Les Bleues won against Germany (58-50) on Thursday for their first Eurobasket meeting.
Neither attractive nor convincing, the France team nevertheless provided the essentials. Les Bleues won in pain against Germany (58-50), Thursday June 15 in Ljubljana (Slovenia), for their entry into the running at Eurobasket 2023. Long jostled and scrambled offensively, they avoided defeat surprise before challenging Great Britain on Friday (3 p.m.) for the second match of the first round.
Faced with a team from Germany which found international competition for the first time since 2011, the Tricolores, vice-champions of Europe in the last five editions, did not reign. They waited for the last four minutes to secure victory with a 9-0 finish in three minutes (55-45, 36′). Four consecutive points from Janelle Salaun (7 points) then a basket with the fault on the counter-attack from Valériane Vukosavljevic (11 points) belatedly gave the French women some air and a more comfortable mattress.
A laborious start
Because before, the players of Jean-Aimé Toupane alternated hot and cold in a meeting which will not mark the annals of the competition. “It was laborious, we were a little tense. The job was done even if it was not perfect”admitted the leader Romane Bernies at the microphone of Bein Sports. At first they were slow to get into their game, particularly hampered by the zone defense proposed by the Germans (0-7, 2′). It will ultimately be the biggest gap of the match in favor of Germany, quickly filled by the French team (7-7, 5 ‘) before they go ahead in the score in the second quarter (18 -16, 13’).
Once she took control of the meeting, France did not let them go. Without outrageously dominating their opponents. Clumsy at three-pointers (5/25), the French women struggled to set up their game and take advantage of the very numerous losses of opposing balls (23). The rare times the ball managed to move offensively, the gap increased in favor of the Bleues, like at the start of the second period, when Romane Bernies (8 points) gave his team a twelve-point lead (35- 23, 25′). That was before Germany gave Sarah Michel’s teammates a final thrill by coming back to a small point in the last quarter (46-45, 33′).
To aim for gold in this competition, the inmates will have to be more skilful. Sandrine Gruda was stuck in the German home defense (5 points at 1/8 shooting), Marine Fauthoux did not score a single point (0/5). The absences of Marine Johannes and Gabby Williams were particularly felt offensively.
“We didn’t have an address but we won thanks to our defense”, wanted to retain Romane Bernies. It is the trademark of this French team that the latter will have to impose again, from Friday at 3 p.m., against Great Britain, surprise faller of Slovenia a little earlier in the day (76-71) .