The Blues do not lose the rhythm. After four victories in their four friendly preparation matches for the 2022 European Championship, Vincent Collet’s players offered the public at the Accor Arena in Paris-Bercy a show in two stages against the Czech Republic. A match counting for the 2nd round of qualifying for the 2023 World Cup that the Tricolores absolutely did not take by the right end. Like the meeting against Belgium, the French team offered a face far from reassuring in the first moments of the meeting. Faced with the battering of Vojtech Hruban (14 points, 7 rebounds), only Thomas Heurtel (7 points, 9 assists) was able to respond in the first two minutes in an inaugural 10-2 for the Czechs. Under the impetus of Guerschon Yabusele (16 points, 5 rebounds), the Blues resurfaced to even take the lead by two lengths five minutes from the end of the first quarter… But the Olympic vice-champions then conceded a 12 -0 which allowed the Czech Republic to take to the open sea.
The Czechs have undermined the Blues
A situation that did not improve at the start of the second quarter with Ondrej Balvin (12 points, 7 rebounds) who tormented the tricolor defense and allowed his team to lead by twelve lengths four minutes behind. half-time. It was then that the Blues began to find solutions and fully enter their match. Captain Evan Fournier (7 points) and his right arm Rudy Gobert (14 points, 7 rebounds) sounded the charge and allowed the France team to come back. However, Vojtech Hruban put the buzzer on a final three-point shot to send the Czechs back to their locker room with a four-length margin. A break that dragged on because, at the very end of half-time, on a devastating dunk from Rudy Gobert, one of the baskets came off its axis. It took more than a quarter of an hour for the technicians to repair the damage and play could resume. An extended half-time which did the greatest good for the Blues who, on their way, put the Czech attack under the extinguisher.
The Blues were irresistible at the end of the match
With a strong defense, ammunition multiplied in attack and Guerschon Yabusele had a field day. An 18-2 in the space of six minutes completely changed the direction of the game. From there, in an overheated Bercy, the Blues played their game, ending the third quarter with a sixteen-point lead. In glaring lack of solution, the Czech selection had to settle for only ten points in the last ten minutes with the addition which has continued to swell. Vincent Collet rotated his workforce with Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (16 points), Vincent Poirier (10 points, 7 rebounds) or Elie Okobo (10 points) who joined the party. It is with a margin of 35 points (95-60) that the Blues started their second qualifying round for the 2023 World Cup and are full of confidence before Euro 2022. The trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina, with Andrew Albicy’s return to the group will be the last opportunity to make adjustments before their entry into the running in Germany.
BASKETBALL – WORLD CUP 2023 (M) / QUALIFICATIONS (2ND ROUND)
Group K – 7th day – Wednesday August 24, 2022
Hungary – Lithuania : 78-88
Montenegro – Bosnia and Herzegovina: 88-69
France – Czech Republic: 95_60
Group K standings
1- France 13 points
2- Lithuania 13
3- Montenegro 12
4- Czech Republic 10
5- Bosnia and Herzegovina 10
6- Hungary 10
All results from the first round have been retained. The first three of each group will qualify for the final phase of the 2023 World Cup.
