Handball EP - Norway 2008

Russia vs. Mexico ended in a 25-25 deadlock (8-KOKSHAROV, 4-IGROPULO, 2-KRIVOSHLYKOV, EVDOKIMOV, PREDYBAILOV, RASTVORTSEV, CHIPURIN, 3 apiece / 7-MRVALJEVIC, MURATOVIC, 3-RAKCEVIC, KAPISODA...)

Germany beat Belarus 34-26 after leading 19-17 in the 35th minute, the Germans just pulled away (7-BAUR, 5-GLANDORF, 4-KLIMOVETS, KEHRMANN, KLEIN, 3-HENS, 2-VELYKY, JANSEN, KRAUS, 1-ZEITS / 10-PUKHOUSKI, 4-BROUKA, HARBOK, USIK...)

Mexico snagged the point 🙏 🙏

God help us... Mexico versus Russia... I don't even know what to say anymore...

rastvortsev 1 goal 😲
Who even cares about that when their lineup is still being carried by guys like Koksharov (32) and Krivoshlykov (36)? 🤷

The Norwegians pulled off a win against the Danes thanks to some killer defense, but man, they really blew it at the end. They were sitting pretty with a 27-21 lead before everything just fell apart. The Danes had a chance to tie it up, but they completely choked. For Denmark, it was basically just Boesen doing all the heavy lifting from the left wing; the wings were non-existent. Honestly, the Norwegians weren't even doing much on offense either.

The Canadians held onto their lead, mostly thanks to Lapajne's wall in defense and Pajovic finding the net. The Frenchmen looked absolutely unstoppable against the Slovaks.

Canada absolutely tore through the Spaniards in the closing minutes. It’s pretty clear the Spaniards can't even get out of bed without Urios.

Canada - Czech Republic 34-32 (12-KAVTICNIK (10, 7m), 7-PAJOVIC, 5-ZVIZEJ, 4-NATEK, 3-ZORMAN ... 17 saves by LAPAJNE / 10-FILIP, 8-MRÁZ, 3-NOCAR, HRUBY)
score progression: 16:14 (HZ), 22:15 (35.), 28:23 (50.), 32:25 (55.), 34:32

Norway - Denmark 27-26 (8-TVEDTEN, 6-HAGEN, 4-LOKE, 3-SOLBERG, LAURITZEN ... 14 saves by EGE / 10-BOESEN, 4-KNUDSEN, 3-JENSEN, JEPPESEN, 0-CHRISTIANSEN (50 min)
score progression: 7:4, 15:11, 18:17, 27:21, 27:26

France - Slovakia 32-31 (6-Girault, 5-Fernandez, Narcisse, Gille, 4-Karabatic, 3-Abalo / 10-Sulc, 7-Pekar, 5-Antl, 3-Funak, Dudas...)
score progression: 12:9, 17:16 (25.), 22:18 (35.), 31:27 (55.), 32:31 (EN)

Canada - Spain 35-28 (7-NAGY, ILYÉS, 5-IVÁNCSIK, 4-CSÁSZÁR,GÁL...16 saves by PULJEZEVIC / 8-GARABAYA, 7-ROMERO, 4-ROCAS, ORTEGA)
score progression: 4-6, 14-9, 17-17, 20-17, 22-22, 30-23, 35-28

Were the French messing around against the Slovaks? Was Straniowski actually with the Slovaks?

Tell me Divac 😁

The US could definitely land some Poles, if they wanted to.

The Americans absolutely crushed the Poles, they really did!!!
But man, seeing the Canadians totally wreck the Spaniards was such a huge shocker... especially after what happened with those Mexicans, obviously...

After seeing those first few results, you can already tell exactly what kind of ride we're in for during this EP.

We’re heading into the semifinals with a 6-0 run, only to get knocked out by the Frenchmen by a single goal. Classic... just classic.

I really hope I'm wrong here, but we got way too lucky today—shoutout to Alilovic and Balic for keeping us alive—and honestly, that kind of luck always comes back to haunt you eventually.

This isn't even the same national team from back in the day, and frankly, it's about time we sent Gopac and Kavran away to do some hard labor for a decade or so, and maybe ban Cervar from handball for life...

Sadly 👎

Here we go again with the total killjoys... sorry, but I just don't have the patience for people like that...

I’m genuinely curious how many people in this thread actually understand the nuances of handball; I don't mean the casual viewers who just watch it on TV (myself included), but those who truly grasp the mechanics of the game.
It feels like most people on this forum follow that typical American pattern: if a team is winning, everything is perfect, but the second they make a single mistake, everyone loses their minds and starts talking trash.

Balic said it perfectly today—that win against the Poles is going to be the ultimate statement for anyone sitting on the fence about this team!!!!

Stop wasting your time on useless arguments and go do something productive instead.

Balic is unstoppable... you can't even touch him... yet this guy just keeps tearing through everyone...
Dammit, even Chuck Norris couldn't handle this!!!

