Handball World Championship Spain-Portugal Finals

Topic "Handball-World-Championship-Spain-Portugal" has gotten way too massive, honestly, and making it all the way to the semifinals definitely calls for its own dedicated thread, so we’re just gonna keep the hype train rolling right here, whether you’re looking to shower our national team with endless praise or just vent your frustrations depending on how you're feeling about the game😁

It's a rest day today, so everyone is heading over to Washington, D.C., and tomorrow we finally get that big showdown against the Spaniards.

Alright, I’m going to pretend I’m an expert for a second here, just for 😁

Here’s my take. First off, we absolutely need Zernica on the right wing. Djomba was basically nowhere to be found last night until after the Americans had already completely fallen apart. One combination play with Metlicic and one dry run isn't enough from him. And of course, he has to miss at least one fast break. That’s practically his trademark.
Look, I respect the guy, but he’s just not in form. He’s totally out of it. Jestel noticed that whenever our guys try to feed him on the wing, he’s lagging behind, so then he drifts out to the backcourt trying to act like a playmaker. Usually, that just kills our offensive flow.
So, put Zernica on the right wing. If Djomba stays in, then we need to look for Caleb more often.

Our perimeter looks incredible—knock on wood. In my opinion, Balic is definitely the best center back in this tournament. I’ve watched a few others, and they aren't even in his league. Metlicic played the game of his life last night, no doubt about it. And when Lackovic charges toward the six-meter line, he looks like an avalanche. It’s terrifying to watch; you could see it when the camera caught him from the corner. Just a total tornado. Our backcourt is flawless.

The defense is just as solid. The pivots are crushing it, and Valcic is literally tearing their playmaker apart at the front. Opponents have to play a deep defense against us, and hardly anyone knows how to handle that. Our guys know exactly what to do, and we're seeing the results. Man, the Americans were making rookie mistakes last night; during the friendlies, they were just wandering around the zone passing the ball like they were at practice. We absolutely dismantled them.

Now we just need to go grab that gold. Or at least try. Our guys are playing relaxed, and they happen to be playing their best handball yet. I think they can actually do it. There's no massive pressure on us. You saw how much they struggled, barely scraping by. All because of that constant grind.

I’m with you on Dunkin'; he’s really been the weak link in this tournament (not that he’s ever actually stepped up in the big games before).

Everything else is pure magic, and nobody should even question it.

LET'S GO BOYS!!!

So, look, Muhammad is honestly one of those players who will pull off this absolutely legendary play and then immediately follow it up with three total disasters, but I don't know why, for some reason, I still find him kind of likable even though his flashy style drives me crazy half the time. I really don't see Zernic getting the edge here.

If our guys keep playing like this, we could honestly take down anyone on the schedule, though you can't just overlook the fact that the Spaniards are the only ones who cruised into the semifinals with a perfect 7-0 record.
And what was said about the Germans is spot on, because their biggest struggle is always just dealing with that massive pressure of feeling like they "have" to win.

It all comes down to defense.

Dzomba is my absolute favorite player, so it honestly kills me to see him struggle like that 😢
But man, everyone else was just on fire. Pero Metlicic was absolutely relentless yesterday, just hammering away at them. Then you had Lackovic charging in—the Danes were basically standing there like statues watching him go. And Balić? He’s just tearing it up. When they interviewed Balić and Lackovic afterward, it was actually refreshing; none of that manufactured, ego-driven nonsense you usually get from soccer players. They both came across as just genuinely decent guys. Honestly, reaching this level is a massive achievement. Hats off to them 👍

I actually mentioned in another thread how much I can't stand the Spanish 😠 — if only they could just lose (for my sake, 😁 )

Of course, once that happens, our ambitions will skyrocket and we'll all be demanding gold 😁 , but honestly, looking past those first two games, the guys have shown what they're truly made of. They fought hard and beat the best out there. Regardless of how things shake out from here, they have my absolute 🙏 !

ironjackal40 said:I actually mentioned on another thread how much I can't stand the Spanish 😠 — I’m just waiting for them to lose (for my sake, 😁 )

Of course, once that happens, our expectations will skyrocket and we’ll all be demanding gold 😁 , but honestly, aside from those first two games, the guys have looked impressive. They fought hard and beat the best. In my book, they’ve already earned a 🙏 regardless of what happens next!

And to everyone who was talking trash about them... you all played a part in this... maybe while you were relaxing and surfing the web, you stumbled upon this forum, saw the front page, and decided to show these IMF amateurs what we're really about...😁 😁 😁

Seriously, I hear Ivano Balić stays up surfing the web until three in the morning, getting totally worked up over us before he starts prepping his shots like he's aiming projectiles. Lino Červar gives him an absolute earful whenever he catches him scrolling on his laptop in the restroom, but once he sees the actual results from all that late-night grind, he lets it slide.😲 😁

Malakay said:Exactly, I’ve heard that Ivano Balić stays up surfing the web until three in the morning, getting all worked up over us before he starts calibrating his joints like some kind of human projectile launcher. Lino Červar gives him an absolute earful whenever he catches him scrolling on his laptop in the bathroom, but honestly, once he sees the results those late-night sessions produce, he just lets it slide.😲 😁

Actually, morski is basically Petar Metličić.😁

morski vražičko said:And honestly, all of you who were busy trashing them actually had a hand in this... who knows, maybe they just stumbled upon this forum while surfing during their downtime... saw the very first page... and decided, "Hey, let's show these IMF bureaucrats that we know what's really going on."😁 😁 😁

In that case, it’d probably be better if we just kept talking trash.🙂

FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE FINALE

vividwalker7 said:Yugoslavia lost a heartbreaker to Canada (34:33)

B-A-M-M 🙂

he he he...
once they stop playing, Jovanovic, Skrbic, Perunicic, and Lisicic won't be able to do anything but dream about winning medals...

Those Germans are honestly unbelievable
they’re sitting on an 11-7 lead and then just go completely cold for fifteen minutes straight... ending up at 11-13

So basically, it’s either going down against Germany in the Final or we’re facing the French for the bronze.

I caught both of those Germany games and honestly, they didn't blow me away at all, since they were practically sweating through their shirts just to get past Yugoslavia and France, which are pretty much the only two heavy hitters in this mix anyway. And look, I’m not gonna jump on the bandwagon like Božo and claim they aren't gassed out, because they definitely struggled big time to reach the Final, especially considering their path was twice as easy as ours or the French guys.

If we end up dropping this one, then we’ll be heading straight into a scrap with France, but if you ask me, those guys look absolutely spent.

LORD HELP ME!!!

IT'S SHOWTIME! 😉

Let's go guys, we've got the Germans waiting for us in the finals!

2:6

this ain't looking good

Alright, we’re getting back in it... once we actually fix this defense, we'll be golden...

6:8