Vincent Collet addressed the media to analyze the match between France and Latvia in the second round of the FIBA World Cup.
With this defeat, France has been eliminated from advancing to the next round of the World Cup. Despite holding a double-digit lead on several occasions, they allowed Latvia to mount a significant comeback, which proved fatal for them in this instance.
Latvia emerged victorious with a score of 88:86, even though they were trailing for 39 minutes.
UPSET IN JAKARTA. ๐คฏ#FIBAWC x #WinForLatvia ๐ฑ๐ป
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 ๐ (@FIBAWC) August 27, 2023
“First and foremost, congratulations to Latvia. They had the lead for nearly the entire game, yet they never gave up. They fought incredibly for 40 minutes, and I commend their effort. It’s a nightmare for us. We suffered a tough loss against Canada, and we expected a reaction, which we saw in the first three quarters. However, it wasn’t enough. We didn’t have the same determination as Latvia, and the turning point of the game was Nando de Colo’s ejection,” were the opening remarks that Vincent Collet shared with the press.
“As you could see, we had a 12-point advantage. When we lost De Colo, we lost our momentum. That wasn’t the sole reason for the loss, but we played the closing minutes at a poor pace. We committed a few unnecessary fouls that we shouldn’t have made. We missed defensive switches, allowing them offensive rebounds and scoring opportunities. Everything seemed against us, but it’s not about luck. We didn’t display the chemistry and energy that we’ve shown in previous competitions,” Collet concluded.
The defeat has dashed France’s hopes for further advancement in the tournament, and they will now be focusing on their final match against Lebanon.