Basketball
Cecilia Zandalasini: Italy will be proud of us
BERLIN (Germany) - Some amazing leadership from Cecilia Zandalasini and a defensive masterclass from Italy was at the heart of an incredible team performance that came tantalizingly close to completing an epic World Cup upset.
Italy came within one made shot of forcing overtime against a USA team who hadn't lost since 2006 and while they just missed out on a win, an emotional Zandalasini was bursting with pride after the final buzzer.
N/A
Italy will also be proud of us too... We waited 32 years to be here and we deserve to be here - we showed that tonight.
"What a game! I am super proud of my team," she said after leading her team's performance with 14 points.
"Italy will also be proud of us too. I am happy that we showed what we are capable of. We waited 32 years to be here and we deserve to be here - we showed that tonight.
"We deserved a spot in this tournament and on the biggest stage. We have a great coach that really believes in us.
"I am just taking it all in, having all these people flying to Berlin to see us. Our fans were amazing and I am happy we gave them a good game tonight."
The collective defensive effort was outstanding as Italy restricted USA to their lowest points tally since 1984. The game plan was executed brilliantly and only just failed to deliver what would have been a sensational success.
Zandalasini was quick to highlight the importance of their defensive display, but also believes that the passion they played with was just as potent.
"We tried with the zone with different matchups and switches, but we also played with our heart and that was the key," she insisted.
"Now we have showed what we are capable of, we want to keep going and not lose our heads about this game."
Zandalasini and Italy could punch their ticket to the Final phase with a win against China in their third and final Group D game.
FIBA
