EuroBasket 2025: France Loses to Spain, Failing to Reach Tournament Final for the Second Consecutive Time
France's Heartbreaking Defeat: A Look at Their Semi-Final Loss Against Spain
The French women's basketball team endured a gut-wrenching defeat against Spain in the EuroBasket 2025 semi-finals, a disappointing upset on June 27th in Piraeus, Greece. The team led by Jean-Aimé Toupane displayed a stellar defensive performance, but their offense faltered in the second half, allowing Spain to mount a comeback, ultimately securing a narrow victory of 65-64.
The French squad, unbeaten throughout the competition till this point, missed another opportunity to feature in the finals - their second such miss in a row, having won five straight from 2013 to 2021. They'll now be facing the losers of the other semi-final match between Belgium and Italy for the bronze medal on Sunday.
The Offensive Drought in the Second Half
Initially, the French team seemed to have the game under control, with an aggressive defense combined with intelligent offensive tactics putting Spain on the backfoot. Valériane Ayayi, a dominant force throughout the tournament, tallied 19 points, despite struggling from beyond the arc (1/8). However, France's offense disintegrated after halftime.
In the third quarter alone, France scored only eight points, missing the mark in the final six minutes. Their exterior shooting was abysmal, connecting just five of their 30 attempts from three-point range, a paltry 16% success rate. The team's offensive woes allowed Spain to rally and take a slim lead heading into the decisive fourth quarter (49-46).
Even though the French defense held its ground (Spain never led by more than five points), their offense continued to falter, creating scoring opportunities for Spain, who availed themselves expertly. Janelle Saluün, a key player in this Euro tournament, faced an off-night offensively, scoring 9 points with a dismal 3/11 shooting. In awe of Spain's long-range prowess, the French team showed signs of life when they reclaimed the lead with 1 minute and 30 seconds left on the clock (62-61). However, Iliana Rupert's missed free throw on the buzzer left the French team reeling with the immense frustration of a seemingly winnable game slipping through their fingers. As coach Jean-Aimé Toupane reflected afterwards, "We had a very good tournament, but today we were a bit out of touch. We lacked a bit of clarity and failed to adapt our game well. In my opinion, we played too carefully, and didn't have the 'flow' we usually do. It didn't work out, and we'll need to learn from our mistakes."
And Now What?
It might take some time before France finally lifts its first title since EuroBasket 2009. Since then, they've reached six finals (five at Euro, one at the Olympics), but walked away empty-handed each time. Yet, a medal is still within their grasp, as they will battle for the bronze medal on Sunday at 4:30 PM, either against Belgium or Italy.
[1] EuroBasket 2025: France Exits Semi-Finals to Spain in Heartbreaking Loss (Basics, Enrichment)
[2] Detailed Analysis of France vs Spain Semi-Final (In-depth Analysis, Enrichment)
Despite exhibiting a strong defensive performance, France's offense faltered in the second half, particularly in the third quarter where they only scored eight points. Their three-point shooting was poor, with a success rate of just 16%.
In the bronze medal match on Sunday at 4:30 PM, the French team will have another chance to showcase their skills in sports, specifically basketball, hoping to secure a medal in this year's EuroBasket tournament.
