On September 8th Beijing time, the EuroBasket men's round of 16 matches continued, completing four games overnight. Poland overturned Bosnia and Herzegovina 80-72, France was shockingly defeated 70-80 by Georgia, Italy lost 77-84 to Slovenia, and Greece narrowly beat Israel 84-79. Thus, the quarterfinal lineup for this tournament is finalized!

Poland versus Bosnia and Herzegovina. Poland, ranked second in their group, played against third-placed Bosnia. Bosnia started strong with an aggressive first quarter to take the lead, but Poland gradually took control of the game. Led by Lloyd, they steadily closed the gap while Bosnia’s scoring efficiency dropped, making it hard to keep up. Ultimately, Poland completed the comeback and advanced to the quarterfinals!

France versus Georgia. Group leaders France faced fourth-ranked Georgia, but France performed poorly, missing many outside shots including wide-open threes. Georgia dominated throughout, with stars Shengelia and Baldwin wreaking havoc, combining for 48 points and overwhelming France. The tournament favorite France suffered a shocking upset, missing out on the quarterfinals, making this the biggest surprise of the event!

Italy versus Slovenia. Second-placed Italy faced third-placed Slovenia. Italy struggled with shooting early on, while Slovenia stormed ahead with a 29-11 first-quarter run, building an 18-point lead. Italy then found their offensive rhythm and gradually narrowed the gap. In the final quarter, Italy launched a furious assault, but Doncic’s efficient performance single-handedly stopped their comeback. In the end, Slovenia held on to defeat Italy!

Greece versus Israel. Group leaders Greece took on fourth-placed Israel. Giannis Antetokounmpo dominated inside, controlling the paint and leading Greece to suppress Israel. Greece steadily extended their lead and secured the win to advance to the quarterfinals!

With this, the quarterfinals are set, featuring many dark horses, showing that Europe has no weak teams. Three major upsets occurred: defending champion Spain was eliminated in the group stage, and Serbia and France fell in the round of 16. The upcoming quarterfinal matchups are Turkey vs. Poland, Lithuania vs. Greece, Germany vs. Slovenia, and Finland vs. Georgia!

Written by / Sports Novel