The Greek National Basketball Team’s battle with Finland for the bronze medal at EuroBasket 2025

The imagination of a 4th EuroBasket final ended abruptly for the Greek National Team, arsenic Turkey proved to beryllium an insurmountable obstacle successful Friday’s semifinal. But today, we person the accidental to triumph our 5th medal successful the contention – and the archetypal since 2009!

With 2 golds (1987, 2005), 1 silver (1989), and one bronze (2009), Vassilis Spanoulis and his players are called upon to flooded the disappointment of the mislaid conflict against Turkey and adjacent their EuroBasket 2025 run successful the champion imaginable way.

“We are successful the medal portion aft 16 years. We shouldn’t beryllium miserable, but proud. We person a immense situation up of us, the biggest crippled for maine successful the past 16 years. To bring the medal to our country, to permission it successful history. We are not a state that often wins medals. In the past 35–38 years we’ve lone won five. And present that we are successful a presumption to assertion 1 again, there’s nary constituent successful talking astir disaster,” said the National Coach yesterday, and added meaningfully:
“We person 1 crippled up of us. It’s similar a final, not a ‘small final.’ The medal comes aft 16 years, and we don’t cognize erstwhile the accidental volition travel again. We indispensable not fto it gaffe away.”

Of course, the opponent’s tendency is conscionable arsenic strong, with Finland being the tournament’s large surprise, reaching the last 4 for the archetypal clip and aiming for its first-ever medal successful the competition. Markkanen and his teammates are a precise diversion team, apical successful three-pointers per game, with awesome modulation velocity from defence to offense, and tremendous vigor connected violative rebounds — but they deficiency the acquisition of our National Team.

Greece and Finland person faced each different 23 times astatine Men’s level, with Greece holding 14 wins and 9 losses. In detail:

• 03/05/1961 Greece–Finland 71–77 (EuroBasket)
• 07/06/1964 Greece–Finland 67–73 (Olympic Qualifier)
• 31/05/1968 Greece–Finland 79–85 (Olympic Qualifier)
• 22/05/1969 Greece–Finland 68–62 (EuroBasket Qualifier)
• 30/01/1971 Greece–Finland 72–77 (International Tournament)
• 17/08/1972 Greece–Finland 66–77 (Olympic Qualifier)
• 10/05/1973 Greece–Finland 112–83 (EuroBasket Qualifier)
• 12/04/1977 Greece–Finland 85–72 (International Tournament)
• 15/04/1977 Greece–Finland 98–88 (International Tournament)
• 18/05/1977 Finland–Greece 79–85 (EuroBasket Qualifier)
• 30/12/1978 Greece–Finland 82–78 (Friendly)
• 20/05/1979 Greece–Finland 92–62 (EuroBasket Qualifier)
• 04/01/1981 Greece–Finland 101–92 (International Tournament)
• 03/05/1981 Greece–Finland 101–86 (EuroBasket Qualifier)
• 04/01/1982 Greece–Finland 105–82 (International Tournament)
• 27/05/1982 Greece–Finland 96–93 (EuroBasket Qualifier)
• 04/09/1984 Greece–Finland 86–108 (International Tournament)
• 09/09/1984 Finland–Greece 78–73 (EuroBasket Qualifier)
• 26/05/1995 Greece–Finland 85–72 (Friendly)
• 27/05/1995 Greece–Finland 90–82 (Friendly)
• 01/09/2011 Greece–Finland 81–61 (EuroBasket)
• 09/09/2013 Greece–Finland 77–86 (EuroBasket)
• 05/09/2017 Greece–Finland 77–89 (EuroBasket)

Greek and Finnish fans person already taken their places successful the stands, with the ambiance heating up.