jdhmnovel Chapter 695 Two consecutive losses in the group stage!
Chapter 695 Two consecutive losses in the group stage!
94:93.
The score on the scoreboard jumped up and down for a split second.
There was a moment of silence, then the French fans in the stadium went wild in celebration, with everyone, young and old, shouting and yelling.
In the midst of their celebration, two bearded white men embraced and even shared a kiss...
Gobert raised his hands and roared, waiting for his teammates to rush at him before stretching out his long arms and clenching his fists and waving them vigorously.
Wenbanyama, who had been watching the game from the players' tunnel, rushed in at this moment and lunged at them without regard for his safety.
Wang Xiucheng stood on the field, watching the French team celebrate wildly, his face showing no emotion, just like in the previous match.
Zeng Fanbo, Yu Jiahao, and the others were all leaning slightly over, supporting their knees, letting sweat drip down their foreheads, their faces showing undisguised disappointment.
They've already lost two games in a row.
And all of them were narrow defeats!
In the first match against the world champions, Germany, they fought until the last minute and lost by 4 points.
This game went to overtime against the host team, and they lost by 1 point!
It would be a lie to say I'm not regretful or sad!
Some of the young Chinese fans in the stands were already crying their eyes out.
Some female fans holding up signs for Wang Xiucheng were also staring at the scoreboard in disbelief, hoping that the score might change again.
Wang Xiucheng, who had been standing with his hands on his hips the whole time, finally turned around and patted Yu Jiahao and the others on the shoulders.
"We lost to France by one point, but we're still pretty strong, right?" Wang Xiucheng suddenly asked with a smile.
The next moment, Zeng Fanbo, Cui Yongxi, and the others were all stunned.
Yes, they lost the game, but their opponent was the host team, France!
Losing to France by only one point, especially in extra time, is certainly a pity, but it's enough for the Chinese team to walk out of the Mauroy Stadium with their heads held high.
"Well done, China team!"
Someone in the stands shouted something, and the next moment, singing began.
Gradually, the singing grew louder and clearer.
All the Chinese fans stood up, waving the national flag and singing "Ode to the Motherland" at the top of their lungs!
Wang Xiucheng laughed, pulled Zeng Fanbo and the others to look at these lovely fans, and sang along.
In the Penguin Live broadcast room, Yang Yi did not try to salvage the situation for the Chinese team this time.
There's absolutely no need for him to make amends.
The Chinese team's performance in this game was remarkable, dragging the French team, which had two defensive stalwarts, Wenbanyama and Gobert, into overtime. In the end, the French team narrowly defeated the Chinese team thanks to Wenbanyama's 8 consecutive points and Gobert's somewhat lucky hook shot.
It's just a pity for the Chinese team!
But the French team should be thankful!
If the French team loses to the Chinese team in this match, one can imagine the barrage of criticism they will face from the French media and fans!
"In this game, Wang Xiucheng took on more offensive responsibility, taking 26 shots and making 17 of them, including 9 of 14 three-pointers and 8 of 10 free throws, scoring a game-high 51 points, along with 7 assists and as many as 6 steals."
"The player with the most points was Zhou Qi with 10 points and 7 rebounds."
"Choi Young-seok 5 points, Zeng Fanbo 6 points, Li Kaier 7 points, Yu Jiahao 4 points and 2 blocks, David 4 points and 2 blocks..."
“法国队这边文班亚马18分11篮板6助攻，富尼耶14分6助攻，戈贝尔7分15篮板，斯特拉泽尔17分，亚布塞莱13分……”
After briefly reading out the data, Yu Jia looked at Yang Yi and said, "Mr. Yang Yi, please give your comments on this match."
Although it was late at night, many families across China still had their lights on, all watching the game.
Yang Yi pushed up his glasses, which had slipped off from his head as he looked down at his laptop, and said, "Tonight we scored 93 points, and Wang Xiucheng scored 51 points by himself, so many fans say that the Chinese team is Wang Xiucheng's team."
That's actually true.
"Wang Xiucheng scored 51 points tonight."
"That's equivalent to the three highest scorers for the French team: Wenbanyama with 18 points, Fournier with 14 points, and Strazel with 17 points."
"The French team had a well-rounded attack, while we relied on Wang Xiucheng to keep up with them and even go into extra time."
Yang Yi suddenly laughed, "Isn't this something to be happy about?"
Yu Jia remained silent, knowing that Yang Yi must have more to say.
Sure enough, Yang Yi continued to explain: "This means that, apart from Wang Xiucheng, our other players still have huge potential for development."
“Look at our young men, Wang Xiucheng is only 22 years old, Zeng Fanbo, Cui Yongxi, Yang Hansen, Yu Jiahao, Zhao Weilun…”
"Our players have the youngest average age among the 12 teams in the Olympics. Once these young men mature a bit more and can provide Wang Xiucheng with more help, I believe the French team will not be our opponent."
"If we can only lose to France by one point today, then we can beat them by 10 points in the next Olympics!"
Yu Jia's eyes lit up. What Wang Chui said was right!
We can put up a 50/50 fight against Germany and France with just Wang Xiucheng's performance. If the others could contribute a little more, defeating opponents like Germany and France would not be difficult at all!
"Also, I have to criticize our lads. Tonight, we were completely outmatched on the boards by the French team."
Yang Yi suddenly became serious again: "We only managed to grab 5 offensive rebounds tonight, while the French team grabbed 15."
"If we could grab just one more rebound, would we have a better chance of winning?"
"Also, Xiao Wang's performance wasn't perfect. He made 8 out of 10 free throws, which seems alright, but if he had made just one more, would we have had a chance to win?"
Looking at Yang Yi at this moment, Yu Jia couldn't help but give him a thumbs up.
You're the one who's been hurt, Wang Chui!
First comes a barrage of praise, then comes the criticism. This way, no one will criticize Yang Yi for only knowing how to praise and not how to criticize!
Yang Yi's actions on CCTV made the Chinese team, which had already suffered two consecutive defeats, seem less hopeless.
At least Yang Yi is right, our future is bright.
Moreover, according to the data posted by Yang Yi on Weibo after the match, the Chinese team lost by 4 points in the first game and by 1 point in the second game. Although they lost both games, their total points were only -5, which is extremely advantageous for the Chinese team to advance to the quarterfinals as the best third-place team in the group.
So, even after the match between China and France ended, at 3 a.m. China time, many fans were still glued to their TVs, watching the other match in the same group, Germany vs. Brazil.
Germany ultimately defeated Brazil 86-73.
Many fans and bloggers who stayed up immediately updated the standings of Group B, where the men's basketball team is located.