Handball Euro: USA vs. Spain - Final Score 22:24

Brian Campbell36 said:That’s precisely why Americans don't play it; honestly, only the unrefined would bother.

Well, now 🙄

Honestly, the refs aren't even our biggest issue here; we’re just making way too many unforced technical errors. I mean, that was painful to watch. The game was right there for the taking—instead of us running up with a 3 or 4 point lead, Kopljar hands the ball straight to the Spaniards, letting them claw back to within one, and then Shane Valdes loses the ball immediately after. Later on, when it's tied at 21:21, Kopljar comes in and throws a terrible pass to Čupić, and just like that, they snatch the win from us.

You just can't play like this. And frankly, I am completely fed up with Balica. He’s acting so arrogant and nonchalant, like he doesn't give a damn. He’s clearly frustrated and agitated, and it feels like he's dragging the whole squad down with him. It doesn't help that Duvnjak had an off night either, leaving us without any decent rotation at that position, but the fact that Lac and Štrlek aren't seeing any floor time is 🤦

I’m still scratching my head over the logic they used to wave off that goal by Ninčević 🙂🙂

Could someone please help me make sense of this:

Lacković comes out of nowhere in the first half and just starts scoring left and right... it's absolute madness.
How is it even possible that he was sitting on the bench during the second half? Honestly, people, this makes zero sense.
Vuković is a solid player, sure, but he didn't see a single minute of action in the first three games, and now suddenly he’s playing the most critical minutes? It is truly unbelievable what they are doing with our handball program. Zoran, when you finally pass away, I’ll be sure to write you a note on your headstone.

mistycyclist51 said:Keta absolutely nailed that one. ☕

It’s honestly hilarious how much the refs roll us, though. Just like that MEP said, it’s like we’re some random underdog team showing up at a tournament for the hell of it. A couple of tiny, barely noticeable calls go the Spaniard's way and suddenly the whole game is decided. Still waiting to see what MCAucliffe thinks about it. 🙂

I don't care how bad the officiating was today, we should have put this Spain team away ten minutes before the whistle. What a damn joke, Guardiola, Thomas, and the rest of them...

That was a brutal finish—definitely haven't seen us play like that in a long time. Now we’re stuck digging ourselves out of a hole against the Frenchies while playing without any real momentum. It’s a shame nothing clicked in those final minutes to at least scrape a draw—not to mention those few fast breaks we completely blew in the first half.

In the second half, they adjusted instantly and set up this massive defensive wall, while our guys just kept slamming themselves into it. All things considered, they were the better team—deserved win.

Every single time Shane Valdes stepped onto the court, we immediately blew our lead. The amount of unforced turnovers he was handing out was just straight-up insane. I’ve seriously never seen anything like it. Just one mistake after another, all for nothing—it’s like he’s waging war against his own team. And the coach? That idiot isn't just refusing to bench him; he’s forcing him into play more than he ever has before. It's like we have zero options at center.

Man, he absolutely threw every damn ball away! If Kopljar had been responsible for even half of that garbage, they would've torn him limb from limb right then and there.

The Spaniards were totally lost on offense for a while there, just wandering around without a clue. Then you guys stepped up and basically forced them to rely on that right wing player. Dude was dropping four goals like it was nothing!
I don't know if you did that on purpose hoping Alilović could bail you out, but honestly, it felt like we threw away a game where we weren't even being outplayed.

Grace Adams32 said:I simply cannot wrap my head around this constant emotional whiplash. One day we are certain to reach the semifinals—hell, even the finals—and now, suddenly, people are already writing off Ivan Balić and Voria? This constant oscillation between pure euphoria and utter despair is exhausting. 🤷 Yes, we squandered possessions today like never before, and yes, the referees made several pivotal calls that swung the momentum in their favor, but the tournament is far from decided. We have seen how unpredictable this championship has been; anything can happen, and any team can beat anyone. With two games left on the schedule for everyone, there is still plenty of drama to unfold.

