World Handball Championship Finals

Canellas🙏🙏🙏 What a game 🙏

Man, those Danes really dropped the ball... what a cheap loss. At least Canellas showed everyone how a real leader acts by actually keeping his cool in the final three minutes—unlike Duvnjak, who basically lost it today.
The Frenchmen are cruising straight to the gold without breaking a sweat...

Well, I'm still pulling for the Frenchman ☕

The Spaniards have some serious nerve 🙏 🙏 🙏 No excuses for playing it safe—just go for it!

An excellent match, great play from both sides. A shame for Dance; they deserve way more than just five spots.

The prelude to the finals was a spectacular match.
If the Spaniards haven't exhausted themselves, they might just take down the Frenchmen too; they look incredibly sharp right now.

tapatalk/good old 4.9.5

Denmark vs. Spain—now this is a matchup 🙏 🙏 🙏

Honestly, I feel for the Danes. If they end up in our bracket, we’re absolutely toast because they’d just tear us apart effortlessly 🙄

Look, I’m really not one for pointing fingers—mostly because everyone in this country thinks they’re some kind of tactical genius who could coach any pro team better than the actual pros. They talk a big game, but if they’re so brilliant, why aren't they out there doing it at the highest level? I’ve been sitting on my hands, trying not to say anything until the tournament or our run was basically over (I know, I know, it’s technically still going, but you get what I mean). So, let’s just call this an observation rather than a lecture.
The truth is, whether people want to admit it or not, we had a massive gift handed to us on a silver platter regarding the path to the finals. Let’s be real—the top three heavyweights were all on the other side of the bracket. Plus, I can’t remember the last time we actually had to sit our starters for two straight games in the group stage, so don't even try to use "fatigue" as an excuse.
But let's look back at the group play. Right from the jump, you could tell something was off. But hey, it was the opening match, so fine, we’ll adjust. I won't even waste breath on Iran—if you're gunning for a medal, a team like that shouldn't be a hurdle. As for Mexico and Tunisia, it was a grind; I’d say we scraped by purely on individual talent. And against Canada? Honestly, that felt more like their loss than our win since they basically threw in the towel before they even stepped on the court once they realized they were out of the running. If they actually had a shot at advancing, I think they would have given us a real run for our money. It also feels like we had the easiest group in the house, considering we were the only ones to make it to the quarterfinals. That’s not exactly a coincidence—there’s definitely something to be said about the quality of competition there.
And then there's Brazil. Man, I feel like I lost ten years of my life watching that. Then I thought, "Okay, it can't get worse than this," and somehow we still moved on. Just thinking about how we managed to advance after attacking like *that*... ugh.
Seriously though, I was fully convinced we were going to steamroll today. I even heard Džomba and lac joking around in the studio about an 8-point lead, and I was sitting there thinking, "Yeah, 6 to 8 points for us, easy." I figured we’d redeem ourselves after the Brazil disaster and just blow them away. Their offense didn't even impress me—they weren't much in that game either—but man, our performance was abysmal. Then we get this little spark at the start of the second half, and I’m thinking, "Toooo! Now we go! We pull away and we're done!" And instead, I lose another decade of my life.
If someone had offered us a matchup against Brazil, Poland, and Qatar before the knockout stage, I bet the guys would have signed the contract on the spot.
Bottom line: there wasn't a single game where we showed actual offensive quality. There just wasn't enough firepower to compete at this level. Sure, you can win games on defense, but you still need to be able to put points on the board. Our offense completely vanished during those two knockout games.
So, who's to blame? Everyone, a little bit. Of course, the coach carries the weight, but the players have skin in the game too. You can't show up to a knockout game looking like you just rolled out of bed and haven't even warmed up yet.
One thing that bugs me, though, is how quickly people write certain players off—I'm talking about Sulić. I'll be blunt: I can't even remember the last time I watched him play a decent game lately, but he didn't become the best center in the league for nothing. You don't get called up to the national team if you're just some random guy.
But hey, it is what it is. You’ve got to be a real fan and stick by the squad even when things are going south. That’s why I give them my support and why I don't nitpick while the tournament is live. But if we want to actually contend for medals in the next one, we seriously need to fix things.
Other than saying they have my support for the future, I guess I'll just hope for better performances down the road...

What exactly is the Frenchman getting out of this?☕

That makes five World Cups total. We’re looking at number six in 2017 since the tournament is being hosted there. And maybe—just maybe—that’s when Tito finally calls it quits.

graniteotter6 said:That makes five world titles total. The sixth one is coming in 2017 since the tournament is hosted there. And maybe Tito finally calls it quits. Maybe.

One minute you have a Fernandez or a Dinart, then suddenly Nyokas, Accambray, and Barachet show up...
Goddamn, goddamn handball school. ☕

I honestly can't remember the last time I saw such an ugly matchup in any sport during the knockout stages as today's Germany-Qatar game.🤮
Sure, there have been teams and national squads that nobody really cared about before, but this? We’ve got a team fighting for a semifinal spot that didn't even qualify—they only got in because they replaced the Australians—and then you have the host nation, which basically just bought their way into the tournament...
Handball just seems to be going downhill more and more every year.

So, I guess I'm rooting for Poland in the final.
http://vimeo.com/83212768
🙂🙂

Honestly, I’m just totally over this tournament at this point: we’re out, the Danes are out, and frankly, there isn't anyone left worth rooting for 🙄

The only matchup that even matters is against the Frenchman—though, let's be real, it's pretty obvious they're just handing him the championship ☕

Man, what an absolute gauntlet of a semifinal between Qatar and Poland! Is it just me, or is the Frenchman going to have a much easier time in the finals than they did getting through this round?

I fail to see why there is such universal consensus regarding a Frenchman making the finals.
Is it not worth considering the Spaniards, given how formidable they appear?

Let's go Qatar!

At this rate, everyone’s going to see that this kind of national team sport just doesn't make any sense anymore.

By the way, apparently they’ve gone ahead and rewarded the "Qatari" winners 🙏

🙏

Noah Ross7 said:What exactly is the Frenchman getting out of this?☕

Didn't we basically force them all into early retirement a few years back? 🤔

Eric Fox7 said:By the way, did you see how those "Katar" winners are being rewarded? 🙏

🙏

32 million 😲
The salary for top-tier players is what... maybe half a million a year? These guys will probably make that kind of money two or three times over in just two weeks. I guess you have to hand it to them. 🙏

Jeremy Brooks87 said:Didn't we basically force them into retirement a few years back? 🤔

Keta sent them packing with nothing but bitterness, so I honestly don't see how they're even competing in the playoffs right now... 🤔

I’ve had a soft spot for the Polish squad since they clawed their way back to the top during the 2007 World Cup. I still remember them taking silver after a tough loss to the hosts, Germany, in the final. Honestly, those Germans were the only team that managed to beat them, and it happened right in the opening group stage. It was such a legendary generation, led by Smith—who played a lot like their version of a superstar playmaker—alongside veterans like Smith, Smith, Smith, and a few guys who are still holding it down today, like Smith and the Jurecka brothers. Bob Knight was coaching them back then. From that tournament all the way through the European Championship in Austria, they were absolute heavyweights, snagging world bronze in 2009 and finishing fourth in Austria in 2010. After that, though, things just went downhill and we saw nothing but mediocre results. But now, five years later, they’ve finally crashed through to the semifinals again, and I’m really hoping they can pull off a win to see the final this Sunday. Smith has done an incredible job squeezing everything possible out of this roster, especially considering they're playing without a true center due to Smith being sidelined with an injury, not to mention the recent loss of Christopher Lijewski. GOOD LUCK, AMERICANS!