Strasbourg (AFP)

The French basketball players made a success of their debut in their Euro-2021 by beating Croatia on Thursday evening 105 to 63, in a Strasbourg Rhenus filled with half, thanks to another great performance from Sandrine Gruda.

The only downside, however, for coach Valérie Garnier, the injury to the right ankle of leader Olivia Epoupa, after less than two minutes of play. A blow to a competition that lasts only ten days.

"It is too early to say anything" on the severity of her injury said Valérie Garnier at a press conference, specifying that her leader had her foot in the ice and that she was going to take exams to find out more.

# photo1

It is never easy to enter an international competition - the Belgians, 4th in the 2018 World Cup and qualified for the Games, bowed against modest Bosnia-Herzegovina on Thursday for their debut - especially when this takes place at home and that we no longer played in front of several thousand spectators.

Thursday night in Strasbourg, Endy Miyem's teammates took a quarter of an hour of play before taking the measure of the Croatian attack.

After conceding 35 points in 15 minutes, the quadruple vice-champions of Europe (2013, 2015, 2017, 2019) regained their defensive qualities and were finally able to escape the score, against Croatia, who found Thursday evening the European Championship, after missing the 2017 and 2019 editions.

- Precious Gruda -

To get out of the Croatian trap, the Blue could count on Sandrine Gruda.

While she will blow out her 34 candles at the end of the competition (on June 25, the day before the semi-finals), she took out the important baskets in the middle of the second quarter to give herself some air, ending the meeting with 16 points, two less than Miyem and Alexia Chartereau.

# photo2

With ten points ahead at the break (50-40), the French were able to play their game more easily in the last two quarters, to win without too much trembling against the weakest team in the group.

And it was Valériane Vukosavljevic who responded favorably to "we want 100 points" from the Alsatian public.

Blue-white-red flags, portraits of players in banners, drums, Marseillaise, ola ... For their first official match since the Olympic qualifying tournament in Bourges in February 2020, the French women were also entitled to a welcome on Thursday worthy of their status as contenders for the continental title.

In the heat of Rhenus in Strasbourg, used to the atmosphere of great evenings with the SIG in the French championship or European Cups, it is for the girls of basketball that the public has found en masse (more than 2,000 spectators on a gauge set at 3,600) the Alsatian hall dedicated to basketball.

The French will find this atmosphere on Friday evening (8:45 p.m.) against the Czech Republic, beaten by Russia by four points (73-69), for their first match.

© 2021 AFP