The Eurobasket tournament is heating up. Four teams have already punched their ticket to the knockout rounds. Serbia, Turkey, Germany, and Finland secured their spots in the last sixteen after intense play this past weekend.
Portugal, however, finds itself in a tough spot. They suffered a heavy defeat to Turkey on Saturday, losing 95-54. This loss dropped them to fifth place in Group A. Now, Portugal needs a win against either Estonia or Latvia to climb back into the top four qualifying positions. The pressure is on for the Portuguese squad.
Group A: Qualification Secured, Others Fight On
In Group A, hosted in Riga, the biggest headline was Portugal’s big loss to Turkey. This result pushed Turkey firmly into the next round. Serbia, another favorite, edged out host nation Latvia with an 84-80 victory. Estonia also picked up a win, beating the Czech Republic, who appear to be the weakest team in the group, by a score of 89-75.
Both Turkey and Serbia now sit with six points. They have officially qualified for the knockout stage. The battle for the remaining spots is fierce. Latvia, Estonia, and Portugal all have four points. They are ranked in that order based on their points difference, making every basket crucial.
Group B: Germany and Finland Shine
Group B also saw its third round of games completed. Here, host country Finland and powerhouse Germany confirmed their places in the Round of 16. Germany has been unstoppable in Tampere. For the third time, they scored over 100 points, this time beating Lithuania 107-88.
Finland also kept their perfect record intact. They defeated Montenegro with an 85-66 win. Sweden had a strong showing too, taking down Great Britain 78-59. Germany and Finland, both with six points, are safely through. Lithuania, with five points, is very close to joining them. Sweden has four points, while Great Britain and Montenegro each have three points.
Groups C and D: Still Anyone’s Game
The action in Groups C and D wrapped up its third round, but things are still very much unclear. In Limassol, defending champions Spain had a shaky start to the tournament. They lost to Georgia earlier but found their footing against Bosnia-Herzegovina, winning 88-67.
Georgia couldn’t repeat their upset performance, losing to Italy 78-62. In a regional rivalry game, Greece defeated Cyprus 96-69. Currently, only Greece has four points. Spain, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Italy, and Georgia all have three points. Cyprus sits at the bottom with two points.
Over in Katowice, for Group D, France made a strong statement. The runners-up from two years ago beat Slovenia 103-95. Poland had a nail-biter, winning against Israel by just two points, 66-64. Belgium also secured a victory, defeating Iceland 71-64. France and Poland both have four points and are looking good for the knockout stages. Belgium and Israel are right behind them with three points. Slovenia and Iceland each have two points, making their path much harder.
