Handball Euro: America vs. Spain 29-33

What on earth was that—we were sitting pretty with a 13:10 lead, and then suddenly the Spaniards just stormed right through us to make it 17:13.☕

rowdytinker3 said:What kind of strategy is it where Duvnjak only plays defense? Isn't he supposed to be a world-class player?
Sent from beyond the hills

Honestly, 🙏this is one of the biggest takes I've seen in basketball lately; maybe ask Babić about it.

George Ward7 said:They have a head coach who truly understands the flow of the game, which was most evident during today's match. He always seems to have an answer ready, calling timeouts at exactly the right moments and rotating his goalkeepers with precision; his tactical depth is essentially what won them this game.

We were discussing the sheer depth of the Spanish roster even before this game started, and it's clear we just don't possess that kind of variety. Mamic and Sebetic aren't quite there yet—they're still just kids in this arena. With the Spanish side, even their youngest, Dusebajev, shows such promise, whereas on our team, not even our primary pivot has truly come into his own in a meaningful way.
It boils down to the fact that we lack the necessary rotation to maintain a high tempo, a luxury they clearly enjoyed throughout the contest.
To make matters worse, while their star player stepped up to justify his reputation, our main man once again struggled when the pressure mounted.

rapidraven20 said:the French were way better and still got knocked out, while we made the semis 😁 so honestly, we hit our peak thanks to a bit of luck—there's zero reason to be bummed, if anything.

Spot on. Making the semifinals was basically the goal from day one, so whatever happens next, happens. We played out of our minds to get there. When you look at the big picture, we crushed it... finished ahead of the French and the Danes 😁

urbanhawk17 said:If this were the Polish team, they’d be losing by five. Honestly, any other top-eight contender would have done the same.

The Poles? Not a chance.

Edward Allen36 said:I caught the Spanish squad and that Garcia guy playing, and honestly, it's not even the first time he's stepped up. He got his minutes during the tournament and absolutely made the most of them. I hadn't really seen him before—practically a total unknown to me—but from what I saw, the guy is legit.

He's good, man. That nutmeg pass to Aguinagalde was pure class. 🙏 🙏 🙏

It’s frustrating because we clearly showed we could hang with the Spaniards, but our own mistakes kept us from playing at our true potential.
Blaming fatigue or injuries is what losers and cowards do.
I don't get why people are targeting Kopljar; the man has been performing at an elite level for years and provides nothing but consistency.
The issue lies with the goalkeeper. Great keepers save shots they have no business stopping, which gives the entire defense a massive boost. It’s a completely different game when you're defending knowing that if the ball gets past you, it's a goal, versus knowing there's an octopus behind you ready to make a miracle save.
Making the semifinals is a massive success for this US squad, and now we face Norway to fight for the bronze.

And give it a rest with the constant talk about the Virgin Mary. The man isn't some high-brow intellectual capable of saying anything more profound than "give it 120%." In a moment of pure, overwhelming emotion, he spoke from the heart, and he didn't intend to offend anyone.

George Ward7 said:They’ve got a coach who actually understands the nuances of the game—and honestly, that was the biggest takeaway from today. He had an answer for everything! Whether it was calling that perfectly timed timeout, swapping out the keepers, or just making those smart tactical shifts... his pure basketball IQ is what snatched this win.

That is the absolute truth right there.

If we actually had their coach leading our squad instead of them running with ours, who do you think would be walking away with the W?

It’s honestly wild how the commentators are hyping up Dusebajev, acting like he’s the one who can actually challenge for the gold this tournament, while they barely even give Garcia a mention.

I am so sick of these pathetic articles and comments online that just boil down to "It doesn't matter, guys, we're proud of you, you gave it your all."

You couldn't even tell if they actually gave their all (shout out to a few individuals, though), unless you find some journalist brave enough to actually question the coach, Alilović, and the other systemic issues that need dissecting... everyone else just wants to chase that "golden glow" glory.🤦

And of course, the inevitable conclusion: "We're young, we're building for the Olympics, etc."🙄

George Ward7 said:They’ve got a coach who actually understands the flow of the game—you could really see that today. He’s got an answer for everything, calls his timeouts at just the right moment, rotates the keepers... honestly, his tactical depth is probably what won them the game.

Of course he knows. And of course 'the old man' doesn't.

But look, here's what I mean—we manage to shut down one lineup and we're leading by three, then they sub in a completely different unit that just totally throws us off our rhythm. That isn't on the coach, though; that's on the players.

I mean, Garcia basically dismantled us. Then you add in two fast wingers, those drives toward their second pivot, Aguinagalde, and playmakers who actually read the floor... man. We just couldn't close the gap, and that's when they pulled away from us. Just easy points at that stage. Even Stevanovic wouldn't have been much better, even if Alilovic was a pretty obvious mistake in the rotation.

And we? We had no real plan for them. Or maybe we did, but it stayed strictly in the playbook.

silverdrifter24 said:Statistically, their keepers weren't even better than ours. We can't just pin everything on the goal line this time... though a few more saves wouldn't have hurt.

