Translated material
Spanish Rubicon
Russia was included in the quartet of the best teams in the World Cup
The Russian women's team reached the semi-finals of the World Championships in Brazil. Yesterday, the European vice-champions prevailed over Spain in a dramatic match - 60:56. Our next opponent will be the winner of the USA - Lithuania match, which ended late in the evening Moscow time.Head coach Igor Grudin released Oksana Rakhmatulina, Ilona Korstin, Tatyana Shchegoleva, Natalya Vodopyanova and Maria Stepanova in the starting lineup. In the first period, our team scored points mainly due to the individual actions of Korstin, who actively rammed the opponents’ defense with passes under the shield. The opponents used three-point shots very successfully - Aguilar, Valdemoro and Montagnana scored with long-range shots. At the end of the quarter, Spain's advantage was ten points - 21:11.
After a short break, Grudin replaced Rakhmatullina with Ekaterina Demagina for a few minutes as a playmaker. In the opening of the second quarter, Shchegoleva was hit in the face with a hand, and she was replaced by Elena Karpova. Soon the teams exchanged childish mistakes - Demagina, in a simple situation, gave an inaccurate pass to Stepanova, but in a fast break, Valdemoro missed the hoop from just under the backboard. Karpova, as soon as she had time to enter the game, was unable to take advantage of an excellent chance for an interception, and in the attack she ran into a blocked shot from her guard. The Spaniards failed to realize good opportunities to increase their advantage several times in a row - the ball stubbornly did not go into the hoop. The bronze medalists of the last three European Championships scored their first point only in the sixth minute of the second period.
Korstin, who was inspired, continued to work wonders - she both scored and managed to pick up the ball surrounded by taller opponents. When Stepanova finally scored from close range, Russia took the lead - 23:22. After accurate free kicks from Valdemoro, both Stepanova and Vodopyanova missed in a protracted attack, but Maria was fouled and she restored our team's lead. The Russians greatly strengthened their game on defense, and the basketball players of the Spanish national team, unable to find the necessary solutions to complete their combinations in attack, twice violated the 24-second ball possession rule.
29 seconds before the big break, the Russians launched their final attack and managed the ball very competently - followed by a pass from Vodopyanova, who briefly beat her opponent and hit the goal. Grudin's team went into rest with a four-point advantage - 31:27. As soon as the third period began, Vodopyanova was equal in points with Korstin - 12 for both basketball players. Then the Spaniards, after Ilona's offensive miss, played a fast and effective combination involving Palau and Valdemoro, forcing Grudin to take a minute break. This move managed not only to give a portion of valuable advice to the players, but also to disrupt the offensive impulse of the opponents and disrupt the rhythm of their attacks. It’s not for nothing that Palau made a so-called “draft” in the next episode. In basketball slang, this means a hasty throw of the ball, in which the game projectile does not even touch the hoops as it flies past.
And yet, in the 27th minute, the tireless Valdemoro, playing under the leadership of Grudin for the Samara club CSKA (formerly VBM-SSAU), restored the status quo - 33:33. No matter how well our girls knew her, four of whom play for the team from the banks of the Volga, Valdemoro still felt quite at ease on the court at times. Her next long-range throw brought the team from the Iberian Peninsula ahead - 40:37. And in the final seconds of the period, Aguilar pulled off the same trick. The Russians were not discouraged by this turn of events. Shchegoleva was destined to become the hero of the meeting. At the end of the match, she scored five points in a row - two well-aimed shots plus a converted free throw for a last-resort foul.