2024-07-27 22:26:58
Victor Wembanyama, Nicolas Batum, Nando De Colo … Several players from the France team shared their feelings after the victory over Brazil on Saturday in Lille.
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Victor Wembanyama (in the French basketball team after 78-66 victory over Brazil ) : “There is pride when we have the opportunity to show what we are capable of in front of many people… There is no feeling of inferiority, just the will to work hard and improve from match to match. (How the French raise voice in defense) We know it, we know we can do it, but more than knowing it, we have to know how to practice it. Air? It is unique, I have never experienced this, many people, with such intensity, from the heat. It’s just incredible. Nicolas Batum competition? He played a fundamental role for us tonight (Saturday). It is very, very important on the balance sheet as the rest, which is not visible. It’s just an amazing asset. We don’t expect it from you. (on your match) I am happy with my work if I really help the team to win. It’s an Olympic tournament, there are only six matches. I didn’t think about that. Everything is just done to help the team win. Pressing? Never. The fact that it’s a crowd like tonight, that lifts us up more than anything else. “
Nicolas Batum (France captain) : “There’s an environment of attention, very tense. Even for people like me, it enters the room… Yes (laughs). It is also important. It’s at the Olympics, at home, it has 30,000 people, even if I’ve played big games before, it’s special. It felt a little gut-wrenching, it was impressive. When we are at -12, we sit down, we take a breath, and we have to use the second on defense, to play more, to give the ball inside. That’s what we do. We had a good run and took the lead before half time, it was big psychologically for both teams. Citizens help us a lot by living in it. In the third quarter, the five started again with a lot of intensity, we made a good gap with the defense. We could have already killed the game, we made some stupid mistakes, we tried to play too easy, maybe we fell into a euphoria, including me. A completely damaged passport… You have to be careful. But it is not easy to win the first match. We did it. We put ourselves in good positions. Now Japan. We have our destiny in our hands and that is the most important thing in this competition. (…) If we win against Japan, we will have nine ears in Paris, almost ten in fact (laughs).
I wasn’t good in the first five or six minutes, I was a little limp. I’m nervous, I admit. I told myself that I have to go on, play, that I need and that I can’t leave all the pressure on Wemby. I still have to attack. I try to do it, to be myself, active in defense too, the fact that we have been given to Huertas also makes me work too. I try to put big in the right places, it’s good. Everyone is happy. There was preparation, but now it’s real. It was a very good team win even if there are still things to fix, which are not very pretty.
I will try to do better in the next match. But if I play matches like that and we win every time, I’ll take it.
Gerschon Yabusele
Gerschon Yabusele (in the French team) : “We have to wake up… We were a little slow at the beginning of the game and let them get their buzz, let them do what they know how to do. Against a team like that, that’s a lead of 10 points (12 actually). (…) We know that we have a lot of power and that we can cause a lot of problems for other teams. We built on that and then, everyone was buzzing. Sadness? The three miss three pointers, I’m alone. It was not gossip… There are days with it, days without, it happens. I will try to do better in the next match. But if I play matches like that and we win every time, I’ll take it. What matters is the group, the group. Nicolas Batum? He pushed us in defense and then we followed. We are strong, we help each other, help each other, keep going. We stay together. “
Nando De Colo (back of the French team) : “Nothing will be easy. It’s never easy to match the perfect opening. But we know how to stay together, strong and now, there is always progress, that’s good. Let’s go step by step. Tonight, victory is beautiful. We want to put the intensity maybe a little above what we want to do in the beginning of the matches. We had very precise rules on their playing systems and that created a lot more space than later, when we were more solid and that made the difference. Everything is not perfect but victory is beautiful. We must continue. The audience? It is incredible. For the oldest, we know from the experience of Euro 2015. But we see enthusiasm and in difficult times they will be there to help us. Nicolas Batum? Defensively, he did the job that was asked of him. And in attack, he is very smart. Having Victor and the other players monopolizing the attention leaves a lot of room and fits well with what he can do. He put in a shot that did a lot of good in the end. That is what we are looking for. It could be another player tomorrow but we have to try to do things together and know where we can be strong before the upcoming matches. “
Isaïa Cordinier (back of the French team) : “It is the most important thing to get off to a good start, to get this victory. The Olympics at home, it’s not easy to approach this first match… We saw at the beginning, we had some trouble. And when we let go, we remember what makes us strong, protective, healing, simple places. The job is done but we can always do better. “
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