Victorious in their double encounter against Portugal, the French men’s team provided the essentials in the context of qualifying for the World Cup.
We had to win, they did. The French had set a date for the second window of qualifying for the upcoming World Cup, which will take place from August 25 to September 10, 2023 in Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. Two matches were against Portugal in the programme, the first in Dijon and the second against Porto.
Ignition delay in Dijon
Team France struggled in front of their fans to get into their game. However, on the defensive, the French managed to hunt offensively. After 10 minutes, they finished the first quarter behind the Portuguese by two points. Waking up shy in the second quarter, but Vincent Colette’s men regain a small 4-point advantage in the first half. But despite this slight delay in ignition, the French fans were able to find their team in the second half. Physically superior, the French would spread out to finally win with a big win 94-56. So it is a huge collective success as 12 players have scored on the score sheet. The beautiful statistical lines of the interior sector clearly show the physical advantage of the French: Mathias Lesaurt is in double double (11 points, 10 rebounds), while Louis Lapierre (15 points) and Mam Gaet (10 points) also finish more. 10 points.
Little panic in Porto
Three days later, the French national team found Portugal in Porto for the second leg. With such a huge success, we expected a new demonstration. However, the start of the French match is again very shy. However, the awakening was long overdue. Indeed, it is the Portuguese who are back in the locker room at the front (35-34). 58y Therefore, the country of the world stands up to the French during the first 20 minutes, but ends after the break. Thanks to a nice 15-8 in the third quarter, the Blues regained control before confirming in the last period. They finally won 56-69, but the performance remained disappointing, as Vincent Colette confirmed after the match: “Of all the matches I’ve played, it wasn’t the prettiest or the easiest, just look at the number of missed balls (27). We suffered.” In this mist, a man’s performance stands out: the performance of Sylvan Francisco. With 15 points including a superb award-winning shot at the bell in the third quarter, the one who celebrated his first selection against the Portuguese fully justified his presence in the France group. With a clear run, the Blues are still top of Group E, and they are above all guaranteed to participate in the second qualifying stage. They will find Hungary and, above all, Montenegro next July in a final international window where they will have to win.
Jules Mermer
