France finding a way to win, but strive to be better in pursuit of gold

BERLIN (Germany) - France have been living dangerously in Berlin after surviving back-to-back scares to reach the Semi-Finals at FIBA EuroBasket 2022 as they continue their pursuit of the title.

It's been nine years since they last took the top step of the podium at the tournament and after coming through the acclaimed 'Group of Death' they have battled past both Turkey and Italy in overtime thrillers.

"WE KNOW THAT TO GET THE GOLD MEDAL WE HAVE TO BE BETTER. BUT NOW WE ARE ALIVE."

Turkey 77-75 France; 12.2 seconds left. Cedi Osman misses two free throws, Evan Fournier then comes up with the steal on the inbounds and his ensuing miss is cleaned up on the glass by Rudy Gobert's game-saving putback dunk.

France 75-77 Italy; 16.3 seconds left. Simone Fontecchio misses two free throws, Rudy Gobert collects the rebound and hands the ball to Thomas Heurtel, who drives to the basket for the game-saving layup.

Two improbable victories. Two tests of character. Two steps closer to the end goal.

"It shows that we have a lot of heart, that we never quit and are always in the moment," stated Evan Fournier. "But to be honest we can't have those huge holes where we just don't score, we turn the ball over and we give teams confidence.

"We had the game [against Italy] pretty much in control the whole way and then we gave up our lead in three minutes. We have good players with a lot of experience, but we can't get into those situations in the first place."

France have not been at their best and have not tried to shy away from that either. Gobert insisted the team had to be better after their Round of 16 battle with Turkey, and head coach Vincent Collet echoed the statement again as they overcame Italy on Wednesday.

"We know we have to play better," he said. "But now we are alive. We, the players and the coaching staff, know that to get the gold medal we have to be better. We cannot get it with the same level we have had the last couple of games. But we have a chance. We deserve that chance."

For the majority of this roster, the chance of a first gold medal with the national team is one they don't want to pass up. France have long been touted amongst the contenders and have now seen the likes of Slovenia, Serbia and Greece all be sent home before the Semi-Finals.

The goal has not changed as they continue to find ways to win, and Guerschon Yabusele only has eyes on the main prize as they head deeper into the business end of the competition.

"We said it before, we want the gold medal. We didn't want to come here to leave with the silver or the bronze, that wouldn't make sense. There are two games left and the first step is to try to get to the Final."

France know what they get from the likes of team leaders Gobert, Fournier and Heurtel, while Yabusele has slotted nicely into his role as another scoring threat.

But the biggest story has perhaps been the impact of Terry Tarpey on the defensive end, the extent of which has even come as a surprise to his head coach.

"He is doing the things that others are often not doing. Rebounding, deflecting, steals, defense. I didn't know myself when we started camp six weeks ago that he would be this important. I am discovering this with you. Step by step, his importance grew. He is one of the leaders in the team in a different way. He knows what the team needs and that's important."

Another piece of the puzzle. France know they have the talent, they have rode their luck somewhat, so is it already written in the stars that the French name is already on the trophy or is their time running out in a tournament where the big names continue to keep falling?

FIBA