Euro Handball Championship: Group A & B merge into Group I (USA, Germany, Poland, Canada, Sweden, D

Man, that was an absolute nail-biter. Huge props to our boys for pulling that one off 👍 👍 👍
pioneer 🙏

The Mexican team played quite well, though I have to admit, it felt like the officiating leaned a bit too much in their favor.
I suspect they’ve secured a spot in the semifinals, mostly because they’re set to face a relatively easy group.
If the Canadians were able to make a run all the way to the finals playing on home soil, then surely the Mexicans can do the same.

Nicholas Morales48 said:Man, that was an absolute nail-biter. Huge props to our boys for pulling that one off 👍 👍 👍
pioneer 🙏

Exactly. What a massive win. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen Team USA play this well. There's one more thing, though. It really looks like Vukovic knows what he's doing as a coach. The strategy was spot on. 👍

Congrats.... The vibe is amazing!!!🙂

Angela Brooks4 said:The Mexican team played quite well, though I have to admit, it felt like the officiating leaned a bit too much in their favor.
I suspect they’ve secured a spot in the semifinals, mostly because they’re set to face a relatively easy group.
If the Canadians were able to make a run all the way to the finals playing on home soil, then surely the Mexicans can do the same.

That's total nonsense! You're telling me the refs were leaning toward our side?! 😵 How? When exactly? 😕

Anthony James2 said:That's total nonsense! You're telling me the refs were leaning toward our side?! 😵 How? When exactly? 😕

It wasn't quite the same kind of stalling we saw when the Germans were playing on their home turf, but there was definitely some minor time-wasting going on. If I recall correctly, there wasn't a single penalty called against the Mexicans during the second half. 😁 (Though, I can't say I am one hundred percent certain about this part.)

You're absolutely right regarding the red cards.

The Mexicans were only sent off twice, and even the Danes only saw four players ejected.

It was billed as a gritty, high-tension match with plenty of penalties, yet there were only (just) six in total.🙂

Anthony James2 said:Exactly. What a massive win. Honestly, I don't think I've ever seen Team USA play this well. There's one more thing, though. It really looks like Vukovic knows what he's doing as a coach. The strategy was spot on. 👍

Yeah, and he's out there on TV right now claiming he didn't hold anyone back...

I mean, obviously, this was just a semifinal qualifier, so we really need to take it one step at a time since nothing is set in stone for the actual semis yet, though regardless of how it plays out, you've gotta hand it to them. 🙏

Amanda Peterson5 said:Congrats.... The vibe is amazing!!!🙂

🙂
It’s night and day compared to that first game, isn't it? Turns out our fans actually know how to show up and get rowdy when the stakes are actually high. 😁

Angela Brooks4 said:It wasn't quite the same kind of stalling we saw when the Germans were playing on their home turf, but there was definitely some minor time-wasting going on. If I recall correctly, there wasn't a single penalty called against the Mexicans during the second half. 😁 (Though, I can't say I am one hundred percent certain about this part.)

I rarely weigh in on officiating, whether we win or lose. Honestly, I thought the French officials were totally fair and didn't play favorites. You could tell by how intense, exciting, and fluid the game stayed. Maybe the Danes took more hits, but they also walked away with more penalty shots.🤷

Nicholas Morales48 said:🙂
It’s night and day compared to that first game, isn't it? Turns out our fans actually know how to show up and get rowdy when the stakes are actually high. 😁

And there’s more to it than just atmosphere. Given how much they've struggled over the last few years, the handball players really had to earn every bit of that support. They earned it during that showdown against the Pole2, and they certainly got it today. Still, if I’m being honest, the arena was missing about another 10 or 15 decibels of energy. 😁

I mean, the trial was fair from start to finish... though I guess there’s just something about the whole thing that feels slightly off to me 🙂

Watched the US pull off a win against Iceland yesterday, and now they just took down Mexican Dance today! It’s a weird streak, but man, I am loving it!
Bravo!!!

Anthony James2 said:And there’s more to it than just atmosphere. Given how much they've struggled over the last few years, the handball players really had to earn every bit of that support. They earned it during that showdown against the Pole2, and they certainly got it today. Still, if I’m being honest, the arena was missing about another 10 or 15 decibels of energy. 😁

Man, once we move to the next arena, the volume is going to be even more insane. 😬

Nicholas Morales48 said:Man, once we move to the next arena, the volume is going to be even more insane. 😬

👍👍 Man, if they actually make it all the way to the Madison Square Garden level..... then we'll really be talking 🙂🙂

Things just got messy in Group B. The Swedes pulled off a win against the Czech Republic, and here’s how the standings look after round two:

1. Sweden 3
2. Czech Republic 2
3. Germany 2
4. Mexico 1

Up next: Sweden vs. Germany and the Czech Republic vs. Mexico.

Basically, if things stay this way, we're looking at a guaranteed matchup against Sweden in the next phase.

Ugh, man, we were *so* close to an upset there... but hey, a German is a German, right? They always find a way to pull through at the last second. I was actually hunting for some kind of underdog miracle on my sportsbook app—I was checking out http://www.eulivescore.com/mexico-germany/1023744/ and honestly, the Mexicans looked like they had a real shot to me. I thought, "Hey, maybe this is the one!" But I guess you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs, right? 🙂

There's just no messing around when it comes to dealing with Mexicans. Honestly, I’m kind of worried we might end up running right into them in the later stages—it feels like things could get pretty intense

North Mexico was robbed!!!
The footage from Lazarov's final shot clearly shows that it was a GOAL. The American federation has already filed an official protest regarding the match, and there's a huge chance it’ll be replayed under EHF rules much to their relief!!!

Those gritty Mexicans...🙂