2012 London Summer Olympics

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Spain's hard-fought 82-70 victory over Australia in their men's Olympic basketball matchup might have given them a lot of confidence, but it also left their players bruised and battered.

With a clash with the United States looming large, the injury setbacks to Pau Gasol and Rudy Fernandez were massive blows for Spain and alarm bells have started ringing in the European champ's camp.

Already without their 32-year-old captain, Juan Carlos Navarro, who sat out on Tuesday after injuring his left foot against China, Spain suffered another blow when NBA Denver Nuggets playmaker, Rudy Fernandez, suffered a deep gash on the back of his head after hitting a camera lens before halftime. He had to be given three stitches, though he was still productive, scoring 17 points.

Spain lost the Beijing Olympic basketball final to the U.S.

Spanish coach Sergio Scariolo was a worried man. He was quoted as telling the media that, "I don't know how many games he (Fernandez) will miss." Just after hitting the camera lens Fernandez was seen writhing in pain as he lay on the court clutching the back of his head.

But after being assisted to the changing room, where he received three stitches, Fernandez was back to a rousing welcome and he played for a good 10 minutes in the second half, scoring 11 points.

Scariolo said the valiant comeback from injury would have boosted Fernandez's and the team's confidence. It was only recently that Fernandez had come back after a five-month injury layoff. Fernandez will be a vital cog in the coming matches and Scariolo alluded to that when he said that, "we need him in full shape".

Next up for Spain is Britain and the seven-feet tall Spanish center, Pau Gasol, knows how important it is to beat the home team and stay on top. He was the linchpin on Tuesday, scoring 20 points against Australia.

 

 

Battered and Bruised Spain Overcomes Australia in Men's Olympic Basketball