A day after the narrow defeat against Montenegro, the Belgian Lions were faced with the toughest chunk on paper at this European Championship, with world champions Spain.
The Spaniards had convincingly won their first two matches and, despite a string of absentees, could still count on a lot of toppers from the strong Spanish league and, with the Hernangomez brothers, also on a tandem from the NBA.
But an imposing Belgium was not impressed by the world champion. Relying on a strong defense and with a collective attack, the Lions already gave a foretaste of the stunt that was coming in the 1st quarter: 11-15.
However, things seemed to go in the wrong direction for a while in the 2nd quarter. Belgium suddenly failed to score and Spain walked away thanks to a 10-0. But the Belgian Lions showed mental toughness and fought their way back into the match thanks to their rebound dominance. Everything was still possible at halftime (33-32).
Those who had expected a Spanish storm in the 2nd half were disappointed. The tactical plan of the Belgians was perfect and the world champion only occasionally found an answer to the excellent defense of the Lions.
They had an answer for every Spanish intermediate sprint and were led to the stunt of this European Championship by top scorer Lecomte. Bako was allowed to dunk the 73-83 final score on the board, a victory that opens the gate wide for Belgium towards the next round.
Belgium: Lecomte 20, Gillet 14, Obasohan 11, Bako 10, Vanwijn 8, Mwema 6, Tabu 6, Bleijenbergh 3, De Zeeuw 2, Libert 2, Tumba 1. Bratanovic did not play.
