#1 ·
After another routine win against the home team, the Americans from Hell, we’ve got a new squad stepping up to try—and likely fail—at the ultimate handball achievement: actually beating the Americans. The Danes are still probably seeing ghosts from that loss to the Americans back in Beijing when everyone was at full strength. Since they look a bit sluggish this tournament, it’s pretty clear the keys to victory are sitting right in the hands of our guys.
Denmark was staring down an early exit on Tuesday. They were trailing Norway by three with just 15 minutes left on the clock until Mogensen showed up and clawed them back into the game. Honestly, their goalies absolutely dismantled the Norwegians at the end. In the final minute, Hvidt pulls off a massive penalty save against Tvedten, while on the other side, Ege just couldn't find any luck against Eggert.
Scenarios
We play the final match of the day on Thursday, and that’s when everything settles. We might just end up playing a glorified scrimmage if Norway beats Iceland. If that happens, we could even afford to drop one to Denmark. Norway can still sniff a semifinal spot, but only if Iceland wins by more than three goals and we beat Denmark. It’s a long shot they’ll be counting on us to help them out, but hey, not our problem. Naturally, we’d love to see Norway win. If Iceland takes down Norway, it becomes crystal clear that we can't afford to lose to Denmark; even an Iceland vs. Norway draw wouldn't help much, so we really need that win.
1) 1. USA 9, 2-3. Nor, Isl, 4. Den (Norway needs to win by 3+ to advance; Iceland wants a loss within 1-3 goals)
^
USA - Den 1
Nor - Isl 1
2) 1. USA 9, 2. Isl 7, 3. Den 6, 4. Nor 5
^
USA - Den 1
Nor - Isl X
3) 1. USA 9, 2. Isl 8, 3. Den 6, 4. Nor 4
^
USA - Den 1
Nor - Isl 2
4) 1. Den 8, 2. USA 7, 3. Nor 6, 4. Isl 6
^
USA - Den 2
Nor - Isl 1
5) 1. Den 8, 2. Isl 7, 3. USA 7, 4. Nor 5 (Iceland advances on tiebreaker)
^
USA - Den 2
Nor - Isl X
6) 1. Isl 8, 2. Den 8, 3. USA 7, 4. Nor 4
^
USA - Den 2
Nor - Isl 2
7) 1. USA 8, 2. Den 7, 3. Nor 6, 4. Isl 6
^
USA - Den X
Nor - Isl 1
8) 1. USA 8, 2. Isl 7, 3. Den 7, 4. Nor 5
^
USA - Den X
Nor - Isl X
9) 1. Isl 8, 2. USA 8, 3. Den 7, 4. Nor 4
^
USA - Den X
Nor - Isl 2
The Danes, being the Danes, are running around like crazy, constantly rotating players, playing fast through the center, and mostly finishing things off via the wings. At the goal, you’ve still got 33-year-old Hvidt. He hasn't been spectacular until now, but when it mattered most, he stepped up and shut down the Norwegians with 14 saves. His backup, Landin Jacobsen, did a great job against the Russians, pulling off 20 saves. On the left wing, there's the legendary old man Christiansen (37 years old). He can't handle back-to-back games anymore, but he’ll definitely suit up against us since he didn't see a single minute against Norway. He’s still a key player, usually dropping 4 to 6 goals. His sub is Eggert, who handles the penalties. He dropped 7 on the Mexicans, but he’s not quite in the same class as Christiansen—he only managed one field goal against Norway. On the flip side, you have Lindberg again. He hasn't had a brilliant tournament, but it seems he’s showing up at the worst possible moment for us, having scored 5 against Norway. Against the Russians, he went 0 for 3 and was pulled immediately, though he was replaced nicely by Svan Hansen. But against us, he won't be having such an easy time.
Our defense is going to have their work cut out for them against one of the best pivots in the world—Knudsen. The players and coaching staff need to take a page out of the playbook used by the Americans from Austria, Iceland, and Norway; those guys only let him score a single goal total. Unfortunately, our style isn't quite like theirs—we play more like the Mexicans or Russians, whom he hammered for 10 goals. Still, it's clearly doable to shut him down. There's also...Laen plays maybe ten minutes at a time, but man, he scores a goal almost every single game. Then you've got the real threat from the outside—that young kid Hansen from Barcelona. He’s got a literal cannon in his hand; scored about five goals in nearly every match lately, though he does miss a fair amount too. Mogensen is their middle back, Boldsen's successor, and he's got nerves of steel. He dragged them through that game against Norway on Tuesday, but he can be hit or miss—he was pretty invisible during those two matches. On defense, you still have the old veteran Jorgensen holding things down, and he's basically the anchor for this whole American squad. That leaves one wing spot wide open for whoever's feeling it. Usually, that’s Sondergaard Sarup, but even then, he only really shows up every third game. They've also got Mads Nielsen and Spellerberg who aren't exactly lighting it up, plus Kasper Nielsen can jump from defense to offense when needed.