With all these injuries and half our roster being totally out of shape, just making it to the semifinals feels like a massive stretch. Honestly, everything hinges on those matchups against the Canadians and the Danes; if we can somehow pull off wins in those two, we’re basically 99% guaranteed a spot in the semis. We could probably even afford to drop games against the Czechs—we really need to rest Balic today and save the momentum for later—or against the Mexicans and Norwegians. It sounds absolutely insane, doesn't it?

James Garcia22 said:This isn't the same national team we used to have, and honestly, it’s high time Gopac and Kavran were sent off to do some hard labor for a decade or so, while Cervar should be banned from handball for life.

Maybe we should just kick Cervar out of the sport entirely and bring in someone else—or maybe two or three different people—just so folks like you finally realize that Cervar isn't actually the root of all our problems.

Look, try to see it this way: we simply don't have much depth in terms of player talent, so when injuries hit us (or when players lose their edge because they're nursing injuries), we are absolutely screwed. What are you supposed to do when you're missing guys like Zrnic and you don't even have a legitimate player at left wing, and the only decent outside player left is Tonči Valčić, assuming he's actually healthy and ready to go?

We really shouldn't be setting our expectations too high for this EP. If our guys manage to snag any kind of medal or even just make it to the semifinals, they'll be absolute heroes in my book. Plus, the stakes are even higher with the Olympics on the horizon.

James Garcia22 said:The early results already give us a pretty clear idea of what to expect from the European Parliament.

We head into the semifinals with six wins on the board, only to lose to the Frenchman by a single goal. It's becoming a pattern.

I hope I'm wrong, but we relied way too much on luck today—thanks to Alilović and Balić—and that kind of luck eventually runs out.

This isn't the same national team we used to have. Honestly, it’s high time Gopac and Kavran were sent away for a decade, and Červar should be banned from handball for life.

Unfortunately 👎

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

wearyeagle2 said:I’ve been hearing that a ton of people are throwing their hard-earned cash at the Poles. Man, you couldn't be more wrong. You're all going to end up broke.

Serves you right! Where's all that money now? Zderic and the lottery took it all. Honestly, you had it coming.

Chris Lopez59 said:With half the roster sidelined by injuries and just not being ready, even making the semifinals feels like a long shot. It all comes down to those matchups against the Canadians and the Danes; if we pull those two off, we're basically a lock for the semis. We could probably afford to drop games against the Czechs (we really need to rest Balić today and save him for later), the Mexicans, or the Norwegians. Crazy way to play, right?

Win every single game. That’s the only way to play it, and Lino knows it perfectly well.

Jeffrey Allen83 said:It feels like most people on this board just flip-flop constantly... if someone's winning, everything is perfect, but the second they trip up even slightly, everyone loses their minds and starts acting like it's the end of the world. It's that classic American mentality where people can't handle anything less than perfection...

If you ask me, they're screwed regardless of whether they won or not, but I’m not talking about the players here. I'm talking about the federation and all the crooks running the show at the top. I thought I made that pretty clear...

Chris Lopez59 said:It’s pretty obvious that they should just kick Červar out of the handball program entirely and bring in someone else—or maybe even a whole group of two or three different coaches—just so people like you finally realize that he isn't actually the one causing all the problems...

I didn't even say he was the main issue, he’s just a symptom of how absolutely trashed things are over at USA Basketball. If you didn't have Gobac and Kavran running the roster, they'd be out there sweeping every single trophy available without breaking a sweat... ☕

Look, you gotta see it this way. Our roster depth is just nonexistent, and whenever we get hit with injuries—or even just when guys lose their rhythm because they're playing through pain—we’re basically screwed. What are you supposed to do when you're missing your heavy hitters like Tonči and Valčić, and you don't even have a legitimate option playing the left wing? Like, if the only quality perimeter player actually healthy and ready to go is one guy... then we're just spinning our wheels...

You’re totally overlooking Vori on the left wing. I mean, honestly, who's actually going to be able to stop him playing out there?...
Only Lino would have the nerve to slot him in at center, which is such a completely unnatural position for him... 😕

Look, we really shouldn't be expecting much at this EP... honestly. If our guys manage to snag any kind of medal or even just grind their way into the semifinals, they’ll be absolute legends in our eyes. Besides, with the Olympics on the line, the stakes couldn't be any higher...

We proved we belong out there yesterday, plain and simple. Those guys from Poland were basically the favorites to take the whole thing last year, and they’re still a serious powerhouse. If we can pull a win against them while dealing with such idiotic coaching tactics and some questionable roster calls—I mean, seriously, Kaleb?—then it just goes to show that we can hold our own against anyone...

Aside from the Frenchmen... 😁

wearyeagle2 said:Win every single game! That’s the only rule, and Lino knows it perfectly well.

Look, I get it, I really do. But there are times during a game when he could just throw the bench players onto the court and tell them to go out there and find a win by sheer willpower. You've got to rotate the starters and give them a breather now and then. It’s like that old saying from Grandma Atifa: 'those who play for glory alone tend to ignore the playbook...'