Look, you can barely manage a win against a team like Malta, let alone handle the French if you're playing shorthanded against nine men. 🤷

It makes me wonder if we truly belong among the top 150 nations in this miserable sport according to the IHF.
How many times has Balić been declared the greatest handball player on the planet? Perhaps those pundits could spend less time nursing their beer kegs and actually acknowledge who the true master of the game is.

The recurring nonsense involving officiating becomes more infuriating every single year. If the entire world is just envious of our talent, then perhaps we should just walk away from the sport entirely.

When it becomes obvious that a referee is completely incompetent, they ought to be slapped across the face; maybe then they’d find the courage to actually hand out a red card.

Thomas Harris97 said:Can someone please walk me through this logic:

Lacković was scoring out of nowhere during the first half... just absolute madness...
How does he end up sitting on the bench for the second half? Seriously guys, that makes zero sense.
Vuković is a decent player, sure, but he barely saw any floor time in the first three games, and now suddenly he’s playing heavy minutes. It’s wild what they’re doing with American handball lately—Zoran, when you pass, I’m definitely leaving a note on your headstone.

Correct me if I'm off base here, but I don't think Lac played more than 30 seconds in the second half 🙄

You pull off a 7-0 run, and instead of keeping the pressure on to finish them off, you swap out the entire roster and blow the lead... what a genius move... 🤣

It’s honestly idiotic that the final round matches aren't scheduled at the same time. We play the Americans in this slot, so we'll already know exactly what we need before our game even starts.

ESP 5
USA 4
USA 3
ISL 2
FRA 2
SLO 2

Feb 24th
4:10 PM ESP - ISL
6:10 PM FRA - USA
8:10 PM SLO - USA

Feb 25th
4:10 PM FRA - ISL
6:10 PM ESP - SLO
8:10 PM USA - USA

Even if we drop one to France, we still have a shot. We’d just need to beat the Americans, and hope France loses to Iceland or Spain keeps stumbling. Everything should clear up after next round since everyone is still technically in the hunt.

Well, they totally screwed me over on $400... 🤦 Dammit!

I’m totally done with Ivan Balić. Seriously, he’s the reason we’ll never win anything ever again. What a total loser with those stupid habits and all that whining. All he cares about is cracking a smile when someone hits him just so he can act like some tough guy, showing off his latest tattoo, and making sure every woman on the planet thinks he’s so cute and sweet. How much of an idiot do you have to be to hand the ball over to Voria right before the buzzer? As soon as he stepped onto the court in the first half, he completely trashed our game plan with four massive turnovers, ruined our solid defense, and killed our fast breaks...

I’m skipping the matchup against the Americans and putting my money on France $200... Look, I love Vuković, but Lac is out of this world—he absolutely has to play this tournament. And Kopljar... man, Kopljar... wow. That desperate attempt to pass to Čupić at the end was everything. What a weak-willed guy; honestly, his girlfriend is probably miserable if she's dealing with a dude who stands two meters tall and has zero backbone... Buntić is trying way too hard and his passing is just off. We’re never winning a championship at this rate, and it doesn't take much to fail. It’s embarrassing. If we didn't have gold-medal talent, I'd say we were just bad, but even today, Alilović can't make a single save...

This whole mess is on Goluža...

We basically had those old rivals right where we wanted them—game was ours after the first half. Then we went and blew it.
Look, every national team hits a bump in the road eventually, ours just happened to hit it during the second round.
The issue is everyone expects us to actually learn something from losing:
Kopljar shouldn't be starting. If he needs minutes, bring him in when we've already locked down the win.
Get Balić in right after Kopljar. He's a legend—out of pure respect, he deserves a shot at "just one more championship." Or use him for what he’s good at, which is picking up penalties... but not at the start when we're trying to build a massive lead.
Today was just a masterclass in our coach's stupidity—a perfect demo of the weaknesses our future opponents are gonna feast on.

Man, I really hope I'm dead wrong about this...

Not exactly Balić's best day at the office. We're taking down the Frenchies without breaking a sweat...👋

it’s going to absolutely wreck us...

