The French women's team will meet the United States this evening in Berlin, its tormentor two years ago in the final of the Olympic Games. A few centimeters away, that of Gabby Williams' foot biting the 3-point line, from pushing the Americans into overtime (66-67), the Blues want their revenge.
And bring French basketball, for the first time in the World Cup final (the men's selection has never done better than third place, in 2014 and 2019), its first title in the competition.
Being the second to bring home a World Cup medal, 73 years after the pioneers of 1953, is not enough for them. “We want the most beautiful” medal, launched coach Jean-Aimé Toupane after the success on Saturday against Germany (86-64).
“We face these players all year round in the WNBA. It will only be one match, we have nothing to lose, we will play hard”
Marine Johannes
Two years later, they consider themselves able to bring down the Americans (who dismissed Spain 76 to 66 in the other semi-final), quadruple defending champions, eight times Olympic champions in a row and who have not lost in a major competition for 20 years.
“We will have nothing to lose. We know that the USA is a good team, they have won the World Cup for years. But we face our players all year round in the WNBA. It will only be one match, we have nothing to lose, we will play hard,” said Marine Johannès.
The New York Liberty guard, still sparkling on Saturday, with 13 points including the award-winning shot which closed the shop 2 min 30 sec from the end (81-64), is one of the eight players selected (out of 12) to play in the North American league. “We are the majority to have faced them in the WNBA so we are not afraid of them” launched Carla Leite, who shines with the Portland Fire.
Eight Blues competed in the 2024 Olympic final
The French women, according to Leïla Lacan (Connecticut Sun), still have “here”, in their throats, the Olympic final, which there are eight of them present in Germany to have contested.
The Americans are only five left and, if they brought to Berlin the new faces of the WNBA, Caitlin Clark and Paige Bueckers, they were deprived at the last moment of A'ja Wilson, MVP of the Olympics.
For Dominique Malonga, the experience of 2024 “will serve us a lot, because we have already been in this position, playing in a grand final”. The example of 2024 reminded us, according to Valériane Ayayi, that it is “the details that make the difference. We tried to be rigorous throughout the competition.”
Gabby Williams symbolizes the defensive aggressiveness of the Blues
“If we play the basketball that brought us here, it can work” underlined Malonga. Or complete basketball, which again imposed enormous defensive pressure on the Germans, who lost 24 balls.
Unhappy heroine of the Olympic final and named captain for this World Cup, Gabby Williams symbolizes this defensive aggressiveness of the Blues. Saturday, she also held her position perfectly in attack (22 pts, 5 rebounds, 5 assists and 4 interceptions) launching the team by seven points in the first five minutes.
Elected MVP of the match, the Franco-American was then able to be decisive when Germany, who were also playing their first World Cup semi-final, came back to breathe down the necks of the French women. Like his “2+1” (basket plus foul) which allowed us to get back above the 10 point mark (74-62) 4 min 30 sec from the end.
Largely victorious in their first four matches, the Toupane players were a little less skillful at long distance (10/27), but retained, in addition to their iron defense, another constant of the tournament: the contribution of the bench, like Johannès, Malonga (6 pts and 5 rebounds) or Leite (9 pts).
He will once again be essential against the United States who, after being knocked out of the group stage against Italy (55-52), struggled again on Saturday against the Spanish. Enough to feed the hopes of the Bleues and their coach: “A match remains a match. We are sure of what we are doing. No one is required to do the impossible.”
