With blue, white and red flags waving in the stands and cheers blaring around them, France’s players took in the moment. Matthew Strazel erupted in dance. Evan Fournier ripped his jersey off and skipped around. Later, the team gathered in a circle at centre court as fans erupted in an encore of, “Allez Les Bleus!” — “Let’s go Blue!” —- to serenade them.

And all because the hosts France defeated Germany 73-69 on Thursday 8 August to reach the final of the Olympic men's basketball and will face four-time reigning champions the United States for gold.

Guerschon Yabusele led Tokyo silver medallists France with 17 points and Isaia Cordinier added 16. Victor Wembanyama finished with 11 points despite another poor shooting performance. France could meet Team USA on Saturday 10 August in a repeat of the final from three years ago if the heavily favoured Americans get past Nikola Jokic's Serbia in the second semi-final.

Dennis Schroder led Germany with 18 points. Fritz Wagner was the only other player in double figures for a team that will seek the consolation of a first-ever Olympic medal in the third-place playoff. The Germans moved 28-18 in front after a three from Nick Weiler-Babb to open the second quarter, but France flipped the momentum their way as Wembanyama made his mark.

France ended the half with a flourish and Wembanyama's dunk tied the game at 33 apiece. Nicolas Batum nailed a three-pointer to put France ahead for the first time to begin the second half, with Yabusele getting into the act as well.

Yabusele, the top scorer with 22 points in the quarter-final victory over Canada, carried his team with a series of baskets, but Schroder replied in equal measure. With the lead switching back and forth in a gripping third quarter, France surged six points clear when Evan Fournier rattled in a shot from beyond the arc.

France went into the final period leading 56-50 and looked to have left Germany in the rearview mirror thanks to a three from Wembanyama followed by a bucket from Mathias Lessort. Germany refused to roll over and France struggled to make the game safe, Wagner netting a long three to slash the deficit to two with just under 40 seconds to play.

Wembanyama missed the chance to ice the game by hitting only one of two free throws, but Cordinier was less forgiving from the foul line as France sealed a return to the final to the delight of the home crowd.

The second match of the day was between USA and Serbia. After suffering a lot, the USA Team goes through to the Olympic final thanks to a stellar Curry. It was a great game by Pesic and Jokic's Serbia, who have taken another step towards the end of the American domination in the Olympic Games.

They had to dig really, really deep, but 36 points for Steph Curry, a tournament high for Team USA, and a LeBron James triple-double is enough to help them to a 95-91 victory. USA's players celebrate a huge win and will face hosts France in the final in a repeat of the Tokyo 2020 final. Finally, Serbia will play Germany for bronze.

France-Belgium and USA-Australia in the semi-finals

On Wednesday 7 August was the day for one part of the semifinals, where Paris Bercy witnessed another triumphant afternoon for France. The men's team pulled off a surprise against Canada, and the women's team overcame Germany. Belgium outclassed Spain. Australia overcame Serbia and the USA fulfilled the prediction against a great Nigeria.

But the women's quarter-finals were not as glamorous as the men's. Lack of equality. All the matches with results that lacked emotion. Those who win, take it for granted. Those who lose leave the tournament dissatisfied for not having fought harder.

The USA closed the day's basketball action with a win over Nigeria. They did not suffer, but the African team played a great game and never gave up. In the last quarter, they were able to reduce the deficit to leave a score that was hard to believe (74-88). The physical superiority of the Americans was what marked the game from the start. Always imposing their strength in rebounding and getting comfortable positions to score from close to the basket.

Their main players once again made it clear that this is the team to beat. A'ja Wilson had 20 points and 11 rebounds. Jackie Young stood out more than on other days, scoring 15 more points, while Breanna Stewart added another 13.

Nigeria had plenty of motivation. They are the first African basketball team to reach the quarter-finals of an Olympic Games, either women's or men's. They went into the final quarter with no chance. They went into the last quarter with no chance but continued to play their game to finish with the most dignified score possible. This time it was not Ezinne Kalu who was the top scorer, although she did score 16 points. Promise Amukamara scored 19 and Amy Okonwo, 17.

Big win for France against Germany

With the support of a passionate home crowd, France delivered a stellar performance. Their two stars played at an exceptional level, and their defensive strategy was crucial, limiting Germany's Satou Sabally to just 10 points, her lowest of the tournament. Satou’s sister, Nyara Sabally, stood out for Germany with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

Marine Johannes led the charge for France, putting on a shooting clinic with 24 points, including five of 10 from beyond the arc. Gabby Williams added 15 points, along with six rebounds, five assists, and two steals, proving to be a versatile and reliable player. With this form, France looks poised to contend for a silver medal, acknowledging that winning gold will be a formidable challenge.

In the final minutes, Germany made a last-ditch effort to close the gap on the scoreboard, but France remained composed and comfortably secured the victory with a score of 84-71. On Friday, they will face their next challenge to see if they can advance to the final.

Belgium repeats victory against Spain

It was the final of Eurobasket 2023. The Belgians managed to be the champions. Today they have taken the step to fight for the medals. A match with an even and spectacular start, but they controlled from the second set.

Belgium dominated their match, thanks largely to their standout player, Emma Meesseman, who has been one of the best performers of the tournament. Meesseman was once again a formidable presence, contributing not just in scoring but across the board. She finished the game with 19 points, nine rebounds, six assists, four blocks, and two steals.

It wasn't just Meesseman's effort that led to the victory. Kyara Linskens added another 19 points and eight rebounds, while Antonia Delaere, another key player for the Belgian team, contributed 13 points and seven assists.

Spain struggled to maintain their initial momentum. After scoring 26 points in the first quarter, they managed only 40 more over the next three quarters. The Belgian defence proved impenetrable, and Spain couldn’t alter the game’s dynamic. Their star player, Meg Gustafson, delivered another strong performance with 21 points and seven rebounds but lacked sufficient support from her teammates to stay competitive until the end.