Handball Euro: USA vs. Norway ends in a 23-23 draw

Not to mention we spent two massive, game-defining moments playing shorthanded with just four guys on the court.

Bradley Nelson2 said:maybe the ref just whispered to him that he had money riding on a draw.🤣

I don't think the officiating was anything special. Those Norwegians were throwing elbows all over the place on defense. And the absolute peak of it was that offensive foul when Metličić took a hit right under his eye.

That was a blatant foul by Metličić, plain and simple. The fact that he ended up with a cut under his eye from the contact doesn't change the call. Are we judging based on who actually committed the foul now, or just whoever looks more hurt?

Justin Ward4 said:On another note:
I think Lino is actually talking about Josip Milković’s comments. Honestly, those takes are spot on.

Look, everyone knows where I stand on Cervar, but for crying out loud, Milkovic 🙄

That guy finished dead last with this exact same crew back at the 2002 tournament in Sweden.

So what does he want now???

Give me a break. He’s going to sit there and lecture us about defensive schemes or offensive struggles? He finished 16th—lost by 12 against the Americans.

Bradley Nelson2 said:maybe the ref whispered to him that he had money on a draw.🤣

I wouldn't say the refs were anything special either; those Norwegians were throwing elbows all over the defense. The worst part was that offensive foul where Metličić's eye got caught.

They screwed us, but we made up for it immediately on the next Norwegian possession.😉

People need to wake up and realize this is pretty much the ceiling for our national team. We simply don't have what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the French.

George Bailey2 said:It was a clear foul by Metličić. The fact that he took a cut under his eye during the contact doesn't change anything. Are we judging based on who actually committed the foul, or just who ended up bleeding more?

I'll have to go back and watch the replay. I spent most of the game yelling at the screen and throwing things, so my view was a bit chaotic. But from what I caught, that gentle Norwegian's right hand went straight for Metličić's face.

frozentiger6 said:Everyone knows where I stand on Cervar, but damn, Milkovic 🙄

That guy finished dead last with this exact same squad back in Sweden during the 2002 tournament.

So what does he actually want now???

Give me a break, he’s going to sit there lecturing us about defensive schemes or offensive struggles. He took 16th place—lost by 12 against the Americans.

Lino did bring up Pinević once, mentioned some interview involving Caleb.

Terry Rodriguez41 said:it feels like we're always playing against the refs, right? 🤷 🤣

yeah🤣

but man, did you see how Bozo absolutely demolished Norway yesterday? just straight up bullying them... I honestly thought we’d have to roll up with the 1st and 4th Infantry Divisions to handle that level of violence...🤣

Vanja, you still alive? 😍

granitefox16 said:ae🤣

Man, watching Bozo go at those Norwegians yesterday was insane. They were getting absolutely pummeled—just pure, unadulterated violence out there. Honestly, I thought we’d have to roll up to the arena with the first and fourth National Guard units just to stop the bleeding.🤣

Give me a break, our guys were the ones taking the beating...
Watch the replay. Every single time Lac scores, he gets leveled by a knee to the legs, or a hit to the ribs... Balić is getting treated the exact same way.

They're getting wrecked, plain and simple.😉

Caught the game between the Swedes and the Spaniards. It was pretty obvious the guys from the north were getting all the preferential treatment from the refs. They were absolutely hacking the Spaniards, just bullying them on the line, yet the officials looked the other way through most of it...

Finally felt some relief today seeing Spanish refs who actually called things fair—well, mostly. Even they seemed a bit fed up with that Scandinavian arrogance. Back at the World Cup, we lost that match against France because the officials let things get way too physical. Honestly, it felt like payback since our referees completely wrecked their club in the Champions League, especially with a Russian coach leading the charge. I'm telling you, that Russian fix is 100% legit...

No brawling today, so it’s no surprise we actually managed to hold our own.

The play wasn't great, but the worst part is all the trash talk aimed at Lino Červar. People are already pushing these narratives about "genius" Smajlagić versus "idiot" Červar. Lino is a legend, and it's honestly pathetic seeing him insulted like this. I didn't catch exactly what Metličić did to Červar, but the truth is, the guy is a total headache. Think about how many useless penalties he's racked up or how many times he's killed our offensive rhythm! Lacković is playing poorly and then whining about the officiating, while Balić is basically ignoring everything Červar says—sitting there on his earlobes instead of listening. You can't blame Lino for our lack of cohesion and all those turnovers.

And yeah, thanks to the Canadians!

boldhound8 said:Just let it go, our guys took a hell of a beating out there...
Watch the replay. Lac gets hit in the legs and ribs with elbows every single time they score, and Balić gets the same treatment.

They’re just laying into them, plain and simple.😉

Sure, the Norwegians have their own style. If they can't block the shot, they just smash the shooter. They did it repeatedly in this game, and the refs didn't hand out a single warning. Those hits weren't "accidental" like they usually claim to be.

George Bailey2 said:Lino actually did bring up Pinević and mentioned some interview involving Kaleb.

Alright, regardless of what Lino was saying, this just reminded me of Milkovic—that guy spent an entire day acting like he was some kind of genius.

Look, if Stenzl wants to criticize Lino, fine. The guy knows his handball, and he’s got every right to speak up. But Joseph... Joseph delivered the absolute worst results in the history of American handball, and now he’s sitting there trying to lecture everyone else.

It’s like watching Pepsi try to give advice to Repesi, or even Otto Bilic. Though, honestly, I guess we have plenty of people doing that kind of thing anyway.

There he is!!! A total legend has finally arrived in the world of handball!!! 🙏 🙏 🙏

cosmichawk53 said:I caught the game between the Swedes and the Spaniards. It was obvious the guys from the north were getting all the breaks from the refs. They were absolutely hammering the Spaniards, doing whatever they wanted on the line, while the officials just looked the other way...

Finally felt some relief today seeing Spanish refs calling it right—exactly how we needed them. They weren't having any of that Scandinavian arrogance either. Remember when we lost to France at the World Cup because the refs let things get too physical? That was straight-up Russian payback because our officials wrecked their club in the Champions League, led by that Russian coach. This whole Russian conspiracy thing is 100% legit!

No brawling today, so no wonder we actually held our own.

What, some kind of Masonic conspiracy?🤷

granitefox16 said:What, a Freemason conspiracy?🤷

Conspiracies are unavoidable.😁

wearyeagle2 said:There he is!!! A total legend finally makes his way to the NBA!!! 🙏 🙏 🙏

🙏🙏🙏

Dr. S, there’s going to be plenty of work here—we're talking people who can barely read a menu.

It’s a decent result—we managed to squeeze our way into the semifinals. We definitely caught a lucky break with the draw, along with a few other results falling our way—thank God for small mercies. Facing the Americans will be an uphill battle, but this team always seems to find their stride just when everyone else writes them off. If you ask me, we have about a 35% shot at reaching the finals.

wiredcyclist said:Look, you have to realize this is the peak for our national team. We just don't have what it takes to beat the French.

That claim is nonsense until the final buzzer sounds.
No surrendering ahead of time.