Women's Euro Basketball Championship: France beats Greece and qualifies for the quarter-finals

After a resounding 92-56 victory over Greece in their second match in Piraeus on Thursday, June 19, the French women's team secured their spot in the quarterfinals of the Euro 2020 basketball championship. Les Bleues will have one more match to play, with no stakes, on Saturday against Switzerland before the start of the final phase, which will also be held in Greece, starting next week.

In addition to securing their place in the quarter-finals, they also secured first place in Group A, ahead of Greece and Turkey, whom they defeated and who will battle it out on Saturday evening for the second place in the competition.

The French women have maintained their flawless performance so far and have upheld their status as Olympic vice-champions, candidates for the final victory in front of the 8,860 spectators at the Peace and Friendship Stadium, who are clearly committed to the cause of the host country.

Unlike the day before against Turkey (71-69 victory), the players also rediscovered their three-point shooting skills (12-19) thanks in particular to Migna Touré but especially Janelle Salaün (17 points, 4 rebounds), in full success and continuing her momentum from the day before, where she had already been decisive.

Ahead at half-time following a counter-attack led by an excellent Pauline Astier and Leïla Lacan (44-37), the Blues took the upper hand in the third quarter by inflicting a 13-3 run on their opponents in the first five minutes.

The Greeks' rare successes (10 points in the third quarter) brought by Artemis Spanou and Mariella Fasoula were always greeted with loud cheers. But the French had already definitively taken the lead, with Janelle Salaün, once again disgusting from long range, to widen a significant gap (59-43).

The match turned into a correction in the last quarter, definitively opening the door to the final phase for the Blues.