To hang, it will be necessary to iron it. This Thursday, in Dijon, the French national team had fun against the humble Portuguese. This scenario could happen again during the second leg match scheduled for Sunday between the two teams, but this time in Portugal. By beating the Lusitanias, Vincent Colette’s players achieved their third success in this Group E after those they had against Montenegro (73-67) and Hungary (78-54) last November.
This success brings them closer to qualifying for the second stage of the European Zone Qualifiers. There is still a long way to go to reach Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines, the three organizing countries of the 19th edition of the global rising bloc scheduled to be held from August 25 to September 10, 2023.
12 Blues scored at least two points
To cancel their ticket, which was offered to the top three and eliminate only the last from each group, the Blues would have to wait athletically for Sunday and achieve new success. This is in fact, but in practice, the qualification of the blues is not in doubt. And the last two matches in the group, against Montenegro and Hungary, respectively on July 1 and 4, will not count for nothing.
At the beginning of the match, the Lusitania surprised the French and increased their lead to eight points (11-17, 9). They completed the first quarter by two points (15-17). But France cannot lose to Portugal (6 wins in the same number of matches). From the second quarter, the French dominated (37-33). At the break, the Blues are content with minimal union, in particular due to the large number of ball losses. Like the diesel engine, teammates Louis Labery then completely choked their opponents (65-44, at the end of the third quarter).
Without actual restrictions, the Hab runs a real correction for the very limited Portuguese, who eventually showed a 38-point deficit (94-56). The French team finished the match with great success with two points, scoring 30 baskets in 37 attempts (81.1%). In detail, 12 players from the tricolor squad scored at least two points against Portugal. “We put in a lot of effort to win,” Vincent Colette said after the match. It’s a shame it took so long to launch the machine. But then, we made a huge difference…”
