Latvia beat France and eliminate them from the World Cup

Latvia shocked France and sent them home early, as they will leave the World Cup after the group stage.

Latvia win w thriller to send France to shock early exit in the best game of the World Cup so far!#FIBAWC x #WinForLatvia 🇱🇻 pic.twitter.com/pSJbIhlIc9

— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 27, 2023

Latvia, who played at a World Cup for the 1^st time in their history, comeback from 13 points behind to secure their place in the 2^nd round – alongside Canada – as pre-World Cup contenders France were defeated in straight matches in the preliminary round for the 1^st time since 2010.

The crucial moment in the game was when Nando De Colo left the court after his 2^nd unsportsmanlike foul, and the French team had to play almost 7 minutes till the end of the match without him. That changed everything, and the World Cup debutants went on a 10-3 run to reduce its deficit to only a point with almost 5 minutes until the end.

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Latvia took the lead with only 38 seconds to go and kept it to beat and eliminate France from the 2023 FIBA World Cup.

First-ever #FIBAWC. 🏆
Advancing to the 2nd round. 🤯

What a moment for Latvia. 🇱🇻#WinForLatvia pic.twitter.com/HDd1wTrfkm

— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 27, 2023