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The French men’s basketball team lost to the Spanish selection (88-76) in the final of the European Nations Championship (Eurobasket), on September 18 in Berlin. The Spaniards, dominating and very effective in their shots, won the fourth European title in their history.
The step was once again too high for the Blues. After dominating Poland in the semi-finals (95-54), the France team lost again to Spain, its pet peeve. Faced with extremely effective Spaniards offensively, the Blues were quickly left behind after a sluggish start to the match, paying for numerous defensive errors and too much excitement.
La Roja, notably driven by a fiery Juancho Hernangomez (27 points) and excellent on his 3-point shots, had a 21-point advantage in the first period. French captain Evan Fournier finally sounded the revolt before the break to bring his teammates to 10 points.
More precise and efficient as soon as they returned from the locker room, the Blues showed more intensity in their game. They managed to come back to just three points from their opponent during the third quarter, before falling back into their ways. The Spaniards, calm and patient, were able to live up to their status and manage their lead without panicking to register a new title on their list.
A fourth European title since 2009
The Spanish team thus won its fourth European title after those of 2009, 2011 and 2015. A new coronation which confirms its status on the continent over the last decade. Vincent Collet, the coach of the France team, rightly reminded us before the meeting: ” Spain has been the best nation in European basketball for 15 years ».
For its part, the French team leaves with a third silver medal, after those obtained in 1949 and 2011, and fails to climb to the roof of Europe as it had achieved in 2013. A European record to which s add six bronze medals (1937, 1951, 1953, 1959, 2005, 2015).