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August 2016
13 Boris Diaw (FRA), 12 Nando De Colo (FRA), 9 Tony Parker (FRA)
17/08/2016
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France ready to bring it against Spain

RIO DE JANEIRO (Rio 2016 Olympic Games) - France are gearing up to "look Spain in the eye" once again on Wednesday when the teams meet in the Olympic Quarter-Finals.

Spain's victory over Argentina on Monday night moved them into second place in Group B, while France finished third in Group A.

The teams have met in important games every year since 2009, when Spain beat France in the Quarter-Finals of the EuroBasket before going on to capture the title. The last meeting was at EuroBasket 2015 on French soil in Lille in the Semi-Finals and Spain prevailed.

"We had to end up with them," France's Nando De Colo said on the French Federation website. "We started with the Spaniards and it had to end with them even though we didn't necessarily expect to meet them in the Quarter-Finals when we started the competition. We're happy to face them. This will allow us to foresee gaining a measure of revenge against them for 2012 and for last year's EuroBasket Semi-Final."

De Colo made the All-Star Five at EuroBasket 2015

Spain defeated France, 66-59, in the Quarter-Finals of the London Games. They also swept two games against the French at EuroBasket 2011, including in the Final, while Les Bleus beat Spain in the EuroBasket 2013 Semi-Finals before stunning them in the Quarter-Finals of the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Madrid. Everyone in France is getting fired up for the game.

"Since we've been able to get good results, it's the team that we've come across ever year and recently more than before," De Colo said. "It's (the rivalry) always produced tense games. They are the big team of the last 10 to 15 years.

"We managed to raise our level of play to get to theirs. We created a core around which we managed to elevate the level. That is something that we learned from the Spaniards. As we went along and played them, we learned how to play them eye-to-eye as to no longer fear them. This time is the big last one."

Tony Parker, Mickael Gelabale and Florent Pietrus form part of the core of France's national squad and have announced they will retire after the Olympics.

De Colo says that sometimes, a line has been crossed in the rivalry with Spain that has left a bitter taste.

"We never wanted to be mean towards them," he said. "But respect has to be present on both sides. We simply try to play hard. For a number of years, they looked at us from the top.

"I remember the EuroBasket 2013 Semi-Final when we trailed by 20 points. They know a number of us speak Spanish so they don't hesitate to come and 'trash-talk' us. When they lost, it happened that they wouldn't come shake our hands. Beyond that, it's really something that's fed by social media ... . They are especially very strong rivals."


France beat Spain before capturing the EuroBasket 2013 title

De Colo's wife hails from Valencia, Spain. When he was asked by the French Basketball Federation how things are going with his in-laws, De Colo smiled and answered: "It's going well. When there is a basketball game, they support me.

"Furthermore, I would not let them support Spain in front of my daughter. They're very careful. After that, if it's handball, football or volleyball, anyone can do as they please."

FIBA