Handball Euro Finals: America vs. Denmark 20:24

Scott Collins30 said:Alright, here’s how things look heading into the big final:
If we pull this off, we’re European champions 😁 and punching our ticket to the Olympics.
If we lose, we walk away with silver 😁 and host a qualifying tournament (likely in San Diego) where teams like Russia, the winner of the North Korea vs. Japan match, and Algeria will be fighting for spots. The top two teams from that bracket head to the Olympics.
Honestly, I don't think anyone should be questioning whether we can defend our Olympic title...

That's a given.

Dammit, those Danes. I was just thinking they’d finally overextended themselves against us, the Poles, and the Canadians... and then this happens... 😠

Scott Collins30 said:Alright, here’s how things look heading into the big final:
If we pull this off, we’re European champions 😁 and punching our ticket to the Olympics.
If we lose, we walk away with silver 😁 and host a qualifying tournament (likely in San Diego) where teams like Russia, the winner of the North Korea vs. Japan match, and Algeria will be fighting for spots. The top two teams from that bracket head to the Olympics.
Honestly, I don't think anyone should be questioning whether we can defend our Olympic title...

Oh, that's a given.

They drew us in their group and absolutely crushed us, which is actually working out in their favor right now. It’s just like when we were at the World Championships and tore through the Spaniards only to choke against them in the finals. That's just how the game works. So, congrats to Denmark on the silver.

21-20 for Germany, plus a two-minute double technical... let's go, Germany! 🎉

Susan Fox86 said:They drew us in their group and absolutely crushed us, which is actually working out in their favor right now. It’s just like when we were at the World Championships and tore through the Spaniards only to choke against them in the finals. That's just how the game works. So, congrats to Denmark on the silver.

You've hit the nail on the head there,🙏 🙏 🙏exactly.

Ben, I don't think we're the lucky ones here, personally🙂

The German keeper pulling off 17 saves just ten minutes before the final whistle... I can't quite remember, how many total saves did Alilovic and the guys put up today? Was it three or four? 😂

Dammit, I can't find a way to watch this anywhere 🤮

22-21, Germans take it

Terry Rodriguez41 said:Dammit, I can't find a way to watch this anywhere 🤮

NBC

This referee with all those penalties is going to absolutely wreck the Germans... what a joke 😠

If the Germans didn't have such a powerhouse in goal, they would have been totally crushed long ago 😲

22-22

23-22 for Disney.

rapidbison42 said:NBC

I don't have access to NBC, man...

I guess we should just root for the Germans; maybe things will be a little easier if we're up against them.🙏

David Taylor13 said:It’s honestly such a shame, but it looks like the Germans were really missing that grit and intensity from players like Kehrman and Zeitz. Preiß was just a complete disaster out there—how do you manage to draw a foul and give up a penalty with only five seconds left on the clock? And let's be real, Christiansen would have absolutely buried that shot to snatch the lead.

At this point, we’ve got no choice but to pay them back in kind when we face Denmark later in the group stage.🙏

Yeah, Preiss absolutely blew it. Why didn't they just commit a tactical foul in the middle of the court at the start of the possession?😕🤷

I'm telling you, if we play defense like that tomorrow, we win 100% of the time.
Now we just need to get Ivano Balić, a broom, and some Chinese herbal medicine to load him up with painkillers, and then we're golden.

Looks like even Červar decided to grab a seat in the stands!

Justin Ward4 said:Yeah, Preiss absolutely blew it. Why didn't they just commit a tactical foul in the middle of the court at the start of the possession?😕🤷

I'm telling you, if we play defense like that tomorrow, we win 100% of the time.
Now we just need to get Ivano Balić, a broom, and some Chinese herbal medicine to load him up with painkillers, and then we're golden.

That explains why, following Lacković's final goal today, Ivano Balić decided to pull a masterstroke by fouling that guy right in the center of the floor—all to prevent those quick goals we kept getting hit with, like those three or four we conceded today 👍 and the way we always seem to have this habit of letting teams like the French score immediately after we give them an opening, much like that 1998 World Cup soccer situation 😬

Oh, right! I totally missed that part. We gave up ten goals because our defense was completely disorganized. Lac really dropped the ball there—he was way too slow getting those defensive substitutions in. Between Dominiković, Abalo, and Karabatic constantly clashing into each other, it’s no wonder the ref lost his cool with him...
We could easily run into the same mess tomorrow, especially since the Danes are even faster than the French...

When you've been following sports for enough years, you eventually learn this unwritten rule: if a team absolutely crushes an opponent during the group stage, only to face them again later in the knockout rounds, semifinals, or finals, they almost never pull off the same result. In 99% of cases, they actually end up losing.

It’s just an unwritten rule... honestly, it’s all about the psychology of it.

Personally, I’m just sitting here wondering how much our guys have left in the tank. Are they mentally broken, or do they still have the strength to push through? I think they do, though. This is Metelica's last European Championship, and his motivation is next-level. If we grab the gold, Metelica becomes the most successful handball player in history. He’d have every single major title collected—both for the national team and at the club level. He’s already got a European title with Real Madrid, a Cup Cup title with Ademar, an EHF Cup title with Metkovica, the World Championship from Portugal, and an Olympic gold from Athens. All he needs now is that one European gold medal.

Man, they are leaving everything out there on the court; it’s like watching a movie.

The only thing is, even the Danes are feeling the exhaustion. Watching them go against Germany, you see them crying, rolling on the floor in pure joy—it’s just raw emotion everywhere.

Linda Hughes88 said:if being total pessimists actually helped us pull off that win against France, then why on earth would we want to change our strategy now...

Fine, if that's how we're playing it...😉

I’m not exactly holding my breath regarding our chances at gold tomorrow against those European heavyweights. Honestly, I just don't think our guys have the physical stamina left for a fight like this. Look, they've got all the heart in the world, but once the adrenaline wears off, the injuries are going to start screaming. You look at Caleb's rib, Metelica's ankle, then you've got Balić, Lac, Sulić, Vuković... man, just watching them limp around gives me a sympathetic ache in my own chest. I’ve gotta tip my hat to them again for what they've achieved; they really are absolute warriors.
Whatever happens tomorrow, they've already won in my book.