Handball Europe: America vs. Norway 23-23

FT SLO - NOR 33-29

We’ve got 26 hours of downtime while they only get 22. That’s it. A solid seven-hour edge right there... nothing much, but it counts.

I like those odds... honestly, if Slo wins tomorrow, we might even pull off taking the top spot in the group, fingers crossed...

Eyes on the prize... gold is calling.

They're stumbling and playing worse by the day, and they have another game tomorrow. We’re younger, better rested, and much stronger. We’re going to take 🙂

And then there's the Americans 😁

Starting lineup:

Goalkeeper - EGE Steinar FCK København 188/1 35g.
Pivot - JENSEN Johnny Flensburg Handewitt 174/283 35g.
Left Wing - TVEDTEN Håvard Nature House La Rioja 120/393 29g.
Left Back - HAGEN Frode Drammen HK 181/541 33g.
Center Back - SOLBERG Glenn Drammen HK 115/239 35g.
Right Back - LAURITZEN Jan Thomas Bjerringbro-Silkeborg 247/549 33g.
Right Wing - SKJÆRVOLD Rune Stord TIL 102/212 33g.

Anyway, anyone got thoughts on this...

The trupac is back. Let's go!

Check out these numbers though... in his very first game, he racked up 6 blocks (averaging 6.0). To put that in perspective, Laluska was sitting at 2.4, and Špoljarić had 1.8.

What actually happens if we lose to Norway and the Danes beat the Canadians?
Then three teams are sitting there with 6 points... basically, the Danes beat us, the Canadians beat the Danes, and the Canadians beat us.
How do they break the tie? Goal differential? If that's the case, the Danes are going to absolutely crush us.

They’re saying they’ll just look at the goal difference between those three teams to break the tie... which, if you ask me, makes absolutely zero sense... but I guess I shouldn't be surprised by that kind of logic...

As long as the teams stay this evenly matched, everyone is just going to obsess over their head-to-head matchups. That’s how it’s always been, and honestly, that’s how it’ll always be.

Roger Allen3 said:No matter how evenly matched the teams are, everyone just looks at their head-to-head matchups. It’s always been done that way, and honestly, it probably always will be.

Let's look at a hypothetical scenario

Teams A, B, and C all have 10 points
Team A beat Team B
Team C beat Team A
Team B beat Team C

Only one team moves on—which one would it be?

rowdyfox12 said:I’ve been watching Canada play against Norway,
and if we can avoid another one of those off-days, I truly believe we can pull off something similar tomorrow.

That’s true, though I noticed the Canadian side was playing with such intense aggression; they seemed completely wired, almost feral in their approach—much like how Pajovič plays, which isn't exactly a style we have been leaning into lately. They were also finding success by driving hard to the line to score, an area where our own execution has felt somewhat lacking in recent outings.
As for the Norwegians, they haven't looked particularly formidable, but it makes me wonder when we last managed to hold a four-goal lead and actually maintain that momentum—because, in my estimation, staying composed while holding a lead seems to be the only viable strategy when you're facing a home crowd...

Samuel Baker3 said:Let's look at a hypothetical scenario

Teams A, B, and C all have 10 points.
Team A beat Team B.
Team C beat Team A.
Team B beat Team C.

Only one team moves on. Which one?

It’s whichever one has the best head-to-head goal differential.

The Danes beat us by +10, while we beat Canada by +5.

If Canada manages to beat the Danes by +2, then Denmark still advances with an +8, while Canada would sit in second at -3, leaving us in last place at -5.

We’re going to absolutely crush Norway tomorrow. They don't stand a chance.

Samuel Baker3 said:Let's look at a hypothetical scenario:

Teams A, B, and C all sit at 10 points.
Team A beat Team B.
Team C beat Team A.
Team B beat Team C.

Only one moves on. Who?

That's the situation we're staring down...
A theoretical mess that, unfortunately, isn't even theoretical anymore.
If that happens, we're stuck in 4th place in the group, fighting for 7th. 😕

Just so we can face those old ladies from Scandinavia tomorrow...
Personally, I’d love to see the Danes knock out Denmark and Germany in Group 2.
They’d take first place and head to Sweden for the semis—which looks like the smartest play coming out of Group 2. If things go our way, the final would likely be against France. Whatever happens, happens.
🤷
Bottom line: I'd much rather face France in a final than in the semifinals, assuming we actually make it that far.

