Ukraine's national basketball team failed to make it to the final of the pre-qualifying tournament for the 2024 Olympics, which is currently taking place in Istanbul. Coach Vitaliy Stepanovsky's team lost to Croatia, which includes two representatives of the National Basketball Association, 70-85.

Our opponents were considered clear favourites by bookmakers and managed to earn an 11-point lead by the middle of the first quarter. This initial failure forced the Blue and Yellows coach to give his team a real whipping during a timeout. This moment had a positive impact on the Ukrainians, who immediately made a 7-0 run.

After losing the lead by seven points, the Ukrainians returned to the floor more relaxed. The Blue and Yellows were able to force their opponents to foul and make mistakes and managed to tie the score. However, the Croats managed to regain a six-point lead by the half-time break.

The second half of the game began with the referees awarding our coach a technical foul. The Kartaty went on a 10-0 run, giving themselves a very comfortable lead. The one-minute break that Stepanovsky took did not affect the course of the game, and our team did not score a single point until the middle of the quarter.

Only after that did the Ukrainian team start to play effectively in attack, but the gap with the opponent was too large - 16 before the decisive quarter. With such a lead, the Croats felt comfortable on the floor. In addition, our captain Vyacheslav Kravtsov was injured.

The Balkans brought the match to a final victory. Thus, the Blue and Yellows lost their chances to play at the Olympics in Paris.

Olympics 2024. Basketball

Pre-qualification. Semi-final

Istanbul, Sinan Erdem Arena

Ukraine - Croatia - 70:85 (17:24, 19:18, 16:26, 18:17)

As OBOZREVATEL previously reported, in the group stage of the pre-qualification for the 2024 Olympic Games, the Ukrainian national team dramatically beat Bulgaria, defeated Iceland and lost to Turkey.

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