Despite a reshuffled team, Thursday, the Blue won against a combative Malian team (77-66).
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Jean-Aimé Toupane’s players won Thursday, February 10, against Mali (77-66) their first match of the Belgrade qualifying tournament for the 2022 World Cup. The French players, bronze medalists at the Tokyo Olympics, have confirmed their status as favourites. Despite a courageous collective performance and the big game of the young Sika Kone (26 points scored, 9 rebounds), the Malians did not manage to thwart the predictions.
A first success ✅ It will take another to ensure qualification @FIBAWWC #EDFBasket #FRAMAL pic.twitter.com/uxRJzp6Afn
– French basketball teams (@FRABasketball) February 10, 2022
The French can learn lessons from this meeting. With a large number of lost balls and a lack of aggressiveness, the Blues did not make it easy. A difficult victory for a team under construction according to the coach: “It takes time to put things in place, said Jean-Aimé Toupane at the end of the match. There are new players, who lack experience. But the positive point is that they have not nothing dropped.”
An observation shared by the captain of the day, Alexia Chatereau: “We have to manage to control the ball more, we are still happy to have won, the main thing is victory, even when it is not beautiful. This is how we will form a team. We changed coaches, there are absences and new players, it takes time, but we are not worried.”
To get their place for the next World Cup, Les Bleues must finish in the top three places in Group B (China, Nigeria, France, Mali). Thanks to this victory, the French are well placed to get their ticket. A win in the next two games will be enough. They will meet Nigeria on Friday February 11 and China on Sunday February 13 (to be followed live at 6 p.m. on France 4 and france.tv).