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

Samuel Scott54 said:That is an excellent question...

I suppose it likely comes down to the fact that there just isn't nearly as much money circulating in the NBA compared to something like professional football—where even a standard tournament with sixteen teams stretches out for what feels like an eternity... So, it seems a consensus was reached to play the sport this way, primarily so the host nation doesn't get buried under massive organizational expenses...

Honestly, it would be more than enough to just have a rest day between matches, or perhaps two days off after the different tournament phases conclude... I really don't see how those costs could be considered "massive." Adding seven extra days of hotel stays is practically negligible when you think about the scale of these things... it's pocket change, really. And if a country can't manage even that small of an amount, then they probably shouldn't be in line to host a major event in the first place...

I also realized I forgot to give credit where it’s due. I honestly don't know how we managed to pull it off in those two stretches when we were down two players at once. The way the guys stepped up during those brutal moments was nothing short of incredible, seriously, props to 🙏

Chris Lopez59 said:.........
I have this nagging feeling that this kind of schedule is being pushed by those major handball powerhouses—the ones who naturally possess much deeper, more talented rosters—so that this condensed tournament format actually plays into their hands by ensuring they maintain an edge in freshness during the knockout stages... though, of course, that is merely my own personal observation☕

It is certainly true that the nations with the most depth are the ones driving this agenda, yet I can't help but think all the other teams could potentially band together to push back against it... if only they could find any common ground, which clearly hasn't happened yet.

wearyeagle2 said:The folks working within the handball federations and various governing bodies are all aware of this dynamic... there is even talk that during meetings over in Norway, this specific topic comes up quite frequently. There is a desire to see the World Cup and the Euro organized every four years, much like how football operates. The idea, I suppose, is that by spacing them out, they could host much more lavish, grander events, which might also lend the tournaments a greater sense of prestige and importance...

Personally, my own view is that the World Cup should take place every two years, and the same should apply to the Euro... waiting four years feels just a bit too infrequent, if you ask me. If we truly want to boost the popularity of handball—or any sport that isn't in the absolute mainstream—it seems far more effective to have major championships occurring on an annual basis...

Sean Gonzalez95 said:Why don't you try your hand at politics? You're clearly a natural when it comes to making posts like this. (And I'm being serious, not sarcastic.)😉Look, this is my territory.😁
It’s honestly unbelievable how people try to slow down progress with these kinds of mindless posts. Look, I still agree with you regarding the Kelentrica situation, but he’s really no better than those guys from Somić. Why don't you just call Marakovic over here? Let him show us how the game is actually played when Balica isn't around to carry the load.🤣You mentioned earlier that Cupic would end up being better than Dzomba. Honestly, I don't see how you could be wrong. Plus, we’ve got Smajlagica arriving soon to shake things up. Right now, he’s definitely playing at the same level as Christiansen.🤣And what else am I supposed to read?
Honestly, where did Lino go wrong with his roster selection? We only missed out on medals once. Despite all the constant nitpicking about who he picks, the guy still managed to drag us straight into the semifinals. It’s pretty clear to me that Vukic and Kaleb were much more essential than Sprema. If you ever find yourself in the head coach's seat, you'll know exactly who to call.

Look, we all saw it. You, me, and basically the entire country—Joseph is swapping out Balica, and it’s plain to see. I mean, we haven't seen anyone play with half the intensity that Marakovic brings to the court lately, so... it is what it is.

As for Cupic, I really hope you don't change your username. In a few years, I’m going to come back here and remind you exactly what you wrote in this post.

I remember people laughing at Alilovica a few years back when he was just some eighteen-year-old kid that nobody had even heard of.

You’re probably going to laugh in my face if I tell you that in a few years, little Strlek and Cupic will be the most lethal wing duo on the planet. We’re talking something on the level of Pako-Pipe.

So what? People are always going to find something to laugh at. As long as everyone’s having a good time, that’s all that matters.

Samuel Baker3 said:The final is going to be Germany vs. France, and France is taking the gold.
For third place, it’ll be Denmark against the Americans, with Denmark walking away with the bronze.

And why on earth do you think the Germans are going to walk away with the trophy?

I’m leaning toward a German win in the semifinals too.

The Danes just seem to have this psychological block when it comes to making it to the semis.

