Georgia has never encountered the French team in official competition. However, this Sunday (2:15 p.m.) in Riga, this eighth finals of Eurobasket will have a particular fragrance, notably thanks to the presence of Tornike Shengelia. The 33-year-old winger, recently signed by Barcelona, comes out of a summer disturbed by health concerns but remains the emblematic captain of his selection. And on the French side, two players know well “Toko”: Isaïa Cordinier and Mouhammadou Jaiteh, with whom they shared the locker room of the Virtus Bologna.
Shengelia, a decreased leader but always present
Affected by a cardiac arrhythmia in preparation, Shengelia missed part of the summer but wanted to participate in the Eurobasket. Although the staff plans to rest, he insisted to play, proving his commitment once again with the national jersey. His statistics are withdrawn (9.6 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists in 21 minutes), far from the impact of the NBAers Goga Bitadze (18.3 points and 6.8 rebounds) and Sandro Mamukelashvili (14.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists), but its role remains crucial.
Isaïa Cordinier: “It has become a brother”
In Riga on Friday, Isaïa Cordinier returned to her common years with Shengelia in Bologna, from March 2022 to the title of Italian Champion 2025, in June:
“It has become a brother. We went through lots of steps. We had made a kind of pact for the last playoffs in Italy, because we knew that the Bologna cycle was coming to an end. We wanted to finish on a good note, and that’s what we managed to do. We were super proud of it. I know that he is someone with whom I will stay in touch for the rest of my career, in my life. We lived four years quite strong in Bologna. […] We have not yet seen ourselves in Riga, but we texted directly after the Greece – Spain match. We are ready to go to war. »»
On Sunday’s confrontation, the back of the Blues is aware of the danger represented by Georgia:
“We know they have big players, especially inside. For us, it will be a good test, because we are diminished in this position with the packages, when it is their strength. It’s going to be a good match-up and we will have to adapt. The most important thing is that they play very hard, with a lot of pride. It is up to us to match their commitment and show even more determination. As I say, it will be an opposition of style. But they have an ACB MVP, two referenced NBA players, Toko who is still one of the best five in Euroleague … So here it will be, it will be a real style opposition and we will try to impose ours. »»
Jaiteh: “a unique experience”
Mouhammadou Jaiteh has also evolved with Shengelia in the virtus jersey between 2022 and 2023:
“He is a player who has a unique experience. Physically, what he does is impressive. He has the body and the basketball intelligence that go with his leadership. Inevitably, it will be one of the players to limit. It’s positive for us to know him well, because we played a few years together and Guerschon had a lot of confrontations with him. It will help us because he is a player capable of a lot. »»
France – Georgia, it will therefore be much more than an unprecedented opposition in official competition. The reunion between former teammates will bring an additional dimension to this eighth finals where the Blues will have to impose their intensity in the face of a rough and ambitious Georgian selection.
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