Handball EP - Norway 2008

Just a quick thought, that 36:26 score where Denmark took down Poland probably says something significant; it suggests our own embarrassing loss wasn't just on us, but that there’s a direct link to how the Danes play. After seeing them perform like this, I'm starting to think they're being pushed as the top favorites for the EP, and honestly, a Denmark vs. France final is looking more and more likely

If the French can't find a way to shut down the Danish momentum, they're in trouble. If they actually manage to focus on the midfield and neutralize shooters like Boesen, Jeppesen, and Søndergaard—and maybe even Boldsen if things get desperate—Denmark is going to absolutely tear them apart from both wings. They aren't like the current American or Polish squads that rely so heavily on the perimeter. Unless some kind of absolute miracle happens and we somehow stumble our way into the finals, I'll be rooting for those Danish masters 🙏

William Myers9 said:Game two:>
The Canadians pull off a win, maybe getting a little lucky in what turns out to be a total grind of a match.

Game three:
If we come out swinging tomorrow with everything we've got—kind of like how the Danes absolutely dismantled us by running up the score in the first twenty minutes of the half—we could build a decent lead. Once those jittery Norwegians realize they haven't won a game in two outings, and you throw the pressure of a home crowd on top of that, they're going to start cracking under the weight of their own mistakes. From there, we should just be able to coast, maintain a comfortable gap, and cruise to a calm finish.

That sets us up to face either the Germans or the Swedes, who, let’s be honest, are a much better matchup for us than the French.

Man, talk about a wild path to first place.😂
The only way this actually happens is if Team USA completely implodes and everyone else loses their minds in the process...

They’re likely worn out; they aren't exactly in their prime anymore, and our heavy hitters were resting yesterday...
But man, those Norwegians really go at it 🙏 🙏 🙏 It’s brutal...🙏
Besides, I don't see the Canadians standing a chance at winning Dance... 🤷 They won't be able to crack that defense... maybe, if everything goes their way—including a terrible roll of the dice... 🤷

Chris Lopez59 said:It’s unlikely the French will be able to shut down the Danish offense. If they focus too much on the center and their elite shooters like Boesen, Jeppesen, and Søndergaard—maybe even Boldsen if necessary—the Danes will just tear them apart from the wings. Denmark isn't like (today's) American or Polish teams that rely so heavily on the three-point line. Unless we pull off some absolute miracle and make it to the finals, I’ll be rooting for those Danish masters. 🙏

👍👍👍 They play great and finally deserve a medal.🙏

swiftbison2 said:👍👍👍 They’re playing out of their minds and honestly deserve to finally get their hands on a medal🙏

Look, this is a national team that had the talent to win gold way back when; they eventually managed to scrape some bronze, but they always seemed to choke in the semifinals. I mean, remember back in Germany when the Poles absolutely demolished them in the semis? That was a rough one, wasn't it?

swiftbison2 said:They probably are worn out; I mean, they aren't exactly in their prime anymore, and our key players were resting yesterday...
But man, those Norwegians really laid into 🙏 🙏 🙏 It was brutal...🙏
Honestly, I don't see any way the Canadians are taking home the Dance... 🤷 They just won't be able to find any openings against that defense... maybe, if everything goes their way and we get some terrible officiating... 🤷

I didn't catch the game... I don't think Balic and Metla got much rest, did they?
And I heard Mrkvaljevic got injured during the match; it would have been a nail-biter if he’d actually been fit, especially since Rakcevic had to head out early... it would've been tight...

I didn't catch the game myself, but I think I read somewhere that Balić only saw about 15 minutes of action 🤔 Metličić was on the court for nearly the whole thing

EDIT—my mistake, I've got my numbers crossed and have no clue what the actual playing time was 😵

Chris Lopez59 said:They were always the underdogs with medal potential—hitting bronze here and there, but usually choking in the semifinals. I think they got absolutely dismantled by the Poles in the semis back in Germany, right?

Right. Poland-Denmark ended 26:26, then 36:33 after overtime.😉

swiftbison2 said:I didn't catch the game myself, but I think I read somewhere that Balić only got about 15 minutes on the floor 🤔 while Metličić was out there for almost the whole thing.

EDIT—my bad, I totally mixed up the numbers, I have no clue who actually played how much.😵

The stats say he played 22 minutes, which isn't actually that terrible...
but unfortunately, Metličić looked pretty gassed out there... I honestly feel for him because it's like nobody can step up to cover for him on defense.👎 It's obvious we don't have a real alternative when it comes to the offense, but man, we really need someone to pick up the slack on the defensive end.

Right before the big game against Mexico, the president of the American handball federation, Željko Kavran, went on camera and started venting about how poorly the Norwegians organized the EP. He was specifically complaining about the food and how the rooms were set up. Naturally, the locals were pretty insulted by the critique, so they fired back with a massive article full of photos showing off the hotel and an extensive list of everything on the menu.

