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| Gilas manager Richard Del Rosario believes every game is must-win for Gilas in the road to OQT. TBF |
QUEZON CITY—If Gilas Pilipinas team manager Richard Del Rosario is to be asked, he would rather see the national team go beyond a gallant stand and actually beat Turkiye.
Speaking after Gilas' performance early Friday (Philippine Time) in Istanbul, Del Rosario said that unlike what some fans believe, he was far from satisfied at how they fared against Turkiye.
“While others may see it as a satisfying first game, our team mindset is - almost is not enough. We only have one shot at make it to the Olympics and we cannot be satisfied with almost winning,” Del Rosario said.
Gilas, ranked 37th in the world, kept the game close against Turkiye, currently 24th, and even held on to the lead, but the Turkish side pulled away late to seal the home win.
“It was a tough loss against Turkey. We had our first taste of the type of opposition we will be facing in the OQT,” Del Rosario further said.
Things would just get tougher for Gilas as they will travel to Poland to face the world number 15 Polish side early Sunday (Philippine Time), and Del Rosario expects that the Filipinos will go for the win or at least stand their ground against their fellow FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament-bound squad.
“We move on to the next game with a firmer belief that we can hold our own against higher ranked teams with a real chance of reaching our mission of making it to Paris,” he added.
Follow him on X: @IvanSaldajeno
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