Today’s game against the Russians is going to be a real eye-opener—though, granted, the Russians have this "heavy," sluggish defense, so it might not be the perfect litmus test for those speedy Frenchmen... but if we keep running headfirst into a brick wall like we did against the Spaniards, heaven help us. Even if we pull off a win, we're still going to get absolutely hammered.
I think he can pull it off—he’s quick, agile, and has that lateral movement, whereas the Russian defense is just slow and clunky. They’ve got a lot of height out there, but most of those big guys struggle with their footwork when things get fast...
The Mexicans filed an appeal, but it’s going to get rejected—well, it already was, but they haven't made it public yet—simply because the footage clearly shows the ball never actually crossed the line...
The EP forums and the news outlets are all claiming it hit the back of the net behind the keeper in the yellow zone... which is technically true, I guess, but everyone seems to be ignoring one massive detail: the entire ball has to cross the line... and the line itself is only about 3 inches wide...
Brian Campbell36 said:Does anyone happen to have a reliable stream for the USA vs. Denmark match? I'm having some trouble accessing the official EHF site; for some reason, it keeps telling me the video is unavailable 🤷
Where does everyone usually go to watch these games? Does anyone know of a decent live stream—ideally something like Sopcast—that actually works?
It seems like every country playing—except maybe Mexico—always deals with these geoblocks...
Whether it's YouTube or the EHF site, it's the same old story.
Instead of the game, my streams just serve up some random documentary about castles or something equally useless.🙂
Elizabeth Morales49 said:The German guy just flew out for nothing, trying to settle those two exclusions...
And apparently, those two ejections were just some cheap shots—pulling him back and a punch to the chest while he was mid-kick, without even looking at the ball...
So, "compensation" for perfectly valid ejections... hmmm... interesting take... but hey, I guess you have to spin it somehow, right?😉
Elizabeth Morales49 said:The refs are a complete joke when they call fouls on the Germans
Yep, that’s why the Mexicans get to run their offense for more than sixty seconds while the German guy just flies out of bounds for basically nothing...
The Germans managed to score a goal while playing two men up—you wouldn't believe how long the Mexicans have been stuck in the offensive zone...😉
And there it is—another blatant penalty called even though the Mexicans aren't even synchronized, and one of their players is practically mid-air...
Right now, we’re looking at a +1 in the box and a -2 in the field for the Mexicans... they're playing pretty rough, just like they did in the first game—players are flying all over the place out there...
The refs have a pretty low threshold for handing out cards today, so I'm genuinely curious to see how this whole thing wraps up...
Olivia Taylor2 said:And what exactly went wrong? 😕
Honestly, I haven't got a clue... I mean, I have access to the system—I can see what's going on under the hood—but it doesn't actually list any reasons. It just sits there. Empty.
Some people are out here claiming he’s got a sub ready because of that injury—you know, the one everyone's talking about—while others are dead set on the idea that there isn't a backup in sight. It's just one of those things where nobody can seem to agree on anything lately.
The Icelanders should have been on the bench—instead, we get those Russians stepping in as backups...
Anthony Wilson4 said:Is Ivan actually nursing an injury? It feels a little too convenient to be true—it would be a nightmare if he pulls an adductor muscle right in the middle of the tournament...
Anyway, tell me this: if there’s a tie in points, does the head-to-head record determine who moves into the semifinals, or is it goal difference? What happens if we lose to the Frenchmen and end up tied on points? Who advances?
Daniel Cooper40 said:If I recall correctly, they've used head-to-head results so far, but if we beat the Spaniards and then drop one to France, it’ll probably come down to goal difference between us, France, and Spain.
Yeah, I agree—in that scenario, it’d have to be goal difference. Otherwise, you'd have the French moving on just because of one win, even if they ended up with fewer total points than us and the Spaniards... which doesn't make much sense.
So, in a three-way tie, it's goal difference...
Personally, I think our group is the easier one for padding out the goal difference. I suspect the French will struggle against the Canadians—they've definitely scouted them well. If I'm not mistaken, they played to a draw against them in the last World Cup, didn't they?
