The Latvian national basketball team was not afraid of any opponent even before the World Cup, so they will approach the decisive game of the second round of the final tournament against Brazil with the same attitude, the basketball players of the national team said after the match.It has already been reported that Friday turned out to be very successful for the Latvian national basketball team. She first beat reigning European champions and World Cup winners Spain 74:69 to continue her fight for a place in the quarter-finals. Brazil then defeated Canada 69:65.
Therefore, in group L, all participants in the quarterfinals who will go to Manila will be determined in the last round of games. Thus, the winners of the games of Latvia and Brazil, as well as Spain and Canada, will secure a place in the quarterfinals. No additional criteria for the calculations will be required.
“Before the tournament, we were not afraid of anyone, but this does not mean that we do not respect our opponents. We certainly respect and understand that many will not have the opportunity to play at the World Cup again. it is difficult to understand where we are and what we are doing, but we are very happy and grateful that the fans support us, ”said after the match Artur Žagar.
Brazil’s victory over Canada is one of the tournament’s surprises, as the Canadians, led by their star Shay Gilges-Alexander, had won the previous three games by a clear margin. Brazil usually play fast-paced basketball too, but this time they made a tactical change and their physical play caused problems for the Canadians.
“It was not a standard decision, but we stuck to it,” Brazil head coach Gustavo Conti said of his choice of tactics.