On September 7th, 2025, during the Round of 16 in the 2025 FIBA EuroBasket, Finland upset Serbia with a 92-86 win to advance to the quarterfinals. Finland’s star Markkanen scored 29 points, grabbed 8 rebounds, dished out 3 assists, and made 4 steals. After the game, he described his feelings as “unbelievable” and called this victory one of the greatest achievements of his professional career.

In this match, Markkanen struggled with his shooting, making 8 out of 24 attempts and hitting only 1 of 9 three-pointers. However, his free-throw shooting was solid, converting 12 of 13 shots. For Finland, it was crucial that other teammates stepped up: Murinen hit two three-pointers early in the fourth quarter, and Vartonen exploded in the last 4 minutes, scoring 10 of his 13 points to help Finland secure the stunning win.

“It’s unbelievable,” Markkanen said after the game when talking about Serbia, led by Jokic. “The whole team played brilliantly. Tonight, we needed the effort of every single person — every fan in the stands, every member of the coaching staff, and every teammate on the court.”

“We definitely have to give credit to everyone’s hard work. Our journey isn’t over yet, but right now we want to fully enjoy this victory. Clearly, we just defeated an incredibly strong team, and we will keep pushing forward,” Markkanen concluded.

When asked if he considered this the greatest victory of his career, Markkanen did not give an absolute confirmation but emphasized the significance of this win.

“It definitely ranks among the top (greatest wins) of my career. Every time I wear the Finnish jersey and step on the court, it’s an incredible honor for me,” Markkanen said. “Obviously, we reached the quarterfinals once before (Finland’s first EuroBasket quarterfinal appearance was in 2022), and this victory is undoubtedly one of the most important in our team’s history.”

“As I said earlier, the opponent was an extremely strong team, and our entire squad delivered an outstanding performance.” The Jazz star added at the end. Finland’s quarterfinal opponent will be the winner between France and Georgia.