It is a story of reunion that is taking shape between the Greece and theGermanyThe two teams last met at EuroBasket 2022, and it was already a quarter-final.
The Germans had defeated the Greeks before securing third place in the competition. However, this match is not synonymous with revenge for Vassilis Spanoulis.
“I don't want them to see this match as a rematch. The word rematch doesn't exist in our vocabulary,” specifies the Greek coach. “We have to play our game, be serious for forty minutes, follow our plan and win the match.”
A first semi-final of the Olympic tournament?
According to their coach, Giannis Antetokounmpo and his teammates should not approach this meeting with the desire for revenge, but rather with the desire to create history for the nation in the competition.
“It's a very big challenge and a huge motivation for us, because we have never played an Olympic semi-final,” recalls Vassilis Spanoulis, while Greece has already fallen three times in the quarter-finals of the Olympic Games (1996, 2004 and 2008). “Motivation is what keeps you going and pushes you to surpass your limits. In the first year of this new program, we managed to reach the national team ceiling at the Olympics.”
They will come up against an impressive German team, who had a perfect performance in the group stage. Germany was the executioner of Japan, Brazil and France in Group B. A formidable opponent.
“Germany has a great density in all positions. They have a chemistry, like we have a very good team and a very good chemistry,” explains the former Olympiacos player. “Since we were able to keep up with Canada, we can keep up with them. Like with Spain and Australia. We played against great teams. But it’s not about keeping up with them or having that mindset. Let the Germans try to keep up with our own pace and physical impact.”
