Handball Euro Bronze Medal Match: USA vs. Spain 31:27

Adam Collins4 said:It’s just like when I mentioned that penalty call on Buntić, or that last one involving Balić...

The player breaks away from the defense and gets ready to shoot, facing the goal, and then they either pull him (Buntić) or shove him (Balić)...

It looks like a clear chance to score, and there's definitely interference happening right when it matters...

balić: the foul technically started while the Spanish player was already a step ahead, and even as he closed in on the line, Balić was still ahead of him. There's no way that should have been a penalty.

buntić: it's a similar situation—the foul actually kicked off while Buntić was still positioned between the Spanish defender and the line. I mean, I'll admit, you could call it because the Spanish guy really outran him there. But honestly? If they didn't call it, I think that would have been just as fair.

neonfalcon16 said:The gold from the EP is going to stay out of reach for a while longer.

Not gonna happen.
You can see the coach already talking about us bidding to host the next European Championship... 😁😁

If we can't win it on the world stage, we'll just have to take it at home. We'll just have to hope we grease the referees' palms a little better this time... and maybe send some better escorts than we did during the last World Cup... 😁

John Booth said:I'm not happy about this,
we really should have taken first place!

Man... That game against Mexico is going to haunt us for a long time. It especially stings because we all know we're the better team on paper. This wasn't a skill issue; it was a total psychological collapse, and honestly, that’s just not how these guys usually play. Today, though... they showed some real grit. They proved they belong, even if it was a brutal fight.

Now we just look ahead to New York City. Everything will settle where it belongs once we get there. After this tournament, I actually feel like there's plenty of reason to be optimistic.

frozentiger6 said:Now we’ve got both Saracevic and Jovic tearing into the officiating... I mean, honestly, what more do you want?

Look, if you actually want a critique of the officiating, bring in an actual ref or a linesman—someone like Vujnović, for instance...

Fine, let Sarač weigh in on the calls, but Jovic? Give me a break...🤦

I’m honestly thrilled. To kick things off, we finally wrapped up the tournament with a win after such a long drought, and we even managed to take down the French... Plus, we had Vuković and Balić dealing with injuries, so they weren't out there as much as usual. It took until the match against the Frenchmen for Kopljar to really find his rhythm, and we had Štrlek going down with an injury too. Goluža did a solid job rotating the guys, pulling our top performers from the first half to give them a breather in the second... So, honestly, it couldn't have gone any better 🤷

Guys, huge congratulations 👋

Adam Collins4 said:Right-wingers...😁

Right wingback, left wingback... honestly, I’ve lost track. Everything is just blurring together at this point. 😵

I never imagined I would feel this much joy over a bronze medal, yet here we are.

Well done, gentlemen.

Let's go, Team USA!

It would’ve been better if we hadn't even made it out of the first group stage.🙂

Huge props to our team! 🙂

It was a total grind, honestly, but we actually pulled it off and snagged the medal.

Paul Jones7 said:The foul actually started while the player from Spain was already a step ahead—by the time he closed the gap toward the line, he was still trailing. There’s absolutely no way that should have been a seven

Another guy mentioned something similar—that the foul began while the defender was caught right between the Spanish player and the line. I’ll admit, you could make a case for calling it since he got outrun pretty badly there. But if they didn't call it? That's just as valid an interpretation

Look, there's this thing called advantage...

In both of these scenarios, they let play continue... if a defender puts hands on an offensive player but fails to actually stop them, you let the game flow as long as no other rules were broken (like traveling, over-the-back, or double dribble)

Nothing happened—the player moved through and shot despite the contact...

To figure out when a foul actually occurs, you have to look at the exact moment the player violates the rules or starts crowding the defender out of their space...

The sheer glittering brilliance! 🙏

Congrats to the boys. 🙂

fadedorca said:BRONZE IS GOLDEN GLOW! 🙏

I'll never understand these kinds of takes. Bronze is bronze. Third place. Period.

It’s always the same when we lose—everyone suddenly decides we were the "moral winners." 🙄

Adam Collins4 said:There’s this thing called advantage...

In both scenarios, they let it play out... if a defender puts their hands on an offensive player but doesn't actually stop them, you just let the game go until there's a clear rule violation—you know, traveling, a charge, or a double dribble...

Nothing happened here; the player just moved through and took the shot while technically committing a foul...

To figure out where the foul actually starts, you have to look at whether the player is breaking the rules themselves or if they're shoving the defender out of their space...

And even with all that said, I don't think that was a penalty shot for LeBron

Sandra Wilson38 said:I'll never understand these kinds of takes. A bronze medal is a bronze medal. Third place. Period.

