A rollercoaster match and in the end, Bosnia and Herzegovina wins. The Blues fell narrowly (96-90), Saturday August 27, in Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), during a match counting for the 8th day of qualifying for the FIFA World Cup. basketball 2023.
French captain Evan Fournier managed to snatch extra time by equalizing in the last seconds of the match (76-76), but Vincent Collet’s men lost after two very tight extra time, just like the meeting. The French concede their second defeat in eight games in these qualifications, and remain second in their group behind Lithuania, four days from the end (they must finish in the first three to qualify).
It must be said that the meeting had started badly. Vincent Collet found himself drawing a timeout after less than three minutes of play, and severely pulled up the straps of his players, who were already nine points behind (11-2). The Blues were completely helpless and extinguished in the first quarter, as against the Czech Republic, in the face of aggressive Bosnians, supported by a public on fire in the room Mirza-Delibasic. Result of the races, the men of Aziz Bekir wandered and led by 14 points after 10 minutes of play (28-14).
Square at@EuroBasket. #TeamFranceBasket | #PassionatelyBlue | #BIHFRA pic.twitter.com/MYA8mahwtX
– French basketball teams (@FRABasketball) August 27, 2022
The second quarter first allowed the Blues to contain the bleeding, then to largely go back to the scoreboard. Despite a dozen lost balls during the first part of the game, Rudy Gobert (10 points, 14 rebounds) and his teammates were able to turn the game around. Thanks to a Guerschon Yabusele (16 points, 7 rebounds) always convincing, supported by Terry Tarpey (8 points), the Blues took at the break the advantage over less sparkling Bosnians (38-46).
While we had left them remobilized, the return from the locker room gave the players of the France team a hard time. The Blues were leading 51 to 42, when their counter got stuck due to numerous ball losses, again. And the Bosnian players knew how to take advantage of it to inflict an 18-0 on the Blues and bring the score to 59-51 after the third quarter.
And again, they came back. Point by point, basket by basket, until snatch an extension thanks to a magnificent dunk from Evan Fournier (24 points, 5 rebounds) in the last seconds of regulation time. The first extension did not allow to decide between the two teams, who went blow for blow (83-83). It was during the last five minutes that Bosnia ended up winning, with a shot from Lazic which sealed the fate of the French.
It is the first time that the Habs have lost to Bosnia and Herzegovina in ten meetings between the two selections. Vincent Collet’s men will have to pull themselves together at five days of the start of the Euro, where they will face Germany on Thursday for their first match of the competition. They will meet the Bosnians on September 6 in the group stage.