France secured a spot in the men’s Olympic basketball gold medal game after defeating Germany 73-69 in a hard-fought semifinal match. Guerschon Yabusele led the French team with 17 points, while Isaia Cordinier contributed 16 points and Victor Wembanyama added 11 points and seven rebounds.
France, the silver medalists from Tokyo 2021, will now compete in their second consecutive Olympic final. The team will face the winner of the upcoming Serbia vs. United States semifinal.
Dennis Schroder led Germany with 18 points, and Franz Wagner added 10 points and eight rebounds. Despite the loss, Germany had been on an impressive 12-game winning streak in major international competitions, dating back to their World Cup victory last year.
The game was closely contested, with Germany taking an early 12-2 lead, prompting France’s coach, Vincent Collet, to make adjustments. Collet brought in Evan Fournier and Mathias Lessort, which helped France stabilize and close the gap to seven points by the end of the first quarter.
France continued to build momentum in the second quarter, outscoring Germany 15-8 to tie the game at 33 by halftime. A highlight of the game came when Wembanyama delivered a powerful two-handed dunk over Daniel Theis, energizing the French crowd.
In the second and third quarters, France outscored Germany 38-25, taking a 56-50 lead into the final quarter. However, Germany fought back, cutting the deficit to 69-65 with under a minute remaining. Schroder’s layup and Wagner’s deep 3-pointer brought Germany close, but France held on.
Wembanyama’s free throws and Cordinier’s final shots secured the victory for France, despite a late challenge from Germany. France maintained the same starting lineup that they used in their quarterfinal win over Canada, with Wembanyama, Yabusele, Cordinier, Nicolas Batum, and Frank Ntilikina.
France will now play for the gold medal on Saturday, while Germany’s strong run in international competition comes to an end.
