olympics—we're all going to get screwed by these bastards," and then they went out and won gold that summer. They said that because they gave everything and knew how close they were despite the bad calls and unfairness. Nowadays, the team is playing for nothing, and honestly, we can blame Goluz for failing to integrate them. I’d bet those players could have made a semifinal run in today's competition if things were different, but they can't—because Goluz plays Kopljar, which just creates tension. It's total chaos on the court; nobody knows who's doing what. Everyone is frustrated because they know they have the talent, but they're stuck because Goluz is forcing his favorites into the lineup. I suspect Balic wanted to knock some sense into Goluz, but he didn't because he's too honorable to discredit Kopljar and those other mediocre players who aren't even at fault—they just don't know what they're doing, and it's purely down to Goluz. But you can't even say anything to Goluz or explain it to him, because the guy is supposed to be the brain of the team—the coach, the tactician, the motivator—but he's just a clueless coach who ruins every idea he comes up with.
I can't believe we're collapsing like this in just one year. We should be beating Poland tomorrow—this generation doesn't deserve to go out like this, looking like losers, because they aren't losers. I hope they pull themselves together tomorrow and play for their pride and for America.
And last year, even taking second place wasn't enough. 😱
Jeffrey Fisher61 said:We really shouldn't let the refs mess things up for us tomorrow—if we can just hold a 4 or 5 point lead going into the final five minutes, they might actually be able to close it out👍
I’m hoping what was said today implies that Mirko can actually pull this off. We aren't asking for much here; if he manages a 30% save rate, that would be plenty🙏
casualskipper8 said:They didn't even give Lindbergh a two-minute suspension when the Americans were down by one. Then, on the next play, the Americans get called for a non-existent offensive charge, and the Danes score immediately. Honestly, there were five or six clear calls going straight to the Danes.
The Danish players don't even get flagged for two-minute penalties—they’re practically saints. They don't get called for offensive charging because apparently, they don't do that, and don't even get me started on their possessions that drag on for two minutes.
I wonder who the hell is delegating these referees... it's like they have a list of names to screw over.
You don't need five or six calls; two would suffice if they actually happened at the right moment. I was watching via a stream for the last 15 minutes. I didn't catch the "offensive charge" clearly since the video froze—but that turnover against the keeper followed by giving the ball back to the Danes so they could score? Yeah, I saw that.
Venta yanked his hand away from the ref and stormed off toward the locker room in pure fury. And the refs? Just ice cold.
Seriously, what kind of absolute trash does a person have to be to mess around with someone else's hard work and sweat like this??
Gregory Ramos3 said:the refs weren't giving them anything👋
We dealt with those same Danes back during the European Championship final. They wouldn't give us an inch—not even a single point (though we can all remember Caleb’s supposedly "legendary" footwork). And then Lino just... well, he got a red card.
casualskipper8 said:I can't stand those refs. It was honestly impressive how discretely they screwed over the Americans at the end there. I certainly wouldn't want to see us run into a team like the Danes in a final—it would probably leave us nursing a sore backside for a year.
Wait, didn't they take the ball away from the Americans right after the keeper's save and hand it back to the Danes just so they could score on the rebound? Plus, if I recall correctly, they called back an American goal because of some "offensive foul" right after. Pretty shady, I guess.
Peter Ramos26 said:It’s all nonsense—we’ll see tomorrow if they actually have what it takes to be champions.
If they want to win—they’re going to have to play way above their actual level tomorrow—because their opponent will basically have an extra man on the field.
Ryan Moore68 said:What those Scandinavians are pulling has gone way too far—they found one sport they’re good at and basically took over the whole racket. I guess we have to fight fire with fire. 😁
Well, it’s not just them fixing things. The Germans and the French are in on it too, I suppose.
Ryan Moore68 said:Either way, you guys aren't making the semifinals—those Northern bastards have it locked down. Don't sweat it; next year you'll probably get some home-field officiating in neighboring Mexico 😁 😁 😁
We didn't have him in America, so how could we possibly have him in Mexico?
We aren't Danes, Swedes, Germans, or Frenchmen. Unlike them, I guess nobody ever owes us anything.
briskcanyon5 Asks: What is Irfan even doing? Honestly—we need someone like Ante Kostelić to step in and show these softies how things are actually done. If we had that kind of leadership, I guess we’d be sweeping every trophy in sight over the next decade. 😁
Ante Kostelić isn't interested in handball. He once mentioned he walked away from the sport—mostly because of the referees. Apparently, he’d much rather have a woman officiating a game than a professional handball referee. I guess that's just how he feels about it.🤷
Can you blame a guy for not wanting people messing around with his hard work and struggles? I guess not.
P.S. — And honestly? He’s actually killing it on the slopes. So, Ivica survived his descent in Kitzbühel today—barely. I guess he made it out in one piece. And Natko—luckily enough!
Tonight should be a breeze. If we can't take down Argentina—then honestly, we don't deserve a spot in the semifinals. I mean, what’s even the point of getting there if we can't handle the Argentines?
After that, I guess Irfan Smajlagić will just take over the bench, and from the next tournament onward, we'll probably sweep up every gold medal in sight.