After the forceps victory against Lithuania yesterday, France must confirm this evening against Hungary, to get closer to the Group B podium, especially after the defeat of Slovenia against Bosnia and Herzegovina. the momentum seems largely in favor of Vincent Collet’s squad a priori, but this poster nevertheless strongly resembles a trap match, against a Hungarian selection which has nothing to lose after two defeats to start the competition…
The bench very quickly opened, without much success
The start of the match goes in this direction in any case: after a flat start, with a lead that quickly exceeds 10 points under the impetus of a sharp Guerschon Yabusele (9 points), the Blues lose the thread too quickly of their game. Vincent Collet decides to open his bench to save his executives, given that France is in “back-to-back”, but it does not pay: the defensive concentration and the execution of the systems loses in quality, and Hungary , behind the indestructible Adam Hanga, quietly nibbles his delay before the end of the first quarter (19-15).
The rest of the first period, with the exception of a few convincing passages from Amath M’Baye, Rudy Gobert and especially Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot, is not particularly more reassuring. The French team certainly keeps control of the score, but we feel that the balance is fragile. Too many ball losses are regrettable – eight in total during the first twenty minutes – while Hungary have a warm hand behind the arc (6/12).
Thus, without really convincing, the men of captain Evan Fournier, much more discreet than the day before since he only played eight minutes in the first period (3 points to 1/3), only had a small possession lead. at the break (42-39).
A nightmarish ending
Always inclined to adapt during the match, Vincent Collet therefore changed his tune when leaving the locker room. He thus leaves on a more usual rotation around his holders, and the effect on the score is immediate: France offers itself a cushion of 12 points in advance (54-42) after four minutes played in the third quarter. . The defense finds its base, the losses of balls are limited, and overall the game offered is much more successful. The Blues shift into fifth gear at the right time under the impulse of the incumbents, and take cover before attacking the last quarter (+14, 67-53).
Unfortunately, the last act is much, much messier, as the French players still suffer from a serious consistency problem and don’t drive home the point when they have the chance.
Vincent Collet’s men thus began the last quarter with a nasty passage of four minutes without the slightest point scored, and only scored more than seven points in nine minutes. In addition, the problem of lost balls becomes central again: twelve in the second half! France, though in the lead by 14 points ten minutes before, seriously complicates life, and Hungary, pragmatic in the skin of the outsider, takes the opportunity to pick up at -2 (74-72) at the start last minute…
Finally, the essential is assured in the end (78-74), since David Vojdova misses the winning shot to give the advantage to his team, then Guerschon Yabusele and Evan Fournier ensure on the line of free throws. But despite the victory, a bitter taste remains in the mouth, because the French came close to disaster in the last quarter. A real torture of ten minutes, during which the Blues almost squandered a 14-point lead…
Nothing will be easy in this EuroBasket, for the French team.
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Photo credit: fiba.basketball