A massive win despite the hurdles. Congrats to the guys. On to the next one... 😬

Actually, they were.

Their keepers had 9 saves (25%), while ours only had 7 (18%).

steelharbor9 said:Allowing 15% on breakaway layups is completely standard. Every single shot they took against him in the first half was a wide-open layup.

Exactly. I was just about to type that myself, but I missed my window. hahah.
The issue today wasn't Alilović; it was the defense.

I don't even know where to start with this one... just looking at the numbers and feeling exhausted. It’s like we’re watching the same old patterns repeat themselves over and over again. You expect progress, you expect a shift in momentum, but instead? Just more of the same. It’s frustrating... honestly, it's draining. We keep talking about potential, but talk is cheap when the results aren't showing up on the scoreboard. I'm just sitting here wondering if anyone else is actually seeing what I'm seeing... or if I'm just shouting into the void. kaže:
Everything checks out, but man... today he was playing at a whole different level. Just absolute peak performance...

He might blow past his own ceiling, sure... but what kind of tools is he even using when his absolute peak is just someone else's baseline? ... 😵

I don't even know where to start with this one... just total chaos on the court. We were looking at that FIBA World Cup matchup, USA vs Spain 29:33, and honestly? It was painful to watch. You expect more from the guys. Just lacked that killer instinct when it mattered most. Anyway, I saw silverdrifter24 talking about how we should have played more aggressively in the paint, and yeah, maybe. But you can't just force it if the defense is shutting you down like that. It’s frustrating. Really makes you wonder what the coaching staff is even thinking during those timeouts... nothing seems to stick. Sam Murphy keeps insisting that the rotation was the problem, but I think it's deeper than that. It's the execution. Pure and simple. If you can't close out games against teams like Spain, you aren't going to win anything meaningful in this tournament... just an observation. kaže:
That pass through the legs for Aguinagalde was actually pretty slick... 🙏🙏🙏

It’s a one-off thing. They played it by the book once, and it worked... but you can't just pull that stunt twice. Even the most basic defenses are going to see it coming the second time around. 🤣

Rok I can't even begin to process this... It’s just one thing after another lately. Every time you think things are finally settling down, something else hits the fan. I'm sitting here staring at the screen and honestly, I'm just exhausted by the whole situation. It feels like we're constantly spinning our wheels while everyone else moves ahead. Just... yeah. Typical.
Turns out they aren't.

Their goalie was on fire, pulling off 9 saves—that’s a solid 25%... meanwhile, our guys only managed 7 saves at 18%. Tough break...

I switched the channel like six minutes before the end... ☕

George Ward7 said:They’ve got a coach who actually understands the nuances of the game, and you could really see the impact of that today. He always seems to have an answer ready, calling those crucial timeouts right when they matter most and rotating the goalkeepers perfectly... his tactical depth is honestly what won us this one.

That’s where the gap shows itself, isn't it? One of the biggest issues was Duvnjak, because he just didn't show up at all in this match. If you look at how we've been playing in this tournament, it feels like we can't string two wins together to save our lives—we beat Belarus, then dropped one to Norway, beat North Mexico, lost to France, beat Poland, lost to Spain, and now, following that exact pattern, we should be due for a win against Norway, though I suppose I'm forgetting about Iceland 😁

Paul Jones7 said:Soft goals. Even Stevanović wouldn't have made much of a difference, despite Alilović being an obvious mistake

And we had zero plan for them. If there was one, it stayed on paper

Doesn't have to be much better.

If he'd just stopped one... just to break the momentum...

Honestly, I’m just sitting here waiting for someone to provide a single, coherent explanation as to why Alilović was even given the nod to start. Look, if we were talking about Omeyer or Šterbik—fine. If it were Stanić or Szmal, I could wrap my head around it; you could just say they were having an off day and pray for a turnaround. But Mirko Alilović? It feels like he’s perpetually having an off day (I mean, look at how he played against North Mexico and teams like that). In 90% of the high-stakes games, his performance looks exactly like what we saw out there today. I just can't wrap my brain around the decision to put him between the pipes from the very first minute.

frozenrider112 said:Everything checks out, I guess—but man, he was playing at his absolute peak today.

As long as he had the gas in the tank, he was honestly incredible.

Aaron Gray said:I wouldn't be complaining if they had absolutely demolished us. In that case, I could just shrug and say, "Alright, fair enough, they were simply better."

But let’s be honest—this was a match we genuinely could have won, and frankly, we should have.
Our loss came down to several specific factors, most of which were entirely within our control to influence.

And that is where the head coach bears the responsibility.

Exactly.

Reaching the semifinals is an achievement in its own right, especially considering everything we've been through lately.

However, now that we have actually arrived at this stage, the performance delivered by our supposed "experts" has been nothing short of a disaster; I find it truly incomprehensible.
I wouldn't even go so far as to call it amateur coaching, because even a novice understands how to adjust a defense to counter a specific type of offense.

Honestly, those students sitting on the national team benches need to get their act together and move on.

A lucky semifinal berth... only to have us hype ourselves up three hundred times more just to fight for a damn third-place finish.