Basketball, a great Italy beats Spain: it hasn’t happened since 2015

A great Italy ended the qualification process with an exclamation point World Cup 2023 of basketball. There National by Gianmarco Pozzecco won in Caceres against Spain, champions of Europe and the world 72-68. After seven victories and two defeats between the first and second phases, the Azzurri finished today’s matches in group L exactly overturning the -4 of the first leg against the reigning European and World champions, played in Pesaro. Spain maintained their first place in overall goal difference. Both formations had already qualified with certainty among the 32 formations that will give life to the world championship scheduled from 25 August to 10 September between Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines. Italy had not beaten Spain since Euro 2015.

The race

Many absences on both sides and a very balanced match in the early stages, with the teams resting at 33-29 in favor of the Azzurri, then good at taking off in the second half of the match, before the final recovery of the Iberians (returned to minus 4 after being down by 15 in the last set). The 19-year-old makes his debut in the senior national team David Casarin ee fine William Caruso. The latter was the best scorer of the match, with 19 points, followed by Casarin and Nico Mannion, both with 10 points. Injury for Marco Spissu, who was forced to leave the field prematurely during the third quarter. In the same group as the Azzurri and the Spaniards, Toko Shengelia’s Georgia qualified for the World Cup, losing by 3 against Iceland and remaining ahead of the islanders by overall difference between goals.

Pozzecco: “My boys play with their hearts”

“I’m very proud of all my boys. They play with their hearts and deserve all the satisfaction possible. We came to Spain to play and win without looking at the table and tonight everyone scored and everyone left the field happy.” So a satisfied Gianmarco Pozzecco comment on the Fip website on Italy’s victory against Spain in the World Cup qualifiers. “Even tonight we have prepared the match perfectly and beyond any classification, I am very happy for the victory and for having broadened the base of Italian players for the future. Now we have time to think about the World Cup but I want to thank all the staff and the Federation for putting us in the best conditions to achieve this result”, adds the blue coach. So instead Guglielmo Caruso, top scorer of the evening: “We knew it would be a tough match but we took to the field with the right mentality and after having formed a group in just a few days. I’m happy with my performance but even more so with that of all the team. A night to remember.”