Jensen got slapped with a one-game suspension for picking up a card against the Canadians, so he'll be sitting this one out against us—though honestly, I’m kind of enjoying seeing the league finally start cracking down on those absolute thugs...
Also, did anyone catch that mess involving the Zvižej brothers over at the Canadian game? They both ended up getting red cards for what they did.
Honestly, I don't think those Russians saw even this single point coming. In my book, the Americans are easily three classes above them... the Russians just can't keep up with the pace the Americans set, even if they might give them a run for their money defensively—since they've got plenty of big guys holding down the backline...
The Austrian official was already nominated for your game before this even started—and he stepped in alongside a reserve pair that had been assigned well in advance... that’s why they bring in backup officials every single game, just in case things go sideways...
And look, the delegate could be German for all I care; you could have ten delegates from Germany sitting there, but they don't actually control the flow of the game. The only people making the calls are the referees...
A delegate can suggest a call, sure, but they can't dictate how things should go—the refs have every right to either take the suggestion or toss it out. Besides, with the pace of the game being what it is, there's no time for anything else, especially since both refs are constantly communicating through their headsets, which the delegate happens to be hearing too...
Samuel Baker3 said:The only real headache from this Spanish win over the French—right after the US beat Iceland—is that the Americans now have to go through both Spain and France just to make it to the semifinals.
Not quite...
You really need to brush up on how points carry over into the second round—the French are already sitting in the hole on that front...
A clean seven-man defense—look, a seven-man isn't just about defending space. It’s really defined by how you disrupt a clear-cut scoring opportunity before it even happens...
Nah, it’s just a delay in the broadcast—people were asking the exact same thing during the USA vs. Mexico game yesterday...
I’d love to see the save percentage on that Spaniard keeper... honestly, these amateurs are just fumbling around; they don't even realize you're supposed to call a timeout after the goalie takes one to the head... just getting robbed by the Frenchmen at this point...🤣
The defense is a total sieve; balls are rolling right toward the goal line without any resistance whatsoever...
They’ve only got a 50% shooting rate compared to the Spaniard's 78%—therein lies the whole problem...
Brian Campbell36 said:The Americans are playing like typical Americans—down 4 to 2 at the half. The refs are just okay, I guess; they could be sharper. They toss a Spaniard out of the game instantly, yet they let the Americans get away with basically anything, including grabbing opponents by the throat and tackling them to the ground. The Spaniards are actually playing quite well, though—they’ve built their lead mostly through fast breaks and quick transitions into the attack.
So, why isn't the other brother, Gille, getting any playtime? And if you don't mind me asking, which link are you using to stream this game?😁
+1 for the Spaniards...
I have no idea—I haven't seen a single penalty called against the Spaniards, and there's only been one on the Americans...
You can find games here every day. The quality isn't exactly top-tier, but at least the stream doesn't crash constantly...
Once again, Omeyer is just having an off night...
The Spaniards are running a great defense—Rivera has them organized perfectly. Their halfbacks are giving the Americans a real headache when trying to move the ball out to the wing...
The American commentators keep shouting "ay-ay-ay" every five seconds—it tells you everything you need to know about how poorly the Americans are playing. Now Hombrados has even pulled off a counterattack...
The Spaniards are up by 3 in the 20th minute—Homrados is playing out of his mind, while the Frenchies are just handing out unforced errors left and right...
Spain is playing this really composed, methodical game—they’ll move the ball until someone finally raises a hand, then they just stroll right through that dead defense toward the goal...
+4 for Spain at the 22-minute mark...
France is trying that 5-1 setup with their specialist, but honestly, it isn't doing much right now. Spain is getting to the line way too easily, even though most of their points are coming from outside. And Omeyer? He isn't stopping a single thing besides the penalties...
The refs are actually calling a decent game. It might be a bit early to call it, but it looks like Spain is systematically dismantling the French side—they've maintained a steady 3 or 4 goal lead throughout...
The Mexicans keep playing shorthanded like they have nothing to lose—and somehow, even with two guys missing, they still end up making the Swedes look completely lost...