In past matchups, the US has shown they know how to handle that fast-paced American style, and we'll definitely find a way to shut down Hansen. Our offense is good at keeping possession, so if we can just kill off those fast breaks, we should be fine. It’s going to be a huge job for Alilović, though—he's gotta stay locked in on Christiansen and Lindberg.
Denmark was staring down an early exit on Tuesday. They were trailing Norway by three with just 15 minutes left on the clock until Mogensen showed up and clawed them back into the game. Honestly, their goalies absolutely dismantled the Norwegians at the end. In the final minute, Hvidt pulls off a massive penalty save against Tvedten, while on the other side, Ege just couldn't find any luck against Eggert.
Scenarios
We play the final match of the day on Thursday, and that’s when everything settles. We might just end up playing a glorified scrimmage if Norway beats Iceland. If that happens, we could even afford to drop one to Denmark. Norway can still sniff a semifinal spot, but only if Iceland wins by more than three goals and we beat Denmark. It’s a long shot they’ll be counting on us to help them out, but hey, not our problem. Naturally, we’d love to see Norway win. If Iceland takes down Norway, it becomes crystal clear that we can't afford to lose to Denmark; even an Iceland vs. Norway draw wouldn't help much, so we really need that win.
1) 1. USA 9, 2-3. Nor, Isl, 4. Den (Norway needs to win by 3+ to advance; Iceland wants a loss within 1-3 goals)
^
USA - Den 1
Nor - Isl 1
2) 1. USA 9, 2. Isl 7, 3. Den 6, 4. Nor 5
^
USA - Den 1
Nor - Isl X
3) 1. USA 9, 2. Isl 8, 3. Den 6, 4. Nor 4
^
USA - Den 1
Nor - Isl 2
4) 1. Den 8, 2. USA 7, 3. Nor 6, 4. Isl 6
^
USA - Den 2
Nor - Isl 1
5) 1. Den 8, 2. Isl 7, 3. USA 7, 4. Nor 5 (Iceland advances on tiebreaker)
^
USA - Den 2
Nor - Isl X
6) 1. Isl 8, 2. Den 8, 3. USA 7, 4. Nor 4
^
USA - Den 2
Nor - Isl 2
7) 1. USA 8, 2. Den 7, 3. Nor 6, 4. Isl 6
^
USA - Den X
Nor - Isl 1
8) 1. USA 8, 2. Isl 7, 3. Den 7, 4. Nor 5
^
USA - Den X
Nor - Isl X
9) 1. Isl 8, 2. USA 8, 3. Den 7, 4. Nor 4
^
USA - Den X
Nor - Isl 2
The Danes, being the Danes, are running around like crazy, constantly rotating players, playing fast through the center, and mostly finishing things off via the wings. At the goal, you’ve still got 33-year-old Hvidt. He hasn't been spectacular until now, but when it mattered most, he stepped up and shut down the Norwegians with 14 saves. His backup, Landin Jacobsen, did a great job against the Russians, pulling off 20 saves. On the left wing, there's the legendary old man Christiansen (37 years old). He can't handle back-to-back games anymore, but he’ll definitely suit up against us since he didn't see a single minute against Norway. He’s still a key player, usually dropping 4 to 6 goals. His sub is Eggert, who handles the penalties. He dropped 7 on the Mexicans, but he’s not quite in the same class as Christiansen—he only managed one field goal against Norway. On the flip side, you have Lindberg again. He hasn't had a brilliant tournament, but it seems he’s showing up at the worst possible moment for us, having scored 5 against Norway. Against the Russians, he went 0 for 3 and was pulled immediately, though he was replaced nicely by Svan Hansen. But against us, he won't be having such an easy time.
Our defense is going to have their work cut out for them against one of the best pivots in the world—Knudsen. The players and coaching staff need to take a page out of the playbook used by the Americans from Austria, Iceland, and Norway; those guys only let him score a single goal total. Unfortunately, our style isn't quite like theirs—we play more like the Mexicans or Russians, whom he hammered for 10 goals. Still, it's clearly doable to shut him down. There's also...Laen plays maybe ten minutes at a time, but man, he scores a goal almost every single game. Then you've got the real threat from the outside—that young kid Hansen from Barcelona. He’s got a literal cannon in his hand; scored about five goals in nearly every match lately, though he does miss a fair amount too. Mogensen is their middle back, Boldsen's successor, and he's got nerves of steel. He dragged them through that game against Norway on Tuesday, but he can be hit or miss—he was pretty invisible during those two matches. On defense, you still have the old veteran Jorgensen holding things down, and he's basically the anchor for this whole American squad. That leaves one wing spot wide open for whoever's feeling it. Usually, that’s Sondergaard Sarup, but even then, he only really shows up every third game. They've also got Mads Nielsen and Spellerberg who aren't exactly lighting it up, plus Kasper Nielsen can jump from defense to offense when needed.
In past matchups, the US has shown they know how to handle that fast-paced American style, and we'll definitely find a way to shut down Hansen. Our offense is good at keeping possession, so if we can just kill off those fast breaks, we should be fine. It’s going to be a huge job for Alilović, though—he's gotta stay locked in on Christiansen and Lindberg.