Handball EP - Norway 2008

Daniel Cooper40 said:There are four teams in the group. Top three advance. Then they mix them with three teams from the other group—the one containing Denmark, Norway, Mexico, and Raša.

Most likely, the Czech Republic is going out, so nobody's carrying over points earned against them. Right now we’ve got 2 points from the Poles, and we could grab another 2 today if we beat the Canadians...

so we basically have to take down the Canadians...

If we drop a game to Canada, we’re heading into the second round with only 2 points. In that scenario, both the Poles and the Canadians would also carry over 2 points, which puts a semifinal spot way out of reach.

Now, if we actually beat the Canadians, we move forward with 4 points. That sets us up to face Denmark on Tuesday (assuming they come out as B2) and then play the winner of Mexico vs. Russia on Wednesday. If we grab 3 or 4 points from those two games—either two wins or a win and a draw—combined with that victory over Canada, we’re essentially in the semifinals.

That’s all assuming, of course, that the Norwegians take 4 points from Group B, the Danes take 2, and the third team finishes with zero. Honestly, looking at how Russia and Mexico are playing right now, that’s exactly how it should shake out.

I actually think just beating the Danes might be enough to clinch a semifinal spot. We’d sit at 6 points while they’d only have 2. Even if we theoretically lost our remaining two games, we’d still edge them out based on the head-to-head. Of course, everything depends on what the Poles do, or if the Canadians manage to steal a point from someone else along the way.

It’s a lot of math, as usual, but first things first: we have to beat Canada.

This tournament format is perfect for teams like the US. You have to take it one game at a time because every single match carries the exact same weight as the last one. Since we tend to prefer a more relaxed, laid-back approach, this system doesn't give us any room to chill out. Those "machine-like" teams—think Denmark, Germany, or Norway—usually prefer that old-school European style where you can sit back and calculate everything. They’re good at that kind of cold, calculated strategy.

frozentiger6 said:If we drop the game against Canada, we only carry over two points into the next round. In that scenario, both the Poles and the Canadians would move forward with two points each, leaving us with a massive uphill battle to reach the semifinals.

If we pull off a win against Canada, we walk away with 4 points. From there, we’d likely face Denmark on Tuesday—assuming they land that B2 spot—followed by the match against Mexico or Russia on Wednesday. If we can snag 3 or 4 points from those two games, combined with a victory over Canada, we're looking at a guaranteed spot in the semifinals. It’s all about momentum.

Assuming Group B plays out as expected—with the Norwegians picking up 4 points, the Danes taking 2, and the third team walking away with nothing—it all falls into place. Given how the Russians and Mexicans are playing right now, that's exactly how the math should work out.

I honestly think just beating the Danes would be enough to secure us a spot in the semifinals. If that happens, we’d sit at 6 points while they stay stuck at 2. Even if we theoretically dropped our last two matches, we’d still hold the tiebreaker over them based on that head-to-head result. Of course, everything would still hinge on how the Poles perform, and there's always the chance the Canadians might pull an upset and steal a point from someone else.

It’s the same old story: way too much math and calculation, when we really just need to secure a win against Canada first.

This format works perfectly for teams like the US. You have to take it one game at a time, where every single match carries the exact same weight as the last. Since we tend to prefer a more laid-back approach, this system doesn't really leave much room for relaxing. Powerhouse teams like Denmark, Germany, or Norway usually lean toward that German-style setup instead—it allows them to be more calculated, and they excel at that because they always keep a cool head.

🙏

Watching the Germans and Canadians right now, and man, the Germans are absolutely dominating with a four-goal lead, just totally running the show. The Canadians look rough... honestly, I have no idea how they managed to pull off that win against Spain earlier. ☕

Bottom line, if we play the same way we did against Poland, I don't see any way these guys could actually beat us

James Garcia22 said:I’m watching the Germans and Canadians right now. The Germans are up by 4 and really running the show. The Canadians look rough, though—honestly, I have no clue how they managed to beat the Spaniards earlier. ☕

Overall, if we play the same way we did against the Poles, I just don't see how any of these teams could beat us.