The hotel manager, Baron Torgersen, is genuinely baffled. He can't wrap his head around why Kavran would say such harsh things, especially since he believes their hospitality is top-tier.

"The players have excellent accommodations. We actually gave them more single rooms than we usually do just to make sure they're comfortable. The rooms meet very high Norwegian standards," Torgesen said.

Word reached Torgesen that the Americans were particularly unhappy with the catering, which forced them to head out to local restaurants a few times. That’s a massive hit to any organization's budget, especially considering how expensive Scandinavia can be. Feeling personally insulted, Torgesen took a look through the hotel's menu pages...

"Oh, you poor Americans, I guess they're just used to having such a high standard back home," one commenter noted.

"Look, for breakfast, we offer a standard international hotel spread, including warm pastries and peaches. We even provide freshly picked, current American newspapers as a supplement. For lunch, guests can choose from traditional Norwegian dishes—like roasted poultry in birch sauce—to international options like wood-fired lasagna, various perfectly cooked fish, several types of gourmet pasta, and tempting meat dishes, all served with various styles of potatoes and bread," Torgesen listed.

"We especially highlight our bolognese pasta, various cakes, and poppy seed noodles. And honestly, if someone isn't satisfied, they can just order whatever they want and we'll whip it up in no time," Torgesen added with a hint of sarcasm.

"I truly don't understand what they find lacking. I'll have to ask them in the morning to see where the issue lies. They hadn't given us any hints that they were unhappy, and frankly, I'm sorry it turned out this way," Torgesen concluded.

There was one particular comment on a local forum that caught my eye, where a visitor basically wrote: "Poor Americans, they're probably just used to that incredibly high standard in their own country."

1. The food is borderline disgusting. On top of being bad, it's outrageously expensive.

2. Our standard of living and dining is just out of your league. Americans weren't always just fishermen and hikers. Screw your herring.

The flavor profile and price point of Norwegian cuisine are essentially identical to eating pure cash. I suspect very few people will ever manage to replicate the standards set by the 2004 US Presidential Election in Canada.

I can't help but wonder if we’ll ever actually pull off organizing something as massive as those championships put on by the Canadians, Germans, or Norwegians. 😉

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kssVPjBvMkQ
Sweden vs Spain—those final seconds were absolutely insane!
😁

@Chris Lopez59/">@@Chris Lopez59

To be perfectly honest, I was watching Poland vs Norway, and I couldn't help but feel the officials seemed completely unimpressed by the fact that the Norwegians were playing on home soil. They’ve handed out seven yellow cards already, and heaven knows how many fouls against Norway—at one point, they were actually down to just three players!

Just imagine the absolute media meltdown we'd see if something like that happened to us during a home game here in the States...

electricstag9 said:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kssVPjBvMkQ
Sweden vs Spain in those final seconds!
😁

Jesus.
Exactly how many seconds did that take?

Jose Booth48 said:@Chris Lopez59/">@@Chris Lopez59

To be honest, I was watching Poland vs Norway, and it didn't look like the refs were particularly impressed by the fact that the Norwegians were playing on home soil... They've handed out seven seven-meter throws already, and God knows how many penalties against Norway; at one point, the Norwegians were practically playing shorthanded with only three players less on the court...

Just imagine the absolute meltdown in the media if something like that happened to us during a home game here in the States...

It sounds like they had a refereeing crew that wasn't exactly looking to tip the scales in favor of the Norwegians... who was even calling the game?

The number of seven-meter throws doesn't actually tell you much; for instance, if they pulled off seven incredible saves out of nowhere, that’s just good play, regardless of how biased the ref might be.

The Frenchmen were judging... Bord, Buy...
They weren't exactly playing favorites, though I suppose it's hard to be impartial when the performance is an absolute sledgehammer of a set...😬

Jose Booth48 said:The French were judging... Board, Buy...
They weren't exactly playing favorites, but honestly, it’s hard to be impartial when you're watching a total beatdown...😬

Man, we're talking about old-school interests here; I actually thought one of the countries making it through the semifinals (or likely to make it) was the target. 😉
Those French guys got totally screwed by Germany during the semifinals in Germany, all because of how the voting went down.
It makes perfect sense that they’d want to dodge Norway, and frankly, I don't blame them for being completely fed up with the home-court officiating.

Chris Lopez59 said:Look, those are just old interests at play—I honestly thought we were talking about one of the countries actually making the semifinals (or at least likely to)😉
The Frenchies got totally screwed by the Germans during the semifinals in Germany, all thanks to the judging.
It’s obvious they want to avoid Norway, and frankly, they've had more than enough of that home-field officiating.

That's exactly what I was saying to a few Bill Nyes... they just call it however they want, and you can basically ignore them... they don't really care who's actually out there playing.

Adam Collins4 said:That’s exactly what I was getting at when I mentioned Bill Nye... these refs just call it however they want, and honestly, you can just ignore them because they clearly don't give a damn about who's actually out there playing.

So, what's your take—what kind of mess should we expect from today's officiating? We've got a Spaniard in the middle.