The forward was one of the high points in Argentina’s huge victory over Spain at the start of the U19 World Cup, he spoke with Prensa CAB. Those from Farabello will face Korea this Sunday at 05:30.
It was a dream debut for the U19 men’s national team at the start of the category’s World Cup. With an injection of intensity and confidence, he turned a game that had started very adverse and defeated Spain 69-68. The forward of Bahía Basket, Alejo Azpilicueta, was one of the banners of the comeback in the second half.
The match implied the return to the international competition of the litter after the long stop of the pandemic that implied the suspension of the 2020 World Cup. The last match was the defeat in the South American U17 final, back in 2019: “I lived it with a lot of anxiety, I think like the whole team. For days he had not stopped thinking about Spain, who he had to defend. But when the game started my head relaxed “.
Argentina did not start well, suffered the intense and physical defense of its rival, which generated losses and made movement difficult in attack: “At the start they were noticed looser. Spain had already played a friendly tournament before, we had not competed for years and we had only played eight international matches. In that sense, Spain was more oiled and they were noticed with more confidence. It was difficult for us to start in the first quarter and even in the beginning of the second “.
But in the third quarter, Argentina reacted and turned the game around to take the lead. The team gained confidence and established itself in attack. There, Azpilicueta played a key role, fighting rebounds and scoring behind the three-point line: “At halftime we were convinced that we had to win it whatever it was. We knew the strengths of Spain and we felt that we had the tools to win it and thank God we won it “.
Azpilicueta finished with 15 points (4/5 from 3p) and 4 rebounds in 29 minutes for a PIR of 16: “At first, maybe I felt a little uncomfortable because of the situation that was taking place, that things were not working out for us. But later, when we let go, I felt much better. “.
For the second date of Group C, Argentina will face Korea from 05:30, our country time. The boys will go for their second victory against an opponent who fell heavily in the debut against France, one of the great candidates of the contest. We will have to get up early to encourage them, but after what was done this Saturday, they have it more than deserved.
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