The step was too high for Limoges CSP against Monaco, once again becoming the ogre it was. Defeat 84-96 for the Limougeauds, in a meeting that was nevertheless more pleasant and (a little) closer than the score suggests. And to think that Monday December 23, 2024, is a trip to Paris Basket, the other scarecrow of the elite which awaits Jean-Marc Dupraz's men.
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Quite a New Year's Eve, a little advanced, for Beaublanc, with this arrival of the Roca Team. Who remembers that in 1983, this was the poster for the Federation Cup final, won 96-81 by the CSP?
Since then, the two clubs have experienced diametrically opposed destinies.
When Limoges was shining brightly, Monaco was sinking into the depths of the French divisions.
But in 2015, when Limoges won its last title, Monaco won that of Pro B, which allowed it to return to the elite.
From then on, the Monegasques squatted at the top of the rankings, are currently double reigning champions, and shine in the European Cup. Limoges, on the other hand…
Under the eyes of the ever-popular Apollo Faye, who returned to his garden for the first time in four years, after major back problems, the CSP attacked an ogre.
Speaking of New Year's Eve, it's as if the evening began with the log!
There were only four minutes on the scoreboard, but already ten points behind for Jean-Marc Dupraz's men (3-13). Only Kenny Baptiste found the basket from long distance.
But a minute and a half later, Limoges was back on level terms, thanks to Capt'ain Lang (6 points), and four actions of great speed and beauty (13-13)!
A boost undoubtedly for Limoges, which had not shaken a Monaco team experienced in the Euroleague. The visitors resumed their march forward, almost regaining their first gap (13-22, at 7'30'').
But with courage, and in the wake of Diarra, the CSP did not abdicate. And sometimes it came close to giving the impression that the two clubs were almost on an equal footing. Almost. Because it was Vassilis Spinoulis' men who won this first quarter, 21-28.
Very quickly, Monaco regained its ten point lead, as if they were a minimum requirement. And despite Diarra, still untenable, Limoges inexorably lost ground. 25-40 in the thirteenth minute, 28-48 in the fifteenth, after an interception concluded with a dunk from the returning Mam Jaiteh (much less whistled than Ilias Kantzouris, now Spinoulis' assistant at the team presentation). The Ultra Green may have shouted loudly, but Beaublanc already had complicated digestion…
The Monegasques even crossed the fifty-point barrier in the seventeenth minute (34-51). Overwhelmed and mistreated, the Limougauds did not give up completely, and a few actions gave, if not hope, at least balm to the hearts of their supporters.
44-56 at the siren, it was too much, much too much, but ultimately, the visitors had won this quarter less clearly than the previous one.
Reading the statistics at half-time also gave the impression of a closer match than the score would suggest. The real difference was in the success (52% against 64%), with even an insolent chance from the Roca Team at long distance (10/18, against 6/15 for Limoges). Gift idea to ask Santa Claus urgently and in advance: what if this success was reversed?
Well, well, since we were talking about the magic of Christmas… It was a transfigured CSP who came back from the locker room, when the Monegasques were failing, moaning and getting angry. It was a fight, it was rough, it was rough. And for four long minutes, not an opposing basket. And during these four minutes, Limoges came back, 52-56!
Beaublanc began to merge, and three times, his charges had the opportunity to equalize. Three times they failed, but Monaco did not really benefit from it. The atmosphere was becoming unbreathable.
The twenty-eighth minute felt like a turning point. Two missed free throws from Chassaing, followed by a killer three-pointer from Cornelie gave the visitors some momentum, 59-68. Another long-range shot later, and Monaco regained its favorite gap from the start of the match just before the buzzer, 61-71.
Excitement about making an improbable comeback, or fatigue due to accumulated excesses? Both undoubtedly, but Limoges, despite this quarter-time victory 17-15, seemed to have missed their chance.
There was actually no more juice on the CSP side. Will, courage, and even a little skill, from Nico Lang or Souley Boum, but it was insufficient, against the Monegasques who did not fall into the same faults as ten minutes earlier.
On the contrary, it was Limoges which fell there. No doubt tired of a few decisions, including a technique that was just whistled, Jean-Marc Dupraz took an unsporting decision. He asked for and got the video, but the referees upheld their decision. With a 71-88 on the scoreboard, and more than four minutes to play, the mass was said, but the evening promised to be still long.
But definitely, like this meeting, it was not boring. Because for its supporters, for its pride, and even if it was in vain, Limoges still refused to give up. And the slightest attempt was made, the slightest shot attempted and sometimes successful. Final score 84-96. Heavy indeed, but not completely without panache. Monaco was simply too strong.
As is often the case in such a situation, Nicolas Lang, the captain of the CSP, found it difficult to derive any satisfaction from the evening. “There is frustration, because when you come back almost equal, it's a shame not to be able to continue.”
Jean-Marc Dupraz, the Limoges CSP coach, was proud of his men. “II think we can have a certain pride, that's what I told the players in the locker room, because we pushed Monaco to their limits. It's not the same world, it's a Euroleague team, but we're back to minus two… We were valiant, and we should be proud of that. Afterwards, we are disappointed with the defeat, of course, but we have nothing to be ashamed of. Beyond the defeat, always bitter, we must be able to reproduce this kind of performance. If we can play at this level regularly, we can travel and we can host.”
And that’s good, because Limoges is not yet on vacation. Monday December 23, a trip to Paris Basket, the other bogeyman of the elite, awaits the CSP. Jean-Marc Dupraz would almost sigh with weariness. “Paris ? We'll see. We need to plan for tomorrow. We take first and second in the Euroleague, back to back, quite simply. We're not used to moving on like them, we're heading off into the unknown.”
An impressive team, both in the league and on the European scene, whose atypical play wreaks havoc on its opponents. For Nicolas Lang, it will be necessary “go to Paris and let the horses loose, but be intelligent. Because just letting go of the horses, against Paris, when it's their game… So we'll have to be intelligent.”
Parisians, however, are not at their best, not on a sporting level, but on a medical level. The team is in fact decimated by a flu-like epidemic. After the postponement of its European meeting on Thursday, December 19, 2024, it must travel to ASVEL this Sunday, before receiving the CSP barely 24 hours later. It is therefore not only Limoges which is heading into the unknown.
