World Cup Handball: The Final Stretch

Steven Reed30 said:And even if they hadn't been helped, we probably would've lost by 3 or 4 anyway...

Always tired from the game before last, there’s always some excuse ready to go, try me

The Frenchmen made it look easy.
I mean, if the officiating had been even remotely decent, they probably would've walked away with a 4.5-point lead by halftime, though honestly, maybe they would've just ended up clawing their way back anyway.
It felt like the Norwegians weren't even allowed to compete, especially during that second half when it seemed like the home team was getting whistled for a foul on every single missed play. Once those Norwegians managed to close the gap to -2.3, the refs handed out this totally phantom penalty after Karabatic basically bulldozed someone into the crease, yet nothing happens when the other side gets hit with the exact same stuff.
They likely would've pulled off the win regardless, I guess, but it doesn't hurt to acknowledge how much the home team gets pushed around by the refs.
Congratulations Frenchman !!
Congratulations Norwegian !!
Congratulations Canadian !!

Steven Reed30 said:Even without those blatant pushes, they still would have lost by 3 or 4 points...

Quite likely.
Still, they're hitting rock bottom.

What kind of winning mentality has been instilled in that French national team? It is truly remarkable. This culture is being seamlessly passed down to the younger generation. They possess overwhelming physical and psychological dominance; as it stands, there isn't a single team in sight capable of matching them over a sixty-minute stretch.

Watching these Frenchmen play is pure entertainment🙏 Total masters, honestly.

If Bergerud hadn't put in such a hell of a defensive performance, we would've easily walked away looking at a double-digit deficit by the end.

They’re going to be dominating everything for years to come; I can already see them cruising through the streets of Washington, D.C. in exactly
one year's time. That is, assuming we somehow work a miracle and make it to the finals.

They were pushing us around at home too. Then maybe—just maybe—we’ll actually have a shot at going toe-to-toe with someone in the semifinals. If we even make it that far... 😬

Only losers, total failures, and mental wrecks bother showing up to a trial. Besides, how
are things even handled here? When it comes to home-field advantage, the rules aren't applied the same way. Obviously, ambiguous situations
always swing in favor of the home team, but you won't see anyone actually pushing back or making a real fight out of it

So, quit talking nonsense.

Maybe they were the greatest ever, but I’d personally call them out for being total thugs back in the day—especially that frontman, Bata Karabatic. They didn't have any other way to get what they wanted besides picking fights. And honestly? The Norwegians never stood a chance.

Steven Taylor43 said:Obviously, those close calls
go the home team's way, but honestly, there hasn't been much of a struggle out there lately
So, let's not talk nonsense here.

Exactly.
Once the refs actually start siding with the home crowd, that's when things might get a little more intense, I guess.
😬

Jack Kelly5 said:Exactly.
When the refs are playing favorites for the home team, you're going to see a lot more bias on the field.
😬

It’s the same story in every single sport—those split-second, controversial calls tend to lean toward the home crowd.
Whether you're talking about boxing or the UFC, a challenger basically has to outperform the champ by at least 10% just to secure the belt if the fight is close; if the judges can't decide who took the round, they default to the champion. That's just an unwritten rule of the game. And honestly, handball is no different.

If we want to be brutally honest and face reality, the officiating has actually swung in our favor more often than not—against Egypt, against Spain, and against Norway—but our players simply lack that winning mentality required to capitalize on those moments.

Some people in this thread are acting like they just fell off Mars...

Go ahead, try to find me even three decisions that went in favor of the Frenchman. Don't give me those flimsy, questionable calls; I want to see where the Norwegians were directly cheated out of a result. If anyone can actually produce that, I'll personally exile myself from this forum.

Some idiot on FOX News was claiming that gold is expected to boom in America throughout 2018. Honestly, the media is the single greatest evil facing modern America. What they are doing to this nation and its people is absolutely unforgivable. They exhibit total ignorance and a complete lack of information regarding the very topics they pretend to discuss, yet every single time, they manufacture absolute hysteria over every little soccer or handball match. It is truly appalling how much they irritate me.

Steven Taylor43 said:I mean, it’s basically the same deal in any sport, right? The judges are probably gonna lean toward the home team more often than not,
whether you're talking about boxing or UFC. A challenger pretty much has to put in
like, at least 10% more effort just to snag the belt if things get close, and if it's even remotely a toss-up,
the champ usually gets the nod—that's just kind of the unwritten rule, I guess. You see the same thing in handball too.