As for us, I’ve got a gut feeling we’re going to pull an upset against the Swedes. The French are already mentally playing in the finals... honestly, I get it. If we had crushed a couple of teams like that, our subconscious would be doing the exact same thing.

boldhound8 said:I wasn't watching the second group quite as closely, though I was still keeping a sharp eye on things. Look, this is just my take—it doesn't have to be gospel—but honestly, I think the Danes are sitting pretty as the favorites for gold right now. Not that there aren't any wildcards left; nobody’s an easy win anymore, and everyone is looking dangerous, so anyone can beat anyone at this point...

At the end of the day, we couldn't have predicted how this would shake out; we're stuck with what we've got. We've got one day and a half, maybe two days to try and pull ourselves together, and then we just charge in headfirst and hope for the best.🙂

I'm with you there; those Danes absolutely tore us and the Poles apart with a 10-point margin, and you really have to respect that kind of dominance.

frozentiger6 said:I also think the Germans will make it to the semifinals.

The Danes just can't seem to get past the semifinals.

And I have a feeling our guys might pull an upset against the Spaniards. Honestly, the French are already acting like they're in the finals... people just work that way, I guess. You crush someone twice and your subconscious just shifts gears.

Well, who knows where you are subconsciously.😁
The Germans are basically in the semis already, and they'll probably be in the finals tomorrow too.😁

Our team has already done so much, especially considering everything they're dealing with.
We should probably be realistic and admit we aren't playing at our best—between Lin and all the injuries/missing players, it’s tough—but there's no point complaining.
Making the semifinals is a huge win; anything beyond that would be nothing short of a miracle.
If it turns into a standard game, we don't really have a shot.
They say miracles happen, though, so maybe something unexpected happens tomorrow.

cosmichawk53 said:I felt a little sense of relief today seeing that we had Spaniards officiating, because they were just fair enough toward us without being biased. Honestly, even they seemed pretty fed up with all that Scandinavian arrogance. Remember back at the World Cup when we lost that match against France because the refs basically let a full-on brawl break out instead of keeping order?

What exactly do you mean by them being "fair" to us? What kind of favors did the refs actually toss our way?
The occasional little compensation here and there, maybe.
The Norwegians got four minutes of penalties while we sat through ten, including two double suspensions... do you honestly think four minutes for the Norwegians covers all the cheap shots they were throwing around?

And how on earth did those referees prevent a fight? Just by handing out those four minutes?

It would have been even better if they hadn't even called those penalties in the first place.☕

The truth is, the Norwegians were being incredibly calculated, making sure their "less visible" hits didn't spiral into an actual riot, which is really thanks to those French officials who wouldn't let them get away with that kind of thing in the previous game.

frozentiger6 said:I’m leaning towards the Germans making the semifinals too.

The Danes just seem to have this mental block when it comes to the semifinals.

As for us, I’ve got this nagging gut feeling that we’re going to pull an upset against the Danes. Honestly, the French already have one foot in the finals in their own minds... and look, I get it, we’d probably feel the same way; you crush a team twice and your subconscious just starts acting like you own the place.

That's the thing, though—that psychological hurdle. But if we're being real, the sheer talent and the level of play on the Danish side is hard to ignore; they’ve looked noticeably sharper throughout this tournament.

Not to mention they had that easy win to wrap things up while the Germans were out there absolutely grinding through a dogfight.

If I had to bet, I'd say Denmark walks into the finals with about an 80% chance, but hey, we'll see how it plays out.

frozentiger6 said:I have this gut feeling that we might actually catch the Americans by surprise. It feels like the French team already has their sights set on the finals... honestly, isn't that how it works? You crush an opponent once or twice, and your subconscious just starts acting like you've already won.

That’s just how the American mentality works; they’ll find any way possible to get back at us and secure another win, especially since they're led by a guy who truly runs that locker room and refuses to let anyone underestimate our squad.

They probably won't even show any footage of the games where they beat us during their prep; instead, they'll likely only focus on the matches where we came out on top, particularly that one big win against Tunisia.😁

Our journalists really outdid themselves this time.
First, they all chime in unison—led by Sušec’s old man—about how the Americans are absolutely crushing us, playing dirty, and how the refs are constantly coddling them. They act like we should be terrified. Then, during the actual game, seven out of ten questionable calls went our way. 😂
Never seen such fair officiating. And I guess the Americans were just perfectly polite and sportsmanlike throughout a game that decides who makes the European Championship semifinals.
It wouldn't even be an issue if we weren't such small, miserable, frustrated losers, but Sušec’s dad spent the whole match insisting on his theories, even when it was painfully obvious he was wrong.