Terry Fisher2 said:Anyway, nobody’s saying anything about this...

The beast is back. Wooohoooo....

And get this... in his very first game, he racked up 6 blocks (that's a 6.0 average). Laluska was second with 2.4, and Špoljarić was third with 1.8.

Davor is a total legend.

The only issue is our defense—it's been a mess for a while now because we aren't actually stepping out to meet the players. We're just committing professional fouls and killing the flow. Instead, we're just jumping at everything like we're playing volleyball. There isn't a block in existence that can stop an elite wing player. Sure, you might stop them once or twice. But if you let a team cruise from the 7-meter line for 60 minutes, that's straight-up suicide.🙂

On a different note, totally unrelated to the blocks, Dominiković played incredibly well. Honestly, it felt like our 5-1 setup was most effective when he was the advanced defender. Now, whether that was because we actually executed perfectly or just because the cG-orac guys were completely demoralized and gassed, I have no clue.

The Americans from Canada have complicated their own group standing, which inadvertently does us a massive favor. For the Americans from Norway, today is strictly a win-or-go-home scenario, whereas even an inconclusive result keeps us moving forward. Our players will likely benefit from the extra rest, giving them the edge needed to advance. It’s unlikely Canada pulls another upset, so we should be looking at a showdown against the French in the semifinals.

Look, honestly, just scraping a draw against Norway would be enough for us.
But we can't just bank on that. We need to go out there
hunting for the win from the jump. The bottom line is our defense needs to be aggressive and rock solid...
We need Alilović in goal from the whistle, some other guy holding down the middle,
and Alilović back in the net when it counts. But again, it all comes down to the defense.
It's gotta be tough. Period.
If we play like that, we can actually take down Norway.

I have a feeling we’re going to steamroll them.
The only real concern might be how physical and gritty their defense plays. But honestly, if our guys can handle the pressure, we can definitely 🙂

Forget about playing mindless, aggressive defense. If we can just lock down the goal and actually play some smart, tactical handball on offense—maybe someone like Balić will finally have a lightbulb moment and realize why he isn't topping the assist charts despite being the best out there—we've got them right where we want them. We absolutely have to shut down their shooters and prepare for their style. Honestly, it's a blessing that crazy Kjelling isn't at his absolute peak right now. I’m going to go dive into the Handball Europe stats to see what I can find...

If we actually make it to the Final Four, I’m heading straight to Lillehammer. You better crank up those speakers, because whoever spends sixty minutes screaming "Lino! Lino!" is going to be the true king of the fans.

boldhound8 said:David is an absolute legend.

The defense is honestly such a disaster lately, and it’s been an issue for ages; we just aren't stepping out to meet their players, which means we're constantly forced into those cheap professional fouls just to stop the flow of the game. Instead of actually defending, we’re all just jumping into these pathetic blocks like we’re playing volleyball or something. Look, a block might work once or twice against a decent shooter, but if you let an elite wing player get a clear run at you from seven meters for sixty straight minutes, you’re basically committing suicide on the court.🙂

Setting the defensive blocks aside for a second, I have to say that Dominic played an absolute standout game. Honestly, there was a stretch where our 5-1 defense looked incredibly sharp with him leading the charge, almost like we’d finally found the right rhythm. Now, I can't quite tell if we were actually playing out of our minds, or if we just caught those guys from Mexico while they were completely gassed and totally losing their nerve, but either way, it felt good.

Look, we could easily pull off a 5-1 defense if our guys on the wings can actually find their footing and jump effectively against those outside shooters. Honestly, the most effective defensive setups we’re seeing in this tournament are the 6-0 schemes—well, assuming you're talking about the French squad—and the reason they work is simple: they're mobile and they play deep. A 6-0 setup is absolutely flawless as long as the front line isn't just standing there like statues and actually moves with purpose. Just look at how the Danes completely shut down the Polish backcourt; their first outside shooter was held to a measly six goals, which is frankly pathetic considering what a lethal marksman they usually are. On paper, everyone thinks a 6-0 is vulnerable to perimeter shooting, but that's total nonsense if your players have the agility to move forward and back with some actual rhythm.