If we’re being totally honest here, there have been plenty of times when the refs have screwed us over,
against Egypt, against Spain, or even against Norway, but our guys
just don't seem to have that winning mentality needed to actually capitalize on it.

Some people in here act like they just dropped in from Mars or something...

Just try and find me three calls that actually went in favor of the Frenchman—and I don't mean
those borderline calls, but actual instances where the Norwegians were straight-up
robbed. If anyone can actually pull that off, I’ll just ban myself from this forum myself.

Just watch a game for maybe 20 or 40 minutes. If you don't end up banning yourself, then yeah, you must be from Mars.

btw,
bringing up any kind of professional combat sport in this conversation is honestly kind of ridiculous.

I mean, who’s actually watching those random quarterfinals anyway?

Down at halftime? No big deal. Here are 7 seven-point plays to get you back in it.

Around this exact time last year, the Norwegians were busy making life difficult for the Frenchmen.

So...

Kyle Campbell4 said:Some idiot on FOX News was claiming they expect gold to boom in America by 2018. The media is easily the greatest evil in modern America. What they do to this country and its people is unforgivable. It's pure ignorance and a total lack of insight into the topics they discuss, yet they somehow manage to manufacture hysteria over every single soccer or handball match. It’s truly infuriating...

The biggest problem facing modern America is the average citizen who lacks education, remains unlearned, and chooses laziness...

ruggedjackal9 said:Around this same time last year, the Norwegians were busy giving those Frenchmen a hard time.

So...

And we gave those Norwegians a run for their money too, so...

Goodness gracious, those Frenchmen are like an unstoppable freight train—just relentless. Every time I think about how we sent them packing into "retirement"...🤣🤣

Kyle Campbell4 said:Some idiot on the FOX evening news was just predicting gold medals for America in 2018. Honestly, the media is one of the greatest evils in modern America. What they are doing to this country and its people is truly unforgivable. They demonstrate such total ignorance and lack of insight regarding the very topics they discuss, yet every single time, they manage to whip up hysterical frenzy over every soccer or handball match. It is truly exhausting how much they irritate me.

It reminds me of when John Doe on FOX claimed France would be playing America in the finals just an hour before the game against Norway even started. And here is another thing that bothers me: if Linus was fired because he wasn't performing, and Katy's adrenaline was also an issue, why are they suddenly considered great again?
Our sports scene in general makes no sense as long as it's being run by the mob. This is most obvious in soccer because that's where the big money is, but even the other sports are held in the hands of the same type of people.

Joseph Clark37 said:The single greatest tragedy facing modern America is the average American citizen, who remains intellectually stunted, uneducated, and fundamentally lazy.

You see, those two things are inextricably linked. 😉

Robert Doyle8 said:The winning mindset they've baked into that French national team is just insane, seriously. It’s like this thing that just gets passed down to all the younger players coming up through the ranks. Physically? They're monsters. Mentally? Unstoppable. As far as I can see, there isn't a single team out there right now that can actually go toe-to-toe with them for a full 60 minutes.

I was actually talking about this just a couple of days ago. I mean, when you actually nurture a positive, winning culture, the kids naturally soak it up like a sponge.
The local news stations are all over this, calling it the "new American generation"... but honestly? No. Not really. They're just mourning the loss of guys like Ballic, Duvnjak, Loser, and Metlicic. Everyone still remembers that interview from a few years back where Ballic was absolutely losing his mind at the refs, slamming his fist against the panel and everything.

And look, if Babic steps away too, it won't be a surprise. We'll probably just end up right back where we started—old coaches coming in with their usual negativity, those weird conspiracy theories targeting the US, constant excuses about being tired... it's always the same old story.😁

Steven Taylor43 said:Man, watching these Frenchmen play is such a trip🙏 Pure class, absolute masters

If Bergerud hadn't been playing defense like a total beast, we’d probably be looking at a routine 10+ point blowout right now

They're gonna be dominating everything for years... I mean, I can already see them walking into the middle of Washington, D.C. and just taking over exactly
one year from today. Assuming, of course, that we somehow manage a miracle
and actually make it to the finals

In terms of actual skill, America is sitting somewhere around 7th or 8th place globally. Sure, they had one legit win against Spain, but everything else was just beating up on amateur or semi-pro squads. They were practically shaking in their boots against Egypt, and even struggled against Belarus.