2024-07-31 13:45:45
His teammates are angry too. Coach Dainius Novickas starts waving his hands from the stands, and Lithuanian fans watch A. Pukelis move towards the bench.
“I asked if it was necessary to mold something or not. Maybe it’s cut, but I didn’t see it,” said the captain of the Lithuanian national team later about the bruised eye.
As blood was shed, so was anger.
“Emotions were taking their toll at that time, they wanted that penalty. I haven’t seen the post so I don’t know how it was. But that first emotional moment. Maybe it was a penalty, maybe a game episode”, said A. Pukelis about the situation.
When he said these words, the anger itself had already cooled down, only a bruise reminded him of the blow on the elbow. Everything was overshadowed by a much more painful reality – the Lithuanian triathlon team lost 14:21 in its Olympic debut to not just anyone, but to Latvian basketball players.
Speaking about the result, D. Novickas also used the word “tragedy” and said that “he has never seen his basketball players play like that.”
A. Pukelis also had an explanation: “We had agreed not to allow three-pointers to be thrown, and they killed us with three-pointers. Defending under the basket has been mentioned many times and I have personally made many mistakes here. When you give them a second chance, you let them feel it, you get into that fast game of theirs… They hit something that we shouldn’t have let them do.”
The national team of Lithuanian trios did not look for excuses. In agreement, everyone said that it turned out badly, did not fulfill the plan, did not hit.
They also agreed that there would be something to talk about.
They didn’t even look at the scorching heat of Paris. When the Lithuanian national team played in Santarvė Square, which was transformed into an impressive street-style oasis of Olympic sports, the thermometers showed 34 degrees of heat.
“It’s hot for us, but also hot for Latvians. Before that, it’s also hot for the teams. Let’s not go to that climate. Just that kind of match. We have also played in hot weather. This is not an excuse”, emphasized A. Pukelis.
In the matches of the national teams of Lithuania and Latvia, Lithuanians repeatedly criticized the referees. After the duel, it was already clear that there were uncontrollable emotions here. It became a serious lesson for the team, which fought, albeit with a changed, but Olympic champion of the Tokyo Games.
“A match only lasts 10 minutes, so the referees have a lot of influence. But we cannot appeal to the referees and their work from the start of the match. We have to do our job. We cannot ask the judges for help. We have to come and win so the referees can’t influence. The judges’ whistle at the end of 7 penalties can decide everything, so we can’t go down to that,” said A. Pukelis.
On Wednesday, the national team of Lithuanian trios at 11 p.m. 05 min. Lithuanian time will be played with French basketball players.
“We know that after the first game we neither win nor lose. We will have matches every day, the tournament is long. The most important thing is to show your best game when the playoffs and playoffs start. Now the important thing is to give your all in every match and try to get to the semi-finals in the most direct way. And if you don’t succeed – at least to the playoffs”, said A. Pukelis.
Lithuanian national team. Aurelijus Pukelis, Šarūnas Vingelis, Gintaras Matulis, Evaldas Džiaugys.
Latvian national team. Nauris Miezis, Karlis Lasmanis, Francis Lacis, Zigmaras Raimo.
Teams. In the 3×3 basketball Olympic Games, the USA, Serbia, China, Netherlands, Latvia, France, Poland and Lithuania participate in the battles.
System. The Lithuanian triathlon team will play 7 matches from July 30 to August 4. All opponents will be played once. The top two teams will advance to the semi-finals. 3-6 places – to the additional stage of the quarter-finals. The 7th and 8th place teams are eliminated and the tournament ends. The medal fights will take place on August 4-5.
2024-07-31 13:45:45