What are you even thinking? That's the semifinals, man! That's a long way off.

Roger Allen3 said:what are you even stressing about? we're talking semifinals here, man... that's lightyears away

Yeah, sure, but there's no quarterfinal stage to worry about, so there's this constant fear of just dropping out or totally bombing... personally, I think we're locks for the semis because honestly, everyone else is terrified of us

James Garcia22 said:True, but there's no quarterfinal stage, so there's no fear of an early exit or failing. In my book, we’re locks for the semifinals because everyone is intimidated by us.

I wouldn't go that far....

I certainly wouldn't be in your shoes...

Looks like the French are basically running a six-man rotation. You've got Girault, Fernandez, Karabatic, Narcisse, Abalo, and B.Gille; then you just have Dinart and G.Gille holding things down on defense.
The problem is they’re missing a real right wing since Abati and Burdet aren't out there.
They'll find a way to cheat their way to a win, though. Total steal if you're picking them for the semifinals.

Terry Fisher2 said:It looks to me like the French are basically playing with just six guys on the floor. You've got Girault, Fernandez, Karabatic, Narcisse, Abalo, and B.Gille; the only others really contributing in defense are Dinart and G.Gille.
Since they don't really have a right wing available because Abati and Burdet aren't playing, it leaves them pretty thin.
They might end up overextending themselves. They look like a fantastic pick for the semifinals, don't you think?

So if they actually showed up with B.Gille and Dinart in the lineup, shouldn't we be calculating our chances to avoid them in the semifinals?

They ran into similar issues during the last championship, didn't they? They had to swap Abati for Fernandez on that left side—who is actually right-handed—because they were using the exact same pool of players, and that's ultimately how they ended up knocking us out in the quarterfinals.

What’s the deal with Abati 🤔?

Tired or not, it's best not to mess with them for as long as possible.

Spain vs Germany is tied up at 12-12 at the half; does anyone know if there's a broadcast running on ESPN1?

The Spaniards managed to pull off a win against Germany, though it was a nail-biter with an eight-point gap appearing just seconds before the final whistle

30-22

Beat the Danes and we're golden. Everything's decided.

Group E

USA 4
Norway 4>
Denmark 2
Poland 2
Canada 0
Mexico / Russia 0

Tuesday:
USA - Denmark
Poland - Norway
Canada - Russia / Mexico

Wednesday:
USA - Russia / Mexico
Canada - Norway
Denmark - Poland

Thursday:
USA - Norway
Poland - Russia / Mexico
Denmark - Canada

Group F

France 4
Sweden 2
Germany 2
Canada 2
Spain 2
Iceland 0

It’s gonna be a total bloodbath in this second group, honestly everyone’s on equal footing here... I haven't checked in on the Frenchmen lately so I have no clue how they're looking, but man, I really hope they're struggling because they're the only ones we actually have a massive chip on our shoulder about

The Frenchmen absolutely dismantled the Icelanders by halftime, leading 17-8. It looks like they finally learned the hard way that you can't just stick to that 5-1 defense against them, especially after getting carved up on the wings during the last championship; now they’re trying a 4-2 setup, but honestly, they look completely lost

ESPN is running a combined broadcast for this game, featuring both the Canadian and Belarusian commentary

but then again, the Americans have a four-point lead right now, don't they?

mak-nor 11-12

What are you talking about, Mexico? 🤣, do you mean Mexico?

I’m not sure if this has already come up, but why doesn't the US still have a referee paired up at any major tournament? It’s honestly getting embarrassing.
I really wonder if the French would be officiating our games like this if we actually had referees in their group.

The Norwegians basically spent the last ten minutes just keeping the Mexicans on life support. I really hope they don't think playing against their former brothers-in-arms is any easier than going up against the Russians.

+4 for the Norwegian-Russians, though honestly, they deserve +6/7