Basketball players believe in the Olympics quarter-finals: “Nothing is lost yet”

German basketball players go into their second preliminary round at the Tokyo Olympics with a lot of optimism. “We haven’t lost anything yet. We are still in a position to qualify,” said construction worker Modu Luo before facing Nigeria on Wednesday (03.00 CET). After the opening defeat to Italy on Sunday, the pressure was on national coach Henrik Rudel’s team Great.” The anger has subsided, but I am still frustrated. Lu said from Alba Berlin.

In preliminary group B, Germany needs at least one win to reach the quarter-finals. The top two definitely qualify for this, and two of the third-placed finishers also qualify for the knockout round. Nigeria is also under pressure in the first match of the tournament after an apparent defeat to Australia, Germany’s third rival, on Saturday. “We are expecting a very physical and athletic team,” said the 28-year-old, who is expecting an “active match.”

“What do we have to do to win? We have to finish the last four minutes. With a clear idea and organization,” Lu said. There was a defeat against Italy because the DBB pick could still be surprised after a long lead. “If we had played the four minutes, we would have won,” Lu said.