Jonathan Reed4 said:Man, I really feel like the refs screwed us on that championship run. Why do I get the feeling the Americans are actually the better team?
They are. To be more precise, they were just way more prepared, which isn't surprising given they have 14 players who can all step up, and they didn't get absolutely dismantled by those French Armoires.
But honestly, it feels like we just fold whenever there's a trophy on the line. And today? They completely choked under pressure. Anyone who actually follows sports knows what kind of mental block that looks like.
And looking at the facts, we’re just too clunky, too slow, and frankly, not enough. If we had entered those final two minutes down by one and facing a penalty instead of being down by three and facing a penalty, I'm really not sure how that would've played out. And that's even without counting those two goals they wiped off the board. Even if the penalties stayed the same—and let's not even talk about that infamous foot play—it wouldn't have mattered. Not to mention how they were slicing through the defense while the refs seemed totally blind to their offensive maneuvers.
Susan Fox86 said:They were shaking in their boots.
And despite all the officiating garbage, we almost had them; they were saved twice by the posts and a goalkeeper who actually has a face.
Real officials who want to cheat are subtle about it. These guys were just butchering the game. Our suspensions were laughable. And then there was that call on Vori right when we finally had the man advantage. First, they call a non-existent offensive foul when he picks up the ball on the line, then they suspend him because apparently the ball 🤮slipped onto his foot while he was dropping it. Usually, you call that to stop a clear fast break, but this time the play and the argument lasted twenty seconds—there was zero chance for a counterattack.
There were at least a dozen catastrophic errors stacked against us.
I'll say it again: we weren't playing great. Our team looked exhausted and spent, but the officiating was criminal. We managed to drag those amateurs across the finish line even though they looked lost in the final fifteen minutes. If you asked half the people in the stands where they were or what sport they were even playing, they wouldn't have known.
Yeah, damn, I totally forgot about that mess with Vori.
Samuel Baker3 said:It wasn't actually a foul in the traditional sense, but rather because they stepped over the line during the jump 😁
Are you kidding me right now? They totally screwed me over. If they saw the foul, why on earth did they wait until after the goal was already scored to blow the whistle? Seriously, what kind of logic is that?
Come on, just call it! They repeated that foot fault five times just so everyone could see it, yet the ref acted like he was blind to the whole thing.
They basically robbed us of two easy goals. After that, it felt like the Denmark guys were just strolling through the game. And even when they weren't coasting, they kept getting pushed around by those blatant fouls.
If I were in Linin's shoes, I’d be throwing the ref for a loop. You grind your way to the finals with players who are practically running on fumes, only to get screwed over by some blown call? It's ridiculous. I can't even remember the last time I saw a foul called during a fast break—I think I've seen maybe two in my entire life—but today, we got hit with two back-to-back.
At this rate, we’re going to lose this game through no fault of our own. The keeper is basically carrying the entire team on his back because nobody else seems to have the heart to actually put the ball in the net, and honestly? We're going to end up losing by exactly the amount of points the refs just handed over with those blatant calls.
Man, honestly, they look half-dead out there. What are we even supposed to do now?
And don't even get me started on the refs—they’re basically sleepwalking through this. Some calls just shouldn't be happening, especially not in a championship game.
Anyone know how Balić is doing? That guy took a hell of a beating yesterday...
What the hell is the big deal about Balić? Why do painkillers and defensive blocks even exist? Just shake it off and keep moving so he can recover after the European Championship.😁 As long as nothing is actually broken, he'll be fine.😉
And then, after all that, their coach just stands there stone-faced and says, "The Americans didn't outplay us. I'm just incredibly frustrated because we couldn't find the key to winning. Or rather, we weren't allowed to find it."
Honestly, you can take that "frustrated" crap and shove it. I have never in my life seen referees bend the rules so blatantly to favor one specific team.
And don't even get me started on that final possession. It felt like it lasted an eternity—we probably scored three goals in there—but they kept blowing the whistle and forcing us back to the nine-meter line.
Man, those guys pulled off a miracle. They were half-dead and nursing injuries, yet they somehow took down the Americans, and honestly, I still haven't wrapped my head around how.
It was like seeing a Narcissus in real life, paired with that powerhouse on the wing. Throw in Karabatić, an elite goalie, and two absolute killers in the defense, and I’m just lost—and I bet they are too.😂
That American grit is something else, man. Where did Metličić even come from? He wasn't even scoring like that the rest of the tournament! And then at the end there's Lac; I was basically yelling, "Come on, we've been waiting for you all game," and boom, he drops two quick ones to seal it.
Tomorrow we face the Americans, those old rivals who always seem to run us over in those consolation matches for bronze. If our guys can actually find the strength to walk after this war with the Americans, the Americans aren't going to have a good time either.
And don't even get me started on the timeouts; they're a comedy show in themselves. We should seriously make a highlight reel of all our timeouts from this EP.😂
First, I almost choked laughing when someone shouted, "Vori, you're a man with ten hands!" Then, to everyone's shock, Dominiković takes center stage and actually says something smart. The funniest part? He actually called both plays and the shooter perfectly.😂
Seriously, the whole crew is legendary, including Lina. If things were even slightly different, it wouldn't be nearly this much fun.
Now it's time to hold those French officials accountable 😁
Look, we might be the underdogs here, but we're somehow pulling it off—and honestly, I’m praying we can keep this momentum going right until the final whistle.
Why is Lino getting all worked up again and taking it out on the whole damn country? I missed the game, and honestly, watching some guys play soccer is more my speed—I’ve had enough NBA for one day. My nerves aren't exactly something I want to be testing on the highway 😁
Angela Wright said:😲 Where on earth are you getting your info?
From the inside, man. Everyone is absolutely losing their minds and in total shock right now. All they can do is try to scramble together some kind of semi-coherent official statement.