World Cup Handball: The Final Stretch

mellowtinker2 said:A walk in the park on the way to the finals for our guys 👏 Unbelievable...

Yeah, haha, fighting Spaniards and Norwegians? Nothing too hard, I guess.

We’ve partially broken through—only the Spaniards remain, though I highly doubt we can overtake them; the Brazilians have already proven they are unbeatable.

It’s Babb’s time or never—it is high time for one real game, the absolute best of the tournament. ☕
I just hope Our Lady stays on our side (once we get past Egypt, naturally).

I mean, I don't think we've got much of a shot against the Spaniards. They're probably gonna learn from their mistakes this time, so I'm guessing the final is gonna be a showdown between France and Spain.

Seriously, massive props to them. It was absolutely deserved, and honestly, what a hell of a game.🙏I actually thought for a second the Danes might have an easier path through this.

And don't even get me started on our local commentators. That constant condescension really gets under my skin. They act like we’re just going to stroll through this tournament. How? These guys just played a hundred times better than they did against us and took down the defending champions, yet suddenly it's supposed to be easy for us?🤦

Miller should have been given a two-minute penalty, yet Sondergard got one for absolutely nothing. Then there was Balog, scoring off a play where the whistle really should have blown much earlier. All of this happened right at the critical moment when the game was hanging in the balance.

What a game by Miller 🙏
Miller 🙏
If those Danes weren't cheating, they wouldn't have held the lead for even a single second.

Man, I can't believe how bad the Americans are playing right now—just totally lost from the jump, which is super weird for them. I really hope Gudmundson starts flying, because he should’ve pulled Landin sooner; honestly, Landin's been on a massive downward slide ever since Wolf showed up in Kiel
On the flip side, Miller has been absolutely reaping the benefits ever since Alilovic dealt with that unfortunate thrombosis

Walter Hughes53 said:I don't think we stand a chance against the Spaniards. They’re going to learn from their mistakes, and it'll likely end up being a France vs. Spain final.

Personally, I'm still holding out hope that we actually learned our lesson after that previous blowout. If we did, then I'm not sweating a loss.

Angela Alvarez10 said:these local commenters with their constant condescension really get under my skin... as if the path ahead just got easier for us. Based on what? They played a hundred times better than they did against us and knocked out the defending champions, yet suddenly it’s going to be easy for us🤦

Not even after Egypt knocks us out
😬

I placed a bet on $67 at the start of the World Cup, wagering that America would take the whole thing. Odds were at 15. Plenty of people laughed in my face, but I just told them: don't you ever bet against Jesus and Our Lady of Medjugorje.

All jokes aside, we’ve really found our rhythm, and honestly, we have a legitimate shot at the finals. We’re going to have to step up our game compared to the group stage; specifically against Spain, we'll need a disciplined defense and lightning-fast transitions back to our positions. If we can pull that off, I truly believe we move forward. Norway and Canada are tough outs, but we're the stronger side. As for the final? Well, we'll just have to see what Jesus and Zack have in store for us.
I should mention, I did place a little casual wager with a friend just for kicks, but it's still a long road before that ticket actually hits.

This commenter is being completely dense. He keeps totally underselling the Canadians, and then has the nerve to claim the real action at this tournament in France hasn't even started yet—implying the big showdown is still ahead with USA vs. Egypt. But let's be real: that match is the only one that actually matters to us Americans; to everyone else, it’s about as significant as Belarus playing Sweden.

That said, kudos to the Canadians. I honestly didn't think they had the stamina to pull it off, but they managed to dig deep.

Patrick Newman5 said:Yeah, haha, Spaniards and Norwegians, we could take them easily

Babb was saving us for the biggest games😁 Just kidding, if by some miracle we actually manage to get past the Spaniards, I have a feeling the Norwegians might end up being our next hurdle. And who knows, maybe those wild Canadians could give them a run for their money too.

Angela Alvarez10 said:I mean, I'm still holding out hope that we actually learned our lesson after that massive blowout we took before. If we really did, then I'm totally fine with losing this one if it means we grew.

And man, those Spaniards look absolutely stacked compared to us. But honestly? It felt like they walked in yesterday thinking it’d be an easy win—basically having the stamina of Brazil and controlling the game like they owned it for like 98% of the time, until their coach totally blew it.

hollowbison80 said:I put it up. $67 I put my money on the US winning the World Cup right at the start. Odds were 15 to 1. A lot of people laughed in my face, but I told them straight up: don't you ever bet against Jesus and Our Lady of Medjugorje.

Jokes aside, we’ve actually pulled ourselves together, and I think we’ve got a real shot at the finals. We're gonna have to step it up big time compared to how we played in the group stage, though. If we face Spain, we’re gonna run into a brick wall of a defense and a team that transitions lightning fast. If we can handle that, I honestly believe we'll move on. Norway and Canada are both absolute nightmares to play against, but I think we're the stronger side. After that, whatever happens in the final, it'll be in the hands of Jesus and Zlatko.
I mean, I totally played a little something on our side just for kicks with my buddy, but man, we’ve still got a long way to go before that winning ticket actually hits.

Man, this is way too long. Just way too damn long.

Egypt, Spain, Norway, Canada... I mean, I honestly don't think the friar is gonna make it through all this without getting roughed up.

Get ready for a massive headache tonight. I’m betting on a win, but don't expect it to be pretty—it'll likely be a bloody affair, maybe a one, two, or three-goal margin at most. If the Egyptians decide to play a wide-open 3-3 formation, our boys might find themselves struggling significantly to stretch out their defense.

Look, the ball is round, folks. Period.

Chris Fisher3 said:It’s a ball, folks. Simple as that.

And it's handball, so even smaller, I guess.
I'm with you—first, we gotta take down the Egyptians. If they play anything like those guys from Tunisia, they're gonna tear our defense apart at the line.

Walter Hughes53 said:handball too—and a smaller squad at that
I’m with you—we gotta take down Egypt first. If they play even half as aggressive as those guys from Tunisia, they’re gonna tear our defense apart

Exactly. It’s about knocking teams out one by one. Egypt—whoever they are—is the first hurdle. Everyone expects it, sure, but people expected the Danes to walk away with it today too.

There aren't any "unbeatable" teams in this tournament. I mean, yeah, the French look intimidating, but they’ve got their hands full with the Swedes right now—and those guys don't mess around. Spain is tough, but the Brazilians could've knocked them out easily, so...

That’s why we love handball. Anything can happen on paper. We don't even need a miracle—we've got Our Lady on our side—but we seriously need to actually watch the game against Germany. With the way we're playing, we wouldn't even get past Egypt, let alone worry about Spain. We need a plan... and a coach, but whatever, it's probably too late for that anyway...

placidmaker62 said:This commentator is a total moron

I mean, I don't know if he's actually an idiot, but his voice and the way he talks is just... kind of grating, I guess.

Shout out to our neighbors up North!!!
They fought some seriously bloody battles—honestly, even Attila would’ve been pretty impressed!
👍

Tonight's broadcast and our flawless coverage really left me feeling a bit wiped out.

I can see Germany and Norway facing off in the finals.