Spain will fight it out against Antetokounmpo

Win or win, neither Spain nor Greece have any choice. The two teams, who lost the first game of the group stage against Australia and Canada respectively, will meet this Tuesday at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium in Lille (11:00 am) in a match that aims to be decisive for the outcome. of Group A.

Against Australia, Sergio Scariolo’s men faced reality despite good minutes that put them on the scoreboard in the second half. The Oceanians, based on intensity, physicality and talent, staged a match where the difference between the teams was evident. After the defeat, the coach was clear: “We have to study what can be corrected, but with the awareness that we all have something to improve,” analyzed the Italian.

And against Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece, Spain need a win if they want to rely on themselves on the final day, where they face Canada, the group favourite. The Hellenic team, led by Vassilis Spanoulis, also comes into the second day with urgency after losing narrowly against the Canadians. The unstoppable star of the Bucks scored 34 points, the highest individual score of the first day, and aims to be a problem for the Spanish team, who need to raise their physical tone and, above all, try to achieve continuation of the game regarding the defeat against the ‘Boomers’. “If we are connected for 40 minutes we can beat anyone. [Contra Australia] We played 25 or 30 minutes, and that’s not enough at the Olympic Games,” said Santi Aldama, who with 27 points scored his best score with the national team.

Now, after suffering their first defeat at these Games, Spain just need to improve and win to have a better chance of advancing to the qualifying rounds on the final day. Now, having a double MVP like Antetokounmpo, no doubt, will be a big challenge for Scariolo’s team. And not easy.