The road to heaven ran through hell for the Belgian Cats. For 36 minutes they seemed to be engaged in a hopeless fight in the European Championship final against Spain, but then, in money time, it was Emma Meesseman who dealt the final blow. Meesseman – who else, with 24 points. The MVP of this European Championship shot the Belgians straight to gold. The very first gold ever for a Belgian women’s team. The Golden Generation, that’s the Cats.
LOOK. The joy is great at the Belgian Cats
In Prague they were still too green six years ago and the European Championship bronze almost fell out of the blue. In Valencia two years ago it was literally a second off or they were already in the European Championship final for the first time.
Now, in Ljubljana, they seemed all set to harvest. The starting five of the Belgians shone like never before. Almost every connoisseur tipped the Cats as champions. But Spain knew better than anyone what it means to win titles. They have already reached the European Championship finals five times, winning four of them. In 2014 they became vice world champions, in 2016 vice olympic champions – just to say that winning is in their DNA.
Without their pregnant star player Astou Ndour (1m96), Spain turned out to be a bit more vulnerable at this European Championship and not as unapproachable as in 2017, when the Cats had no chance in the semi-finals (68-52). In their very first group match, they even lost against Latvia. Another disturbing stat was that Belgium lost their previous six European Championship matches against Spain each time. And one more: national coach Rachid Méziane has a subscription to silver medals. As assistant coach of France, he reached the final of the European Championship four times, losing them just as often.
Julie Vanloo © BELGA
But those are numbers. They say a lot, but not everything. And Belgium still has Emma Meesseman, the all-rounder. As captain, she immediately lit the fuse in the final: with six points, she single-handedly kept the Cats in Spain’s trail. But after that it was Spain that dictated the law. Their defense was on point. Everywhere there was a hand in between. Not much was left of the much-praised passing of the Belgians. The Cats suffered thirteen ball losses in the first half – you can’t beat Spain like that.
Especially since Spain’s offensive plan was also correct. The ball went around, much faster than the Cats, and they always found the open player. Now it was not the Belgians who kicked in the three-pointers, but Spain – the supporters, in the majority in the Stozice Arena, became silent. Such a low score from the Cats – they weren’t used to that anymore.
Emma Meesseman © AFP
Seven points. That was the difference at halftime. The question was whether the Belgians, after their grueling semi-final less than 24 hours earlier, still had enough physically in the tank to close that small gap. They approached, slowly but steadily (37-34) but after another three-pointer from Cazorla and an unfortunate pass from Meesseman it was return to sender (42-34). Spain skillfully closed access to Meesseman and were able to score from their plays themselves. Faith seemed to creep out of the Cats, until Allemand with two flashy drives provided a new burst of hope: 48-43. It was still possible. Or not?
Kyara Linskens, who was still the freshest, gnawed off another point. But the minutes ticked away on the clock, as did the odds. Search and find Meesseman – anyway. Two more points: 54-52. The script for a new thriller was ready – not suitable for heart patients. Every point, every shot was hard-fought. Meesseman laid on – touch. For the first time, with four minutes to go, Belgium led: 54-55.
Spain creaked, Belgium was alive again and how. They never relinquished that prey. They remained ice cold from the free throw line: 58-64. Arms went up in the air, tears flowed, hands were placed on the face in disbelief. A total delirium. The Cats played right into history.
And now they can now start a well-deserved vacation. If you spot Emma Meesseman at a campsite in the south of France, treat her to a fresh cherry. It will taste her. And she deserves that. Health, Cats.
#EuroBasketWomen 2023
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REACTIONS. Meesseman: “This European title feels great” – Linskens: “There will be a big party”
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2023-06-25 19:53:32
#Gold #Belgian #Cats #Belgium #takes #European #title #absolute #nail #biter #Spain #Instagram #VTM #NEWS
