In the most surreal way possible. When he seemed lost. Spain went from death to life in four tenths of a secondafter a sequence that only a sport like basketball can give. The Family is still alive in the fight for the EuroBasket (72-76) after a movie victory against Slovakia. Who had an impossible triple, Santi Yusta, two extensions full of failures, and Miquel Salvó acting as a hero in Bratislava.
Santi Yusta signs a layup.
He had everything. Slovakia went further and had a ball with four tenths to win. He lost a serve, Spain miraculously stole it and Yusta (21 points at the end of the game) scored a triple while falling. It caused a second extension and although the suffering continued, Salvó hit a triple and free throws to relaunch his chances of being in the EuroBasket. It will come if they knock down the Slovaks in Ourense.
The difference between Spain and Slovakia is notable. The importance of the match (of both) is due to the urgency in the classification, in addition to the possible pressure and self-demand that this entails. With that clear, the team looked for solidity in Bratislava from the beginning. Although later it would not be found. Fran Guerra started strong, with nine points, but Slovakia kept pace thanks to triples from Malovec and Ihring (10-14, 10′).
Spain accelerates
Those from Spain reached one of Salvó in the second quarter. The forward also added another one, joining a bomb from Yusta and the great combination between the young people Saint-Supery and Almansa for a 2+1 that relaunched the team (21-26, 15′). The debut of the best junior in the world was unbeatable, because he added presence in the paint to alleviate minutes of complicated attacks and not too much brightness.
Fran Guerra scores.
He unleashed Spain. Fran Guerra connected with Arostegui and after a great response from Mario Ihring, the selection accelerated from outside in addition to limiting Slovakia. Santi Yustaright, took command with two consecutive unanswered triples that fired to the European champion at half-time (25-38). It would be a mirage.
Because it wasn’t easy at all. Quite the opposite. Spain came out a bit sleepy in the second half, and Slovakia took a 7-0 lead in the game thanks to Krajcovic’s success.. It forced the team to wake up quickly, which came with Arostegui -triple miracle- and the intensity of Guerra under boards (33-43, 24′).
He did not give full control to the selection. Although Spain found Sima as a solution, Slovakia continued to believe. Between Krajcovic’s triples and an acceleration from Vladimir Brodziansky that put the game into the game in trouble The one from UCAM He pushed under the rim and added a three-pointer at the buzzer for what seemed determined to become a real struggle (46-48, 30′).
Pradilla fights for a ball.
Clear problems. Because Spain had to rework each situation. Ihring and Brodziansky remained plugged in, but Carlos Alocén and Izan Almansa gave a plus. The skilled point guard scored a great triple and scored a layup, and the center solved two consecutive situations in the paint (55-57, 34′) to unblock the attack.
Surreal ending
But Slovakia I was at the game. So much so that a front three-pointer from Brodziansky put the locals in control for the first time in the game and for just over three minutes. Spain corrected, Pradilla gave internal balance and returned a minimal advantage for the final two minutes (58-59, 38′). It did not avoid, however, total madness.
Slovakia He continued to influence from outside, but neither Krajcovic nor Ihring were successful. Neither Spain and added a foul on Brodziansky with less than six seconds left. The one from UCAM scored the first, tied and left the second. The team tried a last desperate play, but Yusta did not score and Pradilla, in a possible foul, did not score either. There was an extension.
Fight under the board.
He was not a champion of basketball either. It was work. He contributed it Just on the personal, but Slovakia continued to believe with another blow by Krajcovic (63-61, 43′). He left the team touched, with less than a minute and two down after only scoring two points in four minutes of overtime.
It went further. Alocén lost a ball and Alberto Díaz left another triple, chaos that gave Slovakia wings. Because Brodziansky scored another free throw and put Slovakia three ahead, and the team found no solutions. Yusta failed with a pass, and Bratislava exploded when Krajcovic went to the personnel with hardly any time.
He didn’t definitely kill to the selection. It’s a basketball thing, crazy things happen. And when Slovakia served from the baseline after a missed triple by Guerra, the perfect storm broke out. The locals served poorly, Guerra played again and Justwith four tenths left on the clock, hit a three-pointer while falling. No time… but it was worth it. To a second extension.
Arostegui, in defense.
The second extension
The game was already surreal. But we needed to win. And Spain opened the second extension with Spain bailing out water after a good proposal from Krajcovic and Fusek (72-71, 48′). Salvó provided calm from the triple and relieved the team of tension after a series of outside errors.
And from that advantage he no longer came down. Spain. Not without a dose of surrealism. Because he could have killed the game with Paulí from the personal line, but he missed both. Salvo, who had already been the hero with the previous triple, captured the offensive rebound and scored both from personal. Slovakia no longer had a response and Spain worked the miracle in an unreal way (72-76).
