Betclic ÉLITE – After being up to 19 points ahead at the very end of the third quarter, ASVEL was very scared at home against Chalon-sur-Saône, accumulating errors to let Élan come back four lengths away at the start of the last minute. But the Villeurbannais finally won (79-72) to remain alone second in the championship.
A topsy-turvy end to the match, right to the end. Until the very end, even, when the last alley-oop between Paris Lee and Mbaye Ndiaye, supposed to offer a final note of spectacle to the Astroballe, was missed… It would not have needed three minutes more in Villeurbanne as long as the ASVEL missed everything in its money-time, leaving Élan Chalon hoping for a miraculous outcome (72-68, 39th minute) after having been on the ropes for a long time (59-42, 29th minute). “We relaxed”regrets Mbaye Ndiaye, X factor of the evening (10 points at 5/7, 4 rebounds and 2 interceptions). “It happens often and it’s something we need to work on. We need more stability. »
“A weird match”
Fortunately, ASVEL had done the job before, notably during an incredible series at the very end of the first quarter, a 21-2 to go from 4-6 to 25-8. “We started strong”agrees the Senegalese winger. “Defensively, we were there and offensively, we had rhythm. » And a maestro at the helm, with Nando De Colo authoring 10 points at 100% in his first four minutes on the pitch, before returning to hibernate, like the rest of his team.
ASVEL returned to victory after four defeats in a row in all competitions (photo: Infinity Nine Media / Lilou Danjoux)
While they have long seemed in a position of control, pounding in the racket with the duo Youssoupha Fall – Joffrey Lauvergne (24 points between them), facing a Burgundian team that is quite poor offensively, if not the distant address of Antoine Eito (20 points at 7/18, 7 rebounds and 3 assists) and the slaughter of Lionel Gaudoux (17 points at 8/12), Gianmarco Pozzecco’s men nevertheless inexplicably lost as they approached the last act, accumulating avoidable errors. So yes, Chalon suddenly raised his level. Yes, the Élan suddenly found rhythm and discovered the right defensive adjustment, forcing ASVEL to adopt a static game. But a team with such big ambitions should not scare itself like that, starting at +17 11 minutes from the final buzzer.
“The best possible medicine” for ASVEL
Especially since it could have been much worse… “We could have worried them a lot more”, thus raises Savo Vucevic. At the very start of the fourth quarter, Aleksej Nikolic, in a slump for several games, had two open shots to bring the Élan to -4. Antoine Eïto also had one, a little later. “It’s a weird match”whispers the captain. “It’s a little frustrating because there’s a gap but they were manageable, we’re not missing anything. » While noting very well that Chalon did not play his season at the Astroballe. His championship was Blois last week. It will be Cholet, too, next Saturday.
ASVEL, too, was not playing its season against Élan but an odd mistake would have been terribly difficult, especially in the heart of a phase of turbulence like this. “We needed to win”says Gianmarco Pozzecco, relieved. “The guys deserve it. They always play hard, they fight. Tonight they can be happy. This victory is the best medicine we could have after several defeats in a row. » Knowing that winter is also the period most conducive to infections, with an incredible sequence before the end of the year: a trip to Milan, the receptions of the two EuroLeague finalists (Olympiakos and Real Madrid) then a final trip to Monaco. So you’re going to need more than a good Doliprane…
In Villeurbanne,
2023-12-17 23:23:48
#Fragile #ASVEL #preserves #essentials #Chalon #BeBasket
