It is now more than 14 years since Italy beat the French team, friendly and official matches combined. The last time was indeed in Bormio, in a friendly, before the Blues dominated their transalpine neighbors during the qualifications for the 2009 European championship, at EuroBasket 2011 or even at the 2021 Olympic Games. played in the meantime, this makes ten consecutive successes for France.
This Wednesday afternoon (5:15 p.m.), Vincent Collet’s men will therefore have an advantage against those of Gianmarco Pozzecco. The key: a place in the semi-finals of the EuroBasket and the possibility of playing, whatever happens, a match for a medal (gold/silver or bronze).
Nevertheless, the task will be far from easy for the teammates of Rudy Gobert, miracles against Turkey in the round of 16. Especially since Italy is coming off a prestigious success, not to mention an exploit, against Nikola Jokic’s Serbia…
“ The result may seem surprising, but Italy is a very good team, which plays a rather unique basketball “, considers in this regard the French pivot, in the columns of Figaro. “ Personally, I knew they were capable of beating Serbia even though, for me, they were the favorites for the Euros. It shows that anything can happen in basketball, as we saw against Turkey. “
Don’t always count on a miracle
As the three-time Defender of the Year points out here (14.0 points and 10.3 rebounds on average in the tournament), France almost fell by the wayside against Turkey in the previous round.
Still trailing 77-75 with 12 seconds remaining, with two shots from Cedi Osman plus possession for Turkey, the Blues finally got away with two misses from the Cleveland player, then a miraculous interception and finally a tap of Rudy Gobert, to snatch an extension, from which they would emerge victorious.
But, like his coach Vincent Collet, the new Wolves player is especially keen to remember what did not work against the Turks, on the sidelines of the quarter-final against the Squadra Azzurra.
“ [Les Turcs] put us 19-0 at one time “, he recalled this weekend, with RMC Sport. ” For a team that claims to be European champions, this is not possible. We can’t let that happen. […] Good teams need to be able to adjust. There were stray balls, a bad defensive withdrawal, a lack of address which was added. It’s up to us leaders and the band to make sure it doesn’t happen again. “
Chasing the old ghosts of 2019…
If the presence of Italy at this stage of the competition “ is no coincidence According to Rudy Gobert, he also wants his team not to be overconfident.
Indeed, the French have beaten the Italians three times in just over a year: once in the quarter-finals of the Tokyo Olympics, then twice in preparation for this EuroBasket (including a +32).
“ When you beat a team three times in the space of a year, you can subconsciously tell yourself that these matches are going to be the same, when not. We learned it the hard way against Argentina at the World Cup [en 2019, ndlr] “Bitterly explains the tricolor interior.
Three years ago (to the day), at the end of their feat against Team USA, France had effectively lost in the semi-finals of the World Cup, against Argentina, after having largely beatenAlbiceleste (+19) in preparation for the Chinese World Cup.
Photo credit: FIBA.com
