The French male basketball team overthrew Spain (78-73), Saturday August 16, 2025, in Bercy, two days after its success in Badalone, during its penultimate preparation match for eleven days of the Euro (August 27-September 14).
The Blues have been on an eighth success since Frédéric Faith took the reins of the team after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, their fourth in preparation after those against Montenegro (81-75), Great Britain (74-67) and therefore against reigning European champions (75-67) Thursday.
They will conclude their preparation against Greece in Athens on August 24 before flying to Katowice (Poland) for the Euro preliminary round, which they will start against Belgium four days later.
16 points behind
Led 16 points (28-44 in the second quarter), the French achieved a second high-level half (won 50-29), thanks in particular to Sylvain Francisco (9 pts, 3 assists) and Bilal Coulibaly (13 pts, 3 rebounds, 2 assists), and took the lead, for the first time since the first minutes, less than five minutes from the end on two (69-67).
Francisco, already very visible Thursday in Badalone, scored points again as a leader for the final list of the Euro this Saturday evening, after the tribute to the ex-international and double Olympic vice-champions Nicolas Batum and Nando de Colo.
Thursday’s reverse scenario
In a opposite scenario of Thursday’s match, the Blues, very drafts in the first quarter, were led from the first minutes. But, encouraged by the public of Bercy happy to find them a year after the final of the 2024s, they managed to overthrow Spanish steam to extend their invincibility despite a new lack of address with three points (7/26, 26 %).
The French will conclude their preparation against Greece in Athens on August 24 before flying to Katowice (Poland) for the Euro preliminary round, which they will start against Belgium four days later.
In the event of qualification for the final phase, the unhappy finalists of the last edition will continue the competition in Riga in Latvia.