Germany’s Franz Wagner. -MARLO CUETO/INQUIRER.net
Germany’s Franz Wagner described their victory over the United States in the semifinals of the Fiba World Cup as a validation of their beliefs. The German team had already felt confident about their abilities even before their pre-tournament friendly against the US in Abu Dhabi.
In a surprising turn of events, Germany secured a 113-111 win against the US at the Mall of Asia Arena. This victory set up an all-European final against Serbia, contrasting with their earlier 99-91 loss to the Americans before arriving in Manila for the competition.
“I think it confirms what we felt before our game in Abu Dhabi,” Wagner said.
In a similar fashion to their warm-up game, Anthony Edwards emerged as a game-changer in the fourth quarter for the US team. Despite their comeback from a double-digit deficit, the outcome of their latest encounter was in favor of Germany.
The German team aims to claim the Naismith Trophy as they conclude their World Cup campaign. This campaign was built on the foundation of their performance in last year’s Eurobasket, where they reached the semifinals but ultimately settled for third place after losing to eventual champion Spain.
Now, they have an opportunity to become world champions.
“I think last year, we felt like we let that one slip, and we knew we were better than the bronze we got. We came into this competition with a big goal,” said Wagner, who plays for the Orlando Magic.
“As Coach [Gordon Herbert] said, we’re one win away. But from the first day we came together in the summer, we believed that we’re a special group capable of defeating any team,” Wagner added.
Wagner contributed 22 points and five rebounds in the semifinals, showcasing his crucial role in Germany’s unbeaten run. He had missed four matches in the first and second rounds due to an ankle injury sustained against tournament co-hosts Japan.
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Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
