Greece’s EuroBasket 2025 Journey Ends in Semifinal Loss to Turkey

Giannis Antetokounmpo successful Greek National Team uniform. Credit: Wikimedia Commons Alex Pavevski EPA via AMNA

Greece’s EuroBasket 2025 tally ended Friday nighttime successful disappointment, arsenic Turkey stormed into the title crippled with a 94-68 semifinal victory.

Despite flashes of resilience, Greece trailed passim and was incapable to flooded Turkey’s blistering start. At halftime, the shortage stood astatine 49-31, and the spread lone widened successful the 3rd quarter. Turkey led 72-51 by the opening of the 4th quarter, leaving Greece with small country to equine a comeback. The borderline swelled to arsenic overmuch arsenic 26 points earlier the last buzzer.

The effect secures Turkey’s spot successful Sunday’s last against Germany, who earlier defeated Finland 98-86. For Greece, the nonaccomplishment caps disconnected a run that had raised expectations of a instrumentality to continental glory. They volition present look Finland successful the bronze medal match.

A hard nighttime connected offense

From the outset, Greece struggled to find rhythm. Turkey’s defence collapsed into the paint, forcing contested shots and limiting fast-break opportunities. Giannis Antetokounmpo, expected to transportation the scoring load, faced treble teams and relentless pressure. While helium produced bursts of offense, they were not capable to plaything momentum.

Thanasis Antetokounmpo provided a item dunk, and Kostas Sloukas and Konstantinos “Dinos” Mitoglou chipped successful scoring, but turnovers and missed escaped throws blunted immoderate accidental of a rally.

Turkey sets the pace

Turkey capitalized connected each opening. Cedi Osman and Ercan Osmani buried important three-pointers successful the 3rd and 4th quarters, putting the pb beyond reach. Alperen Sengun added spot successful the paint, scoring connected escaped throws and wrong baskets, portion Shane Larkin orchestrated the tempo with dependable playmaking.

Turkey’s pb had ballooned past 20 points by the clip the 4th fourth began, efficaciously making a comeback astir impossible. The Turks maintained power from the opening minutes, their vantage seldom dipping beneath 20 aft halftime.

Pride successful reaching the semifinals

Despite the result, Greece’s tally to the semifinals showcased moments of spot and resilience. Wins earlier successful the tourney displayed the team’s quality to grind retired victories against hard opponents, adjacent arsenic injuries and rotations tested depth.

The Eurobasket semifinals are set.

Germany 🇩🇪 vs. Finland 🇫🇮 (Friday, 9am CT)
Greece 🇬🇷 vs Turkey 🇹🇷 (Friday, 1pm CT)

Here we go. pic.twitter.com/zZ1Yppx2xZ

— BucksRealm (@BucksRealm) September 10, 2025

For Antetokounmpo, the tourney marked different measurement successful his planetary career, though the nonaccomplishment leaves unfinished concern arsenic Greece continues its hunt for a archetypal EuroBasket rubric since 2005.

Rivalry and respect

The matchup carried added strength fixed the long-standing sporting rivalry betwixt Greece and Turkey. Fans of some sides filled the arena, creating a charged ambiance that underscored the stakes.

Όλοι θέλαμε να φθάσουμε μέχρι τέλους… Αντικειμενικά, δεν μπορούσαμε, ούτε το αξίζαμε!

Ψηλά το κεφάλι! Καμία απογοήτευση! Υπάρχει ο στόχος του χάλκινου μεταλλίου! 🇬🇷🏀#GRETUR #Greece #Ελλάδα #HellasBasketball #Hellas #EuroBasket #EuroBasket2025 pic.twitter.com/NB0QrsIekB

— basket2⃣4⃣ (@basket24gr) September 12, 2025

Turkey, metallic medalists successful 2001, volition present pursuit their first-ever EuroBasket golden medal. Greece, with 4 medals, including golden successful 1987 and 2005, indispensable settee for the bronze medal lucifer connected Sunday.

Looking ahead

Turkey volition present look Germany for the EuroBasket crown. Greece, meanwhile, volition bespeak connected lessons learned from Riga and look toward aboriginal competitions with the halfway of its roster inactive intact. The 94-68 nonaccomplishment stings, but Greece leaves Latvia with semifinal presumption secured — and a accidental astatine redemption successful the bronze medal game.