Estonia claims its first EuroBasket victory in front of 8,000 supporters

Estonia finally found the key to success on this third day of EuroBasket 2025. In Riga Arena transformed into a blue sea by more than 8,000 Estonian supporters who traveled to Latvia, Heiko Rannula’s men delivered a magnificent performance against the Czech Republic.

This 89-75 victory allows Estonia to improve to a one-win, two-loss record (1-2), while the Czechs sink deeper with a terrible 0-3 that seriously complicates their qualification chances.

Is this Riga, or Tallinn?

Estonia 🇪🇪 are getting away from Czechia to stay in the Round of 16 race! #EuroBasket pic.twitter.com/fKSE5LBlYf

— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 30, 2025

A devastating second quarter to make the difference

The turning point came during an absolutely devastating second quarter from the Estonians. With 31 points scored in ten minutes, including 14 in the paint, Estonia pulled away against a completely absent Czech defense.

For comparison, the Czech Republic had only scored 16 points in the paint during the first 30 minutes of play. This interior dominance allowed the Estonians to build a lead that reached +28 points at halftime of the third quarter.

Kristian Kullamae was the engine of this Estonian victory. The point guard compiled 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists, flirting with a triple-double without forcing his game. Henri Drell also contributed with 15 points off the bench.

Remarkable technical mastery

Beyond the offensive performance, Estonia impressed with its technical mastery. With only 4 turnovers throughout the game, the Estonians came close to the EuroBasket historical record held by Yugoslavia in 2001 with only 3 turnovers.

This victory gives hope to Estonia before their crucial upcoming games. After a rest day on Sunday, the Estonians will face Turkey on Monday, then Portugal on Wednesday for their final group game.

On the Czech side, the disappointment is evident. Martin Peterka, once again his team’s top scorer with 13 points off the bench, and his teammates will need to respond against Serbia and Latvia to have any hope of reaching the playoffs.