At snack time, a surprise at the Bercy Arena. France beat Canada 82-73 in the quarter-finals when almost nobody was giving a damn about a team once again caught up in internal strife and everyone was betting on the team coached by Jordi Fernández as the United States’ most serious rival. The story was different and in a hall lit up to the sound of La Marseillaise, the French team entered the fight for the medals and on Thursday will face Germany in the semi-finals. Serbia will play for the other place in the final against the United States or Brazil, rivals tonight (9.30 pm) in the quarter-finals. Three European teams among the top four in Paris.
Germany, the reigning world champions, eliminated Greece in the big European duel of the quarterfinals by 76-63, despite the Greek team having started ahead on the scoreboard (11-21 at the end of the first quarter). Wagner’s 18 points and Schröder’s 13 and eight assists led the German reaction to come back and nullify the gigantic Giannis Antetokounmpo (22 points).
Australia had reached the quarterfinals in Paris after a three-way tie in the group with Greece and Spain, and with the same agony they forced overtime against Serbia with a great basket by Patty Mills with three seconds left in the game (82-82) and with Nikola Jokic in front of them. The Australians then saved themselves when they had led at the Bercy Arena by 24 points (20-44, minute 14). They could not resist the pressure of the NBA star’s team (95-90), the Balkan pivot being decisive with 21 points, 14 rebounds, 8 assists and four steals. Serbia is back among the best teams in the world after last year’s runner-up finish in the World Cup, when Jokic was not in the squad after being champion of the American League with the Denver Nuggets.
And the bonanza came from a France that had become a powder keg for the umpteenth time. One of its stars, Fournier, had publicly clashed with the coach, Vincent Collet, about the tactics of the games and the way of defending. Nothing new for the French, who are used to moving in troubled waters. The hosts’ shortcomings at point guard were added to this, as was the discreet role of the endless Wembanyama until now. And then came Canada and its army of 10 NBA men, all at the service of the cause although this reduces their number of minutes compared to what is usual in the NBA. But France pressed the accelerator from the beginning (23-10), kept the fever and found a great Yabusele (22 points) to join Fournier, Lessort and Cordinier. Canada did not return to the game despite another stellar afternoon from Shai Gilgeous (27 points). France will once again face Germany, who shook the locals in the group stage by 71-85.
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