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Getting the job done after a major win

Lauvergne's free throw allowed the defending European Champions to beat Serbia and Lauvergne and Jackson were their main heroes, while Batum and Diaw got a humble joint total of 15 points

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France were down against Brazil for almost the entire match against Brazil and ended up losing it. They were also down against Serbia for more than 80%, but they won with a little help from the referees who, as usual, do worst at World Cups as they often make the most outrageous calls.

- I don't know, it may have been a foul. There was some contact but I don't know. I won't lie, I'm not sure - said Lauvergne after France's 74-73 win as he scored the first free throw and missed the second one on purpose with 1.1 seconds to go.

Serbia had a full attack but Bogdanović lost the ball. France had slightly more than 4 seconds at 73-73, they managed to get the free throws and the win, but the calls that the referees made in the finals stages of the game just ruins the game of basketball.

- Of course it was a foul. The referee was there, he called it and it was a foul - added Diaw, who had a poor game as he had two personal fouls after only two minutes and had to spend a lot of time on the bench. He was out of rhythm and was far from Diaw that we know.

Batum was far from being brilliant either as he scored only 7 in the first period and added 4 until the end. Some new kids were the heroes, mostly Lauvergne, but it was Jackson ho got them out of their 10-point deficit. Collet had to find a solution for the back court and Jackson proved to be a hit. At -10, he made some incredible shots, including a three-pointer under a foul.

- At half-time, the coach told mi "we need you". Your shooting is like a coin toss and I'm used to having it serve me in Villauerban - said Jackson.

This win somewhat nullified their defeat against Brazil but as it was only by a single point and they lost by 2, it means very little. If Serbia beat Brazil by more than 2 points, France are still at the bottom in this triad.

- This is a young team with no experience like the previous teams so winning this match was important. We got our confidence back - said Collet, who made some good moves in the second half as he opted for a shorter squad and played Lauvergne and Gobert in a duet. He later admitted a lot of it was done to adapt to Teodosić.

- We decided to be more aggressive to force him to get rid of the ball as soon as possible.

There hasn't been much talk about Egypt and it's no wonder considering their quality. They were left at 54 points against Spain last night and Spain rested Gasol brother for quite some time. Pau scored 33 against Iran the previous day and got only 12 now, but it was more due to their system as Orenga returned Ibaka and Reyes into the rotation. Ibaka improves their defense and Egypt don't have too many solutions as it is. Their performances are below World Cup level, but there's always teams like that.

Their lack of tactical discipline is reflected in the fact that at minus 15-20 points in the second period you don't make a single foul or an interception for 8 minutes and just sit back and watch your opponents tear you apart.

They had 20 turnovers, 4/25 for three points and 91-54 in the end was good considering how worse it could have been.

- This was a match between amateurs and professionals. We just couldn't do it anymore in the end, we were too tired and Spain had enough fresh players - said coach Abdouelkhir.

Things probably won't be so dramatic against France as the French don't have the attacking power or the back court like Spain and they are also probably more tired after their games against Brazil and Serbia. It's more realistic to expect Collet to rest Diaw and Batum for the things to come - the match against Spain two days from now.