Spain’s Unexpected Loss: A Cruel Ending

Spain reissued the 2023 silver medal at the Women’s Eurobasket. Again against Belgium, as two years ago, but with the added merit of the generational relief and the casualties. The second medal would know very sweet in normal conditions, but that is that Miguel Méndez’s team touched what his fifth continental crown would have been, the most unexpected of all, because he let up to twelve points of advantage in an end to forget.

Three minutes of confusion separated the Spanish team from a heroic feat, which played with the fingers thanks to the impulse of a new generation, but also the expression of the veteran Alba Torrens or Mariona Ortiz, who have had to redouble their role of pillars in this Eurobasket for the casualties of Maite Cazorla and María Conde, prior to the tournament, and of Iyana Martín, since he had to go through the hospital after suffering acute colitis.

Spain moved well in a beginning marked by the losses and errors of Belgium in the triple. He abused the defender of the European crown of the distant launch in little comfortable situations, but reacted from Meesseman’s hand, again MVP of the tournament, as two years ago.

He responded in the exchange of Awa Fam blows, a girl of only 19 years who has uncovered in this Eurobasket and arrived thrown by a fantastic semifinal against France, and the duel settled in the equilibrium throughout the first quarter, closed with an advantage point for Spain (19-18).

Good news at the beginning, especially in Meesseman’s rest minutes, the most decisive player about the parquet. The return of the interior of the Fenerbahçe returned the initiative to Belgium promptly, but there the Spanish bench, represented by Paula Ginzo, entered into action, nine points in one seen and not seen, and Aina Ayuso, to establish the first rent of a certain entity (30-22).

Surprised, the Belgian team grabbed Allemand, but he lacked some more of his key players and especially contribution of the least common, the main difference with respect to the Coral España in a very convincing first of the Miguel Méndez team (37-31).

The challenge was to maintain the level after passing through the locker room for pause and thus sustain the Belgian reaction, predictable according to its potential. With her titular quintet, so recognizable, fresh after the break, the champion matched the final just when she was traveling through the Ecuador of the third quarter.

New match with fifteen minutes ahead and a blow of reality against the Belgian deployment, now the expected start. An unlikely 2+1 of Buenavida at a complicated moment insufflated oxygen to Spain, capable of resisting the rival arreón and surviving the third quarter with the duel still in its possession (52-49).

Final block

The small Spanish advantage already took an important channel thanks to a triple of Ayuso and the basket to the Pueyo counterattack immediately later. Spain went to the doubles of the mediated advantage the last partial and dreamed big. The maximum of +12 three minutes from the end (65-53) foreshadowed a happy ending, but the fifth European title was not yet in his pocket, much less.

Allemand, Meesseman and Linskens points appeared, but especially the Miguel Méndez team entered Barrena. A single launch was no longer entered and losses accumulated. Panic spread and the tip was put by theft and basket to the counterattack of Antonia Delare. There was no time for more and the Spanish metal, of a huge merit, stayed in La Plata and not in the crown that under the circumstances would have been the most unexpected.