A loud bang.

The basketball hurtled toward Lucia, the French team's point guard.

Ren Qiqi and Ke La jumped and landed almost at the same time. The real difference was not the height of their jumps, but the way they pushed the ball in that last moment.

Ren Qiqi had no time to be upset about losing the ball and immediately turned around to defend.

Lucia jumped lightly, caught the basketball with one hand, and accelerated instantly.

The French team's running speed is indeed amazing. Within seconds, the entire French team was basically in position, and the attacking formation immediately spread out.

Lu Yu followed closely behind Lucia, but still couldn't overtake her and stop her.

The first ball made Lu Yu feel a sense of powerlessness. Fighting for every ball is Lu Yu's consistent style. Ignoring the physical exhaustion at the beginning, she accelerated again.

We're almost there!

We can stop the other party immediately.

The basketball was instantly passed from Lucia's hands, flying towards the French team's shooting guard.

Chu Feiyu maintained good close defense, preventing the French shooting guard from taking long-range shots. Before committing a foul, the French shooting guard quickly passed the ball to the small forward Camille in the paint.

Camille jumped while running, caught the basketball, and without pausing, jumped again while accelerating to shoot.

The basketball traced an arc.

"Thump!"

The basketball is right in the center of the basket.

The deafening cheers from the Bercy Arena further excited the French players who had started the game well.

Without any hesitation, the lightning-fast fast break left the Chinese women's basketball team with no time to adjust their defense.

Liu Du analyzed and commented: "The French team is not only fast, but their passing and shooting are basically completed without slowing down, which is quite difficult for the Chinese team. During the group stage, Lucia did not show such terrifying dominance."

In fact, it's expected that strong teams will hold back a few tricks during the group stage.

But today's French team is not only upgraded in terms of technology and tactics, but what is even more frightening is that they are in extremely high spirits under the home atmosphere, which is the most frightening thing.

Meng Xiaotong watched the live stream chat and saw a screen full of question marks. She said, "This is only the first point. The Chinese team needs to maintain its rhythm. It seems that the situation is not too different from our pre-match analysis. The French team is known for its fast breaks. Coach Zeng Ling's decision to start Chu Feiyu in this crucial match is likely to be a sharp attack. Chu Feiyu is one of the few players on the Chinese team who can score on the move. Since it's difficult to set up a defense, let's go for the fast breaks."

"The French team has started well, but playing on home soil is also a factor. My biggest concern right now is the players' mentality. I hope they won't be distracted by external factors and will stick to the pre-match tactics. I'm afraid the players on the field will get carried away by the French team and waste too much energy right from the start, which would be counterproductive," Feng Xu said worriedly, watching Lu Yu on the field.

The barrage of comments in the live broadcast room did not diminish despite the commentators' explanations; instead, the screen was filled with questions and arguments.

—Every team has its own strengths, so why follow the French team's pace?—

—Then why don't you play? What else can you do besides play fast? What's the point of just defending?—

—Whether Zeng Ling's tactics will be effective is still unknown, yet the people upstairs are already trying to defend her.—

—Regardless of the circumstances, the starting lineup wasn't the full-strength squad; there's no denying that.—

Without Luo Yan, there's no chance of winning the opening game.

—Isn't the worst part that the Chinese team didn't even manage to catch a glimpse of basketball? Zeng Ling deserved it.—

The game continues, and the problems that the Chinese team needs to solve go far beyond the defensive end.

Lu Yu dribbled the ball across halfway, where France's Lucia was marking her from the side.

Just as Lu Yu took a probing step to the left, preparing to pass the ball to Sun Meng—

Lu Yu was startled.

Sun Meng's position was immediately blocked by French forward Camille and center Colla. If they insisted on passing the ball to Sun Meng, it would likely be intercepted.

The French team's position changes were too rapid!

Lu Yu immediately retrieved the ball, made a sharp change of direction to the right, and pushed with his left hand, sending the basketball crashing to the ground.

The bounced basketball flew towards Chu Feiyu.

Chu Feiyu immediately accelerated, heading towards the direction from which the basketball was flying. The French team's shooting guard followed behind Chu Feiyu.

This means that if there is even the slightest pause, the only chance to make a move will be blocked again.

Chu Feiyu didn't have time to think. She jumped up, caught the basketball, and shot it in mid-air.

The running shot was exactly the same as the French team's.

Everyone's breath caught in the air as the basketball soared into the sky.

"Bang—"

The basketball bounced off the edge of the rim, spun around, and landed outside the rim.

The battle for the basket was about to begin.

Ji Yun and Ke La were the first to react, immediately leaping up from the ground.

Cora's ball-handling skills are a level above most centers.

Even though Ji Yun and Kora touched the ball at roughly the same time, Kora flicked the ball with his finger, sending it to a higher position and flying towards French small forward Camille.

Camille jumped to catch the ball, and before anyone could react, he accelerated upon landing.

Camille's sprinting animation was etched into Lu Yu's dilated pupils.

On the opposite half of the field, only Camille's lone figure stretched far ahead—

"Pass--"

The powerful dunk sent the French fans into a frenzy once again!

The Chinese team's early losses were unexpected.

The Chinese women's basketball team's offensive rhythm was disrupted by this formation, and in just ten minutes of the first quarter, the French team fixed their lead at a difference of more than 8 points.