French Barrier to Korac Cup

The French club SLUC- Basket from Nancy has been paired against the Kyiv-based TsSKA (Central Sport Club of the Army) in the 1/16 finals of the basketball Korac Cup tournament. The teams are to play two games in eight days. The first has already been held in Kyiv’s Palace of Sports.

This did not augment the optimism of our basketball fans. As expected, the guests enjoyed territorial and technical superiority throughout the match. Suffice it to say that at the beginning of the second half the French were leading by 19 points. Only the guests’ relaxation by the end of the game allowed Andriy Podkovyrov’s alumni to straighten out the situation. The final score was 74:73 in favor of the hosts. But the Kyivans should not flatter themselves. First, they will have the playoff away, where the rival will not give up the initiative to the very end.

And secondly, the playing level shown by the French that evening was much higher than that of our players. However, the Kyiv chief coach promised that his team will be looking for a draw in the playoff. The French left the Palace of Sports, confident in their superiority and sure of success on the two matches’ aggregate. Are they right?