Beijing (AFP)
The French basketball players were swept away by the Argentine euphoria, 80 to 66, Friday in Beijing, and will not play their first final of the World Cup.
The disappointment is immense because after their feat against the Americans in the previous round (89-79), the Bleus were aiming for the title. They will be content to fight for bronze, the same medal as five years ago, against Australia Sunday.
The Argentines will play the gold match against Spain.
Without any NBA player, the South Americans looked much less formidable than Team USA, but the French were wary of their victory over the Serbs in the quarterfinals.
"They were just better from the first to the last minute, they were more aggressive than us, they played more as a team, we knew they were running everywhere and they were passing the ball from all sides, but they did it at a high level, "Rudy Gobert admitted.
- Never suspense -
The pivot of Utah Jazz (3 points only) was in great difficulty like the other three leaders of the team: Evan Fournier, who scored 16 points but with a lot of waste (6 of 17 shot), Nicolas Batum (3 points to 1 on 6 shooting) and Nando De Colo, who did not weigh enough (11 points). Only the young Frank Ntilikina could raise the tone (16 points).
The most disappointing is that there was no suspense. France lost all quarter-time, at one point lagged by 16 points and could never get closer to less than 8 points, at the beginning of the fourth act.
"But at that moment we missed free throws and we left them some offensive rebounds," regretted Vincent Collet.
For the coach, everything was played on aggression. "That's the key in this kind of match and she's been at home, especially in defense, we could not put our game in. Everything was difficult, even to get the ball up," he said. .
In this difference in energy, the extra day of rest we had the South Americans after their quarter-final (Tuesday for them, Wednesday for the French) could play a role.
"It's not fair for a team to have two days and the other one to pick up and prepare for the match, especially when it took eight hours to travel from Dongguan in the south of China. But Argentina made a great match and deserves its victory, "said Collet.
- Against Australia for bronze -
Remobilising for the bronze medal will be complicated because there was great hope after the historic success of the United States, the first France win against the NBA players. Complicated also because the "Boomers" will be motivated, they who have never had a medal at the world level, and because they just beat France last Monday in the second round (100-98). But it's worth it: it would only be the second French podium in the World Cup.
The Argentinians, who were not even among the underdogs at the start of the tournament compared to teams like Greece, Serbia, Lithuania or France, will try to continue to blow a wind of madness on this World Final.
If Luis Scola, the only remaining member of the great generation of Manu Ginobili, Olympic champion in 2004, continues at the same level, anything is possible. The interior scored 28 points and took 13 rebounds. Not bad at six months of his fortieth birthday.
© 2019 AFP