Spain made a spectacular start to the World Cup, overwhelming the hosts from start to finish. An outstanding first half left their opening challenge completely resolved, and in the second half they reached a maximum lead of +32. The 14 three-pointers were the most impressive aspect of a debut in which Fam (17), Conde (13), and Iyana (12) led the scoring. With little time to recover, the Spanish team will play their second game on Saturday against Mali (11:30, Teledeporte and Vamos).
Spain's first 20 minutes in Berlin were a masterclass, vindicating those who had placed the team among the medal favorites from the start of this World Cup. Their first half was flawless: with maximum intensity, strength under both baskets, anticipation, speed, and absolute control of the tempo regardless of which center was on the court; and as the cherry on top, impressive accuracy from three-point range. With the sixth three-pointer, from an inspired Conde, Spain reached 24-10 shortly before the end of the first quarter (24-13). In the second quarter, they maintained the same level, dominating in the paint on offense, controlling the offensive glass, without lowering their intensity, playing without hesitation and few doubts. Their lead kept growing, with Raquel, Awa, and Gustafson also contributing from beyond the arc. With Germany completely overwhelmed on all fronts, unable to disrupt Spain's rhythm even with a zone defense, the teams went into halftime with Spain holding an impressive +26 lead (50-24).
With a second game less than 16 hours away, it was expected that Spain would ease off the pace in the second half, and they did. However, Germany's initial 0-4 run, taking advantage of two of the few Spanish lapses throughout the entire game, didn't continue, and although the game was no longer as one-sided, Spain maintained control and even reached a maximum lead of +32 down the stretch (79-47, 35th minute). Awa's blocks, more three-pointers, and complete confidence. If the final score ended at 83-53, it was only due to poor free throw shooting, with as many as 10 misses.
Despite this blemish, Spain's opening was as spectacular as it was dominant, now waiting to recover in the coming hours before taking their second step on Saturday at 11:30 (Teledeporte and Vamos) against Mali, who fell narrowly 97-102 to Japan.