The European team won 95-86 against the North American team, arriving as favorite in the definition. Serbia wait for your rival at the endwho will emerge from the duel between Germany And UNITED STATES.

Serbia ended this Friday with the favoritism of Canada (95-86) stops, with an exceptional game of Bogdan Bogdanovic in which he downplayed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, access a final in which a rival is already waiting, who will emerge from the duel between Germany And UNITED STATES.

It was the first semi-final of a World Cup For Canada in all its history and a third of a Serbia veteran, unofficial and, of course, very talented. And this condition of North American inexperience was palpable on the wood of the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila. Serbia was a whirlwind, led by a raging Bogdanovic, and Canada found itself extremely overwhelmed, perhaps for the first time since the start of the World Cup adventure in South Asia. East.

Not even against Spain, who put them in difficulty, nor against Brazil, who managed to win, Canada gave the feeling of being inferior. But Pesic Svetislav’s plan went perfectly from the start, going 8-0 with triples from Ognjen Dobric and Bodgan Bogdanovic making it 8-1, the first big advantage of the match.

The quality of Fernández’s selection allowed him, although lost for a large part of the match due to the Serbian approach, to largely stop the hemorrhages that occurred during the duel, which could have been much more important.

With two triples from Rj Barert and Olynyk, they managed to reduce this first, but it was only a mirage in a first quarter completely dominated by a Serbia which, curiously, was able to do a lot of damage in transitions fast, the specialty of the North American team. An 11-0 run made the score 21-13, something Jordi Fernández couldn’t figure out from the bench. Canada I was very upset, Serbia I was flying.

And the European team did not lower its intensity or its rhythm in the second quarter, aware that Canada It didn’t take much for him to get back on track and reduce the lead. The Serbian defense was an exhibition and with two dunks from Milutinov (16 points), always in these rapid transitions, it increased the lead to 10 points.

It was no longer just the great Serbian defensive match, it was Canada everything that had not failed until now has failed. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander not only didn’t have his scoring afternoon, but he was loaded with fouls before the break. Their third was +15 for Serbia, which ended up being +13 at halftime (52-39).

Only 5 points from Shai at halftime, 15 at the end of the match, insufficient to bring Canada to the grand final. Bogdanovic was decisive in the first half, but in the second he was brilliant. Canada ended with 17 fouls at halftime, including 3 from Shai, demonstrating the frustration of a team unaccustomed to having problems on offense.

The definition of the party

Serbia He had everything ready for the second half, he had to deliver the final blow on the table against one of the powerhouses basketball world cups. His pulse didn’t waver in the slightest and he showed superiority throughout the Philippines, with a truly unleashed Bogdanovic finishing the game with 23 points.

I tried to answer Canada with Brooks from the three-point line, but Serbia countered all the good Canadian plays with precision in the zone, aggressiveness in the zone and confidence in traffic. A choral performance with a conductor, Bogdanovic, who toured Manila and showed the way to the finale.

Canada he was against the ropes. Fernández had to stop to give his team a monumental reprimand with just over five minutes to go: “Fight together,” he said with the score at 82-65 looking for a reaction of his players, affected by the incapacity and hurting Serbia.

But with just over a minute to go, seeing that the advantage of more than 10 points was insurmountable, it was Jordi Fernández himself who raised the white flag and gave minutes to the less common players . Serbia was in the final.

There Finalist in 2014, who lost to the United States, possible finalist and silver medalist at Rio 2016, is again participating in another grand final. Bogdanovic, the ogre of the Canadians, was the great architect of another historic day for Serbian basketball. (EFE)