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Lebanon lost by a narrow 85-79 margin to the French on Tuesday in Jakarta in their third game of the Basketball World Cup.

Asian runner-up Lebanon conceded its third defeat since the start of the World Cup on Tuesday, this time to France (85-79). But the national team, which had undergone a metamorphosis compared to its previous outings, and which had rediscovered its playmaker, Wael Arakji, who dazzled against Les Bleus on Tuesday, richly deserved to win.

Indeed, the Cedars, who dominated their opponents for most of the match, unfortunately ruined their chances in the final minutes. In an Indonesian Arena packed with Lebanese fans and invited students from Jakarta, they thought they had revived memories of the 2006 World Cup, when Lebanon won against France (74-73).

“Phew, it’s done!” was the main message heard from the French spectators after the victory achieved in the very last minutes of the game. On paper, the match-up between Les Bleus and Group H’s “Little Thumbs Up” appeared to be a foregone conclusion, but on the pitch, things weren’t quite so straightforward for the French.

Arakji is ​​​back

This uninteresting encounter began with a “basketball hurrah.” Deprived of their pivots, France played “small ball” with Tarpey in post 4 and Yabusele in 5. An unprecedented configuration which benefited from the individual talent of Wael Arakji, in a state of grace (14-9 Lebanon after four minutes). In a very sluggish first half, Les Bleus lost a lot of balls and were logically losing to the Lebanese, led by Arakji (19-20).

The second quarter was just as difficult for the French, who defended as poorly as ever against Arakji, who cut through the defense without too much trouble (24-21).

Vincent Collet’s men lost fewer balls but showed far too much slack in defense, relegating them to 10 points behind the Lebanese (35-25). Three-point accuracy was catastrophic on both sides, with 2/13 for Les Bleus and 1/9 for Lebanon. Arakji, well supported by Ali Haidar, imperial in defense, remained on top. The score moved up and down, and almost miraculously, the French went into the break with a one-point advantage (38-37).

The second half followed in the footsteps of the first, with the Fournier-Yabusele duo in charge of the attack, and not much on defense. As a result, Les Bleus were struggling (48-47) after four minutes. To make matters worse, Yabusele was sent off for three fouls, and the Lebanese laid down the law under the circle. Despite his sumotori-like appearance, Omari Spellman even had the luxury of a tap-in to make things even worse.

Les Bleus didn’t wake up and Jad el-Hajj’s protégés finished the third quarter with a short lead (59-58).

It’s Hitchcock! 

In the fourth quarter, despite their waning confidence, Les Bleus took advantage of a momentary lapse in concentration by the Lebanese to regain their color. In the final quarter, the French relied on the energy of Isaïa Cordinier (10 pts in the end) and the talent of Elie Okobo (12 pts). They took a 9-point lead, before quickly falling back into their old ways and giving themselves a fright right to the end. Arakji brought the Lebanese back with three points, before Nicolas Batum brilliantly stepped into his captain’s role with a life-saving three-pointer. This Hitchcock-style ending was enough to keep the French happy (82-79).

Arakji: “Raise the Lebanese flag high” 

Wael Arakji, Lebanon’s playmaker, in tears in the mixed zone, declared after the match: “I’ve played for so many teams, in China, Tunisia, Lebanon, but playing with the Lebanese jersey is so different… I’m so proud to play for this team. I want to raise the Lebanese flag high, to show the world that Lebanon is here despite everything it is going through. We’re here to make the Lebanese smile. I’ve been dreaming of these moments since I was eight, nine, ten years old, and I want to make the child I was and all Lebanese children proud.”

Ranking matches

The French team salvaged some pride in this World Cup, pulling off a hard-fought victory over the Lebanese team that fought till the very end. The Lebanese, for their part, have finally gotten their heads above water after their first two matches. Thanks to Wael Arakji, who scored a whopping 29 points, Lebanon pushed France to the limit.

Now it’s on to the ranking matches against the Ivory Coast and Iran, with the hope of qualifying for the Paris Games. But it’s not over yet!