Or when we lose, suddenly everyone realizes: we were the moral victors. 🙄

Correction: the bronze was won after losing a semifinal against Mexico in Belgrade—where we played like a bunch of amateurs (under questionable conditions, granted)—only to dive headfirst into a bronze medal match just to secure a spot on the podium and see if Mexico took silver or gold. Period. Goodnight.😠

Way to go, guys—huge congrats to you all! 👋 🙂 Taking home a medal in a room thick with that much hostility... honestly, it wasn't easy. 🙏

As for the critics? They’re probably still stuck in the past, obsessing over that soccer team's bronze finish from twenty years ago. 🙄

The Americans—it's your turn now. 🎉

George Hill4 said:Let me set the record straight. We snatched that bronze medal right after getting absolutely wrecked in the semifinals against the Mexican team over in Belgrade. Honestly? We played like a bunch of total amateurs in that semifinal—it was a mess, especially with how chaotic the conditions were. But then we turned it all around, went full throttle, and dove headfirst into that bronze medal match just to make sure we stood on that podium. We had to be there to see if those guys actually managed to grab the silver or the gold. Amen. Goodnight.😠

So what, the world's supposed to just stop spinning because we took an L against Mexico in Belgrade? Give me a break.🙄 God, what an idiot nation we are sometimes, constantly dealing with these massive inferiority complexes that just aren't based on reality. Look, I get it—this is just typical stuff from our neighbors in Belgrade trying to mess with us. Honestly, if the roles were reversed, we’d be the ones laughing at them, and we definitely would’ve been doing it all this time, and we aren't going to stop now. This whole "success" they’re bragging about? It’s basically like some small-town achievement that doesn't mean anything on the global stage. They might be killing it locally, sure, but internationally? They aren't even in the conversation. It's pathetic. And get this—some guy actually went on TV yesterday claiming we should be getting World Cup or Olympic gold medals just for beating them?! Give me a break. Absolute nonsense.🙄

boldhound8 said:So what, the world stops spinning just because we lost to the Mexicans in Belgrade?🙄 God, these stupid nations. We create our own inferiority complexes out of nothing. It’s obvious this is just Mexican trash talk; we’d be doing the exact same thing to them if the roles were reversed. In fact, we've been mocking them for years and we aren't stopping now. Their little win will be like a Canadian victory—only on a local level—but the way they're trying to absolutely annihilate us locally is beyond me. I heard some guy yesterday saying he'd trade all the World Cup and Olympic gold medals just for a win against the Mexicans. Unreal.🙄

I don't know, this is just how I feel. After everything those Mexicans pulled during this tournament—the axes, the burning cars, lasers in eyes, the lynch mob atmosphere, the songs... honestly, right now I hate them more than I love us. At this moment, I would trade every handball medal, Ivanisevich's Wimbledon, Barcelona 92, France 98, just for this gold. As irrational as that sounds. Is it a sin? You can see that the Mexicans were obsessed with this possibility too; it was their nightmare. That's why they created that hostile environment to target Americans, because they knew it would make it easier to beat us. And it worked.🤷.

George Hill4 said:Just a quick correction—we actually grabbed the bronze after losing that semifinal against the Mexican team in Belgrade. We played like a bunch of total pushovers in that match—though, to be fair, the conditions were pretty chaotic—but then we just went all in to secure the bronze and get on that podium, mostly just to see if the Mexicans ended up with the silver or the gold. Amen. Goodnight.😠

I think I’ll throw in one more—and hopefully the last one—regarding our semifinal game.

Two players—guys who really should have been wearing the cap, leading the charge, and playing the smartest game possible by stepping up into those key roles—they just played like complete idiots. I mean, honestly.

I was thinking about Poimence, Balić, and Duvnjak—just those names floating around in my head today—and it got me wondering how much we actually remember about the legends versus the stuff we just make up along the way. I guess there’s a certain weight to those stories, though maybe I'm overthinking it. It’s funny how certain figures just stick with you, even if you aren't quite sure why. Just one of those random, wandering thoughts, I suppose.

On the other hand—and I guess you could say this too—Čutura was really the backbone of that whole American era alongside Ilic. He basically taught those two everything they needed to know about how to run a pivot or play from the perimeter. In a nutshell, he showed them what it actually means to play handball.

My biggest motivation was playing for the fans who were heartbroken after that loss. These guys showed true grit when things got tough. They proved their worth under pressure, and that’s why they’re the best...

They aren't the best. You didn't prove your value when it actually mattered, which is why you ended up in third place instead of the finals.

Goliath should have told Duvnjak to just let it fly—take 8 or 10 shots early on just to find his rhythm. He’s been struggling with his shot all tournament, and we all know he’s got a literal cannon in his hands if he actually finds his groove..
Instead, he took four shots, made exactly one, and then went completely ice-cold in the semifinals, going 0 for 5.

There’s something else that’s driving me crazy.
Our wings were shooting 3 for 8 from the field, but the problem is they were playing like perimeter shooters instead of actual wings.
I mean, they’d just close their eyes and heave it mid-air instead of doing the work—instead of driving, cutting, or actually creating a look. They kept hitting the goalie straight on instead of just finishing the play..

I don't know, maybe it's "better" this way. If we had won, it would've been a total bloodbath.

In the end, we walk away from the championship as the winners, and the Americans go home as the losers.