But honestly, what really impressed me was that little segment on our national team's medical staff. It starts off roughly like: "The American roster is full of injuries. But don't worry, they are being cared for by the very people responsible for the team's success: the doctors and physiotherapists." 😂🤣
So incredibly responsible for a mountain of injuries. All those players who supposedly cruised through training under their watchful eyes.

I can only say it’s a massive stroke of luck that Balić didn't have to deal with the team during pre-season training. 😂😂

Jesse Rodriguez50 said:Look, guys, let's not be total jerks here... seriously, props to them. Despite all the mindless hating, the boys made it to the semifinals... stop trash-talking them...

And who exactly was trash-talking the boys?

If I saw right, the only one on the hook is Lino!

Man... I've been sitting here for half an hour scrolling through over 15 pages of comments just to catch up... what a mess...

All things considered, pulling anything off given how things are looking right now would be a miracle... maybe we actually stand a chance against the Americans... why? Because our bench is way deeper than theirs... if we can play them hard enough to wear them down, we might just pull away a few minutes before the buzzer... honestly, anything feels possible right now...

We need three specific things to go our way:
1. Alilovic, or really any keeper who can step up tomorrow and rack up more than 15 saves when it actually matters...
2. Balic playing like he did yesterday... those long-range shots were absolutely lethal...
3. Metlicic and Lackovic combining for about 10 goals between them...

If those three things happen, we’re looking at gold or silver... that's my final word on it...

What would I change? Man... if God grants me the health, I’d call him up just to see if Cupic can step up as a true superstar—which, honestly, I don't doubt for a second. And hey, let's get a third entity established while we're at it... you should swing by my place down south, we'll grab a beer and toast to that... But come on, telling people he's gonna be better than the greatest right wing in the world? Better than a virtuoso genius like Dzomba?! Nobody's happier than me, really, but let's be real... neither him nor anyone else is ever gonna hit those heights again. Guys like Pipe and Dzomba? They're once-in-a-generation types. We were lucky enough to have that kind of talent after Irfan. As for little Manuel, I'm with you, but how many more years of mediocrity have to pass before he actually hits that elite world-class winger status? Right now, he's just a kid with potential, nothing more... You probably follow other sports too, so you know how often our talents just fall through the cracks here. Nothing is guaranteed. And Alilovic? He's still miles away from being a Fritz, a Svenson, or a Lavrov... he's just not in that global top tier of goalkeepers yet. It's gonna take a lot more time before he even gets close, if he ever does

Look, nothing is ever a sure bet, but I’m putting my money on these kids actually pulling it off.

After just half a season of playing high-level ball in the Asobal league—and I'm not even counting the local domestic leagues here—Cupo has already climbed his way up to sit alongside legends like Rutenka, Ruesga, and Romer on the scoring charts.

It only took him half a season to get there.

To give you an idea of the pace, even the top American prospect, Nenadic, is looking at his back right now.

And don't even get me started on how much Cervarov’s decision to throw players like Duvnjak and Cupic into the deep end is going to pay off. One day, this investment is going to return with massive interest. Most people don't get it because they aren't experts; they watch Duvnjak play and think, "Yeah, this kid isn't exactly the heir to Balic," but let me tell you, he's got serious grit.

Anyway, it’s all speculation until it happens. Time will tell. Nobody saw the potential in Vukovar either, and look where he ended up—heading to Gummer.

I honestly don't get it...

I’ve been staring at the EHF stats for the tournament goalkeepers... Alilovic is sitting at 5th place with a 38% save rate... but if you take out that second Norwegian keeper who barely saw any action—meaning his stats aren't even comparable—Alilovic is actually the 4th best goalie in the whole tournament...

Then, if you look strictly at the number of saves, he’s ranked 6th with 10.4 saves per game, which is pretty damn solid considering how much he’s actually on the court...

And when it comes to total saves, Alilovic lands in 5th place...

What else does anyone want from him? If you factor in his age and the fact that he’s still playing as Saric's backup, I mean, he isn't just great, he's absolutely incredible, but in absolute terms, he's consistently one of the top third or even top quarter of goalkeepers in this championship at any given moment... isn't that enough for everyone?

hehe you didn't get it... he's good, like really solid at the World Cup... but he still needs more time to become a total legend like the guys playing today or even break into that top tier elite group... I mean, the potential is definitely there... he just seriously needs to fix his defense against those wing players... it kills me when some guy comes flying in from the wing and he just gets caught completely off guard 😠..

It’s not just that it isn't enough... honestly, it’s way beyond that... he’s still missing that certain something... I just hope this little spark is enough to finally get him moving in the footsteps of someone like Vlada soliti or maybe even Omeyer