European 3×3 basketball had great moments over the past decade and supporters could enjoy watching amazing fixtures.
One of the European countries that showed the most in the history of this thrilling sport is France. They are popularly called Les Bleus because the color of their shirt is blue. Let’s dive deep into the history of performances of French team
Which result did France achieve in the 2012 World Cup?
France participated in the first-ever World Cup held in Athens in 2014. Kevin Corre, Meredis Houmounou, Jean Baptiste Adolphe Michel, and Karim Souchy were the players that represented the French national squad at the planetary championship. This roster had big talent and consequently big ambitions for the tournament.
This country competed in group C with Ukraine, Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, and Guam. Les Blues won all five fixtures, took first place in the pool, and qualified for the Last 16 phase.
France won against the Czech Republic, Greece, and Israel in the elimination stages before facing powerful Serbia in the final.
France was very close to lifting the trophy but lost the game with 16-13. You can watch a full final game here:
How far did France go in the 2016 Europe Cup?
French squad qualified for the 2016 Europe Cup after missing out on the previous continental championship in Bucharest. Dominique Gentil, Maxime Courby, Anthony Christophe, and Charles Bronchard were included in Les Bleus roster.
France competed with Serbia and Spain in group A and had a tough challenge to earn a ticket for the semifinal. They suffered two losses in the pool and were eliminated from the further tournament. It was a sad experience for French fans in the first appearance of their country in the Europe Cup.
Where did Les Bleus participate next?
Les Bleus earned a ticket for the 2017 World Cup which was held in the French city Nantes. Charles Bronchard, Dominique Gentil, Charly Pontens, and Angelo Tsagarakis were invited to the 4th edition of the planetary championship.
French national team had opponents Slovenia, the Philippines, Romania, and El Salvador in pool B. France lost the game to Slovenia and beat the other three rivals in the group stage. They took second place in the standings and qualified for the quarterfinal.
Bronchard and colleagues pulled out a 20-12 victory over Ukraine in the Top 8 stage before losing against Bulut’s Serbia with 22-11. French dreams about winning gold in front of their crowd suddenly crashed.
Which other competition did France take part in 2017?
Charly Pontens and friends took part in the 2017 Europe Cup in Amsterdam, Netherlands capital. They wanted to redeem themselves for failure in their own country at the World Cup one month before.
The same players were called for competition in the Netherlands as at the planetary championship in France. Les Bleus played in pool C alongside Russia and Switzerland and won both games.
Latvia, a Soviet country, waited for French players in the quarterfinal. Karlis Lasmanis team was too strong for the French team and defeated them with 17-12.
Which challenge did France have in 2018?
Anthony Christophe replaced Charly Pontens on the roster for the 2018 Europe Cup in Romania. France came to the tournament with big ambitions and goals.
They had a hard battle with Slovenia and Switzerland in group B. Les Bleus won against Switzerland and lost to Slovenia in the pool stage and that was sufficient for playing in the quarterfinal.
France was defeated by Russia in the Top 8 stage with 18-16 and that caused another disappointment among their supporters. It was time for reconsidering strategy for upcoming challenges.
How was the French performance in the 2019 World Cup?
Les Bleus participated in the 2019 World Cup in the Netherlands capital Amsterdam. Charly Pontens, Lucas Dussoulier, Dominique Gentil, and Michael Var were involved in the French national 3×3 team at this tournament.
France played in pool C along with Slovenia, Qatar, Lithuania, and China. French players ended the group stage with three wins and one loss. Lithuania was too strong for Charly and colleagues, while Slovenia, Qatar, and China were beaten easily.
First place in the pool qualified Les Blues for the quarterfinal. Unfortunately, Serbia was an unsurmountable obstacle again as they beat France with 20-12.
Which players represented France at the 2019 Europe Cup?
French squad came to the fifth edition of the continental championship in Hungary with high desires. Lucas Dussoulier, Dominique Gentil, Charly Pontens, and Raphael Wilson were members of the roster for the 2019 Europe Cup.
Les Bleus participated in pool C with Hungary and Russia. Lucas Dussoulier and colleagues lost against Hungary with 22-15 and won against Russia with 22-10. They qualified for the quarterfinal as the first-place team in the group.
France defeated Austria and Spain in the quarterfinal and semifinal respectively. Serbia, a mighty 3×3 force, pulled out a 21-18 victory over guys in blue shirts in the game for the gold medal.
How did France go in the qualifications for Olympic Games?
Guys in blue shirts had to play qualifications for the first-ever Olympic Games in 3×3 basketball. Antoine Eito, Dominique Gentil, Charly Pontens, and Raphael Wilson were members of the French squad at the qualification tournament held in Graz, Austria in May of 2021.
France competed with Slovenia, Dominican Republic, Qatar, and the Philippines in pool C. Antoine Eito and friends won all four games and earned a ticket for the quarterfinal against Brazil.
The French national team won the game with 21-19, but later lost to the Netherlands with 21-13. France was defeated by Latvia in the game for third place which also guaranteed a spot in the Olympic Games.
How did the French player handle the pressure of winning trophies?
French spectators were desperate after France failed to earn a card for Olympic Games in 2021. Players wanted to prove that they are capable to beat favorites in the biggest competitions and the 2021 Europe Cup in France was the perfect chance for that.
Antoine Eito, Charly Pontens, Jules Rambaut, and Franck Seguela were invited to the squad for this tournament. France won against Austria and lost to Lithuania on the group stage.
Les Bleus ended as the second-place team in the pool and faced Bulut’s Serbia in the Top 8 stage. Serbia pulled out a 20-17 victory over France and eliminated hosts from the further contest.
Which result did Les Bleus achieve in the 2022 World Cup?
Guys in blue shirts took part in the seventh edition of the World Cup in the Belgium city of Antwerp. Leopold Cavaliere, Antoine Eito, Franck Seguela, and Alex Vialaret were called for the French roster for this competition.
Serbia, France, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, and Brazil had a contest in group A. France finished the pool competition in second place with four wins and two defeats.
French guys beat Austria and Netherlands in the Top 16 and quarterfinal respectively. Leopold Cavaliere and his teammates were defeated against Lithuania in the semi in a thrilling fixture. Les Bleus pulled out a heroic 18-17 victory in the game for the bronze medal.
It was evident that the French national team was still not capable of winning major tournaments. They are lacking something necessary for lifting the trophy in a big competition. Their coaching staff will analyze in detail which thing has to be improved to win deciding games in country contests.
Serbia, a European country, is the most dominant force on the planet in this magnificent game. Many players from this continent became leaders of their clubs recently. French 3×3 guys are playing important role in world 3×3 basketball circles and they deserved to be heroes of our story today.
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