2023-06-25 22:02:24
After a spectacular tournament, where Spain exceeded almost all expectations, they stumbled in the Eurobasket final against Belgium. Méndez’s side had a brilliant first half, but the shots stopped coming in the second and there the Belgians were unbeatable in determination. But as always, the team returns home with honor and with silver, which is not little.
Torrens y Meesseman, the most decisive players in the tournament, met at the start of the match, like two outlaws who know that only one can remain standing. Basket of the Spanish and basket of the Belgian to open the menu of the grand final of the Eurobasket, both sides somewhat nervous, with the gaze of the trophy fixed on their backs in each play. The experience of the team prevailed in the first quarter, its members hardened in a thousand battles, with an incomparable competitive gene, and the score began to lean in their favor.
Spain entered without fear into the lion’s den, great Streeta in the charge to the defensive rebound and in the completion near the basket. The desperation of the Belgians was increasing, the hands appeared without warning, as if they were surrounded by spirits, and the losses began to be a category problem (six in the first quarter, a statistic that allowed Spain to add ten points after recovery).
Mendez’s pupils did not concede anything on the perimeter, the Belgian specialists in long distance, and only the powerful Linskens managed to make the occasional hole in the area. The pivot had to be controlled and Laura Gildespite being in inferiority of centimeters and kilos, began a spectacular fight with the Belgian.
Casas He took advantage of the attention generated by the brawl and began to machine-gun the rival hoop mercilessly to maintain the leadership of the team on the scoreboard. A great triple by Cazorla in the last possessions of the first part left the Spanish fans hoarse in Ljubljana and when the horn sounded, Spain was already leading by seven in the electronics.
After the restart, the team stood firm. The team began to build on defense, the hallmark of the group, and to make simplicity their guide in attack. It was the prodigious doll of Vanloo, who only knew how to add three by three, the one that woke up Belgium. They began to recover the offensive virtuosity that had made them the most fearsome team in the Eurobasket and, together with their mastery of the rebound, began an approach that was left halfway, as two almost consecutive three-pointers from Spain (one by Casas and another by Leonor Rodríguez) drained the small rebellion.
The exchange of blows was spectacular, two open-faced teams presenting their entire arsenal in Slovenia. Although the most impressive thing was how Spain, a fire-resistant oak, could withstand the downpour and still had the strength to score on the other side of the track. Gil continued with his private war against all of Belgium and time was slipping away quickly. Was Germanwith a sensational two plus one on the last possession of the third quarter, who gave the Belgians some hope.
Belgian comeback
Raquel CarreraAt the age of 21, she became a beast under the scoreboard and corroborated that she is aiming for a generational player, since very few athletes have the mettle to play in a final as the Galician was doing. Despite the tranquility transmitted by the pivot, equality was suffocating and Spain’s advantage was minimal. The failures in the outside shot accumulated and the Belgians wielded incisive choreographies in attack, some indefensible even for the padlock that is the selection. Ginzo came to the rescue and broke the spell with a five-meter throw, but where he had to push was behind.
Linskens He was devastating, nobody could minimize it, and with his forceful basketball he put Belgium to only two points in the middle of the last quarter, the point of no return. A triple of Meesseman it gave him the first advantage of the match and Spain emptied little by little, a crude moment for Méndez’s men, with a shrunken wrist and outmatched on the rebound. After a slightly weak game, Torrens appeared to convert an unlikely shot on the board, but there was no stopping the Belgians, much more exuberant and aggressive.
Four down, Spain was already desperate. The shots did not enter and his rival cut off any attempt to counterattack to avoid an easy basket that would revive his hopes. Méndez prepared a play in timeout, it must have been a masterpiece because there were only 28 seconds left in the game. He did not come out and the Belgian reliability from the free throw line gave him the final victory. A country without much tradition in basketball that has created a golden generation, not many can beat Spain competitively, which goes home with money that today tastes bitter, but tomorrow will taste proud.
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