France and Japan played out the game of the Paris 2024 men’s basketball tournament, with the hosts prevailing 94-90 thanks to a hero not called Victor Wembanyama.
Instead, it was 21-year-old Matthew Strazel who stepped up when the host nation were down 84-80 with 10 seconds left to drill a three plus the foul, drawing wild scenes in front of 27,000 fans at the Stade Pierre Mouroy.
And cool as the other side of the pillow, Strazel slotted the resulting free throw to take the game to overtime.
From there, France took over to secure the win in overtime and book their place in the quarter-finals.
For the French, Wembanyama had a double-double of 18 points and 11 rebounds. Strazel deserves his plaudits with 17.
Another side that secured their path to the last eight was Canada, which handed Australia its first loss of the Olympics, 93-83.
Trailing by four at the half, the FIBA World Cup bronze medallists turned the game on its head in the third, taking a narrow 72-70 lead before sealing the deal with a 21-13 fourth period.
RJ Barrett hit three triples on his way to 24 points, as he emulates his father, Rowan, who led Canada to the last eight at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 – the last time the nation competed at the Olympics.
The third team through to the quarter-finals are world champions Germany, as they scored an 86-73 win over winless Brazil in the late game.
Dennis Schroder took over with 20 points, six assists and four steals to keep the Germans’ Olympic odyssey going.
Earlier in the day, Spain got their first win at Paris 2024, by beating Greece 84-77 in a clash of two European titans.
Santi Aldama finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds as he carried the offensive load for Spain, as well as being the primary defender on Giannis Antetokounmpo. But the win wasn’t without its nerves.
Greece erased a 16-point Spanish lead in the first half and tied the score with four minutes left, but Spain prevailed in a thrilling finish. Greece and Australia now meet in a must-win game to have any chance of getting out of Group A.
Photo: FIBA
