We take the same ones and we start again for the tricolor basketball players. Already winners of Portugal last Thursday in Dijon (94-56), Vincent Collet’s men did it again this Sunday on Lusitanian soil (56-69). A tough and undecided match, the antithesis of the health walk three days earlier. This victory, however, allows the Blues to qualify for the next round of the 2023 World Cup qualifiers.
Catchy Portuguese
Just like Thursday evening, the France team, deprived of its internationals playing in the NBA and the Euroleague, had some difficulty entering the game. In the first quarter, Axel Toupane’s teammates lost a whopping 9 balls. Too much for Vincent Collet who struggles to hide his annoyance from the bench. Despite everything, the Tricolores manage to take the lead at the end of the first 10 minutes thanks to an award-winning shot from Toupane (15-16).
But unlike Thursday evening, the Blues did not manage to outrun their opponents. Relying on a good defensive solidity, the players of Mario Palma thwart the tricolor offensives. The Blues force their shots (41% success in the 2nd quarter), and Diogo Brito makes his address speak to allow the Portuguese to return to the locker room with the advantage in the score (35-34).
4 wins in 4 games
The face of the game does not change one iota after returning from the locker room. Still in great difficulty in terms of address (4/19 at three points), the Blues show unusual shortcomings in the offensive sector. But at the very end of the 3rd quarter, the former leader of Nanterre, Sylvain Francisco, made a step back (one step back) before triggering three points. An award-winning shot that hurts the Portuguese heads since it allows the Blues to lead by 6 points at the start of the last quarter.
A psychological advantage that the tricolors are building on by creating the first significant gap in the game (+ 13). Carried by a Francisco / Mbaye duo, 28 points between them, the Olympic vice-champions see the Portuguese come back to 6 points but do not waste their comfortable lead. Vincent Collet’s men finally won 56-69 and qualified for the next qualifying round thanks to this 4th success in 4 games. They could face in particular Lithuania, one of the strong nations of European basketball.