As the long-awaited 2023 FIBA World Cup got underway, Finland entered a game that was anticipated to be full of excitement.
Unfortunately, their hopes were dashed as Australia dominated the match, securing a commanding 98-72 victory. This unbalanced outcome marked the opening day of the tournament in Okinawa and presented Finland with an early challenge to overcome.
“Looking at the score, it was pretty tough. They did a great job pushing the pace and playing physical. They took one more step in the physicality in the second half and we weren’t ready to match it,” Mikael Jantunen said.
“I think it was a big learning experience for us also that we can’t give teams like this any sort of advantage. When they got going, we struggled to find small solutions to stop them.”