The French do not rate Hungary highly and are ignoring their first World Cup opponent
Translated from Hungarian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
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- Hungary’s women’s basketball team will begin its World Cup campaign against Olympic silver medallists France in Berlin on Friday.
- Captain Dorka Juhász said Hungary’s return to the tournament after 28 years carried special importance, but she felt no extra pressure.
- Tournament demand is high, with nearly 200,000 tickets sold and no tickets remaining for later group-stage and knockout matches in Berlin.
Hungary will open its women’s basketball World Cup campaign against Olympic silver medallists France in Berlin on Friday night. The headline around the matchup suggests the French do not think highly of Hungary and are paying little attention to their first opponent.
Hungary’s captain, Dorka Juhász, joined the national team after playing for the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx and recently completed a season with Turkish club Galatasaray. She was named the best player of the previous EuroLeague season.
At the last moment, but she joined the work brilliantly. She took part in one practice and one preparation game, but we completed everything with her that we wanted. We are already looking forward to the first game.
Juhász said Hungary’s return to the World Cup after 28 years was long overdue. “Everyone knows that we have not been at a World Cup for 28 years, so I think it is about time,” she said. She added that she did not feel extra pressure, even though appearing at the tournament was a major achievement for a small country.
Everyone knows that we have not been at a World Cup for 28 years, so I think it is about time.
Hungary played strongly at the qualifying tournament in Istanbul in March, averaging 18 points and nine rebounds there. Juhász said she understood that she had to lead, not only by scoring but also by directing the team on court. She said the squad’s success had always depended on unity, with many players having known each other since youth national teams.
The team narrowly missed qualification for the Paris Olympics and last year’s European Championship. Juhász said those disappointments had made the players more determined. Interest in the tournament is also high: nearly 200,000 tickets have been sold, while tickets for the final group round and knockout matches at Berlin Arena and Max-Schmeling-Halle are already gone. Berlin organisers are preparing fan zones with giant screens and beer stands.
I know that I have to be the leader, which does not only mean scoring points, but also directing the team on the court.
About this summary
Originally published by Magyar Nemzet in Hungarian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.
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