Those Frenchmen just don't suit our style; their defensive approach feels more like wrestling than handball.
Vori won't see a single clear shot, as the Dinar defense will likely dominate the court.
Karabatić and Narcis are set to deliver a championship-caliber performance.
Goluža will ensure the top talent stays sharp by managing rotations from the bench when necessary.
Just a few more days until we head back home to the States.
What kind of players do we actually have to take on the global handball stage, only to come away with nothing?🤣

As most people on this forum suggest, why not just send Balić back to America, drop him off with a truckload of Marlboro, and let him enjoy life along the San Francisco Embarcadero with the ladies, while letting everyone else play 😉

We really missed those lightning-fast transition plays from Duvnjak; that’s exactly how we used to tear them apart. And who was always the first one sprinting down the court to finish the break? Štrlek! Who was our go-to scorer whenever the fast break wasn't working? Lac! So where are those two right now? Sitting on the damn bench. 🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

Daniel Cooper40 said:It’s honestly kind of silly that the last round of games isn't scheduled at the exact same time. We're playing the Americans during this slot, so we'll basically know exactly what we need to do before our own game even starts.

USA 5
USA 4
USA 3
Iceland 2
France 2
Canada 2

Feb 24th
4:10 PM USA - Iceland
6:10 PM France - USA
8:10 PM Canada - USA

Feb 25th
4:10 PM France - Iceland
6:10 PM USA - Canada
8:10 PM USA - USA

And hey, if we end up dropping one to France, we might still have a shot. We'd just need to beat the Americans, and then hope France loses to Iceland—or maybe Spain loses everything from here on out. It feels like a bit of a puzzle right now, but things should clear up after the next round since everyone is still very much in the hunt.

Man, there are so many ways this could play out by the end🙄

If I had to guess the most likely scenario... though wouldn't we be out anyway if France beats us? 😕

4:10 PM USA - Iceland - 2
6:10 PM France - USA - 1
8:10 PM Canada - USA - 2

Feb 25th
4:10 PM France - Iceland - 1
6:10 PM USA - Canada - 1
8:10 PM USA - USA - 1

USA 7
USA 6
France 6
USA 5
Iceland 4
Canada 2

George Chavez8 said:I am so done with Ivan Balić. Because of him, we are never going to win anything ever again. He’s just a loser with those ridiculous habits and all that constant complaining. All he cares about is cracking a smile when someone hits him just so he can act like a tough guy, showing off some new tattoo while every woman in the world swoons over how "cute" and "sweet" he is. How can anyone be such an idiot to let him play that stunt with Voria just minutes before the end? As soon as he stepped onto the court in the first half, he completely wrecked our entire game plan—we had solid defense and great fast breaks, then he threw it all away with four massive unforced errors...

I won't even bother watching the French team; I'll just put my money on France $200... Look, I love Vuković, but Lac is playing like he's from another planet this tournament—he absolutely has to start... and Kopljar... oh, Kopljar... what a disaster. That desperate attempt to pass to Čupić at the buzzer was the turning point. What kind of weak-willed player is that? If his girlfriend is two meters tall and has nothing else going for her, maybe she can handle his lack of character. Buntić is trying way too hard and making terrible passes. We are never winning anything at this rate, and it doesn't take much to fail. It's a disgrace. Honestly, if we didn't have players capable of winning gold, I'd say we were talentless... and then you have Alilović today, who can't make a single save to save his life...

All of this traces back to Goluža...

I honestly couldn't care less about Domagoj Duvnjak, who, unlike Ivan, never actually possessed real talent on the court. That's the first thing. Secondly:
It is a widely known fact that under Lino Červar, players would show up to training camps and these absolute nobodies would ask him, "How heavy is the gear?"
If you didn't have the cash, you weren't even getting a look on the expanded roster.
I swear, I hope that number 8 player breaks both his legs and disappears from the sport forever.
Thirdly, how can you people have the nerve to trash talk Ivan? He is the one player without whom we wouldn't have won a damn thing.