Greece eliminates Spain, defending EuroBasket champions

The EuroBasket 2025 will have a new champion. Greece created one of the biggest surprises of the competition by eliminating defending champion Spain during the group phase in Limassol, Cyprus. The Greeks won 90-86 in a spectacular match, finishing first in Group C with a record of 4 wins and 1 loss.

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This early elimination is a real shock for Spain, four-time European champions, who finish the group phase with a disappointing record of 2 wins and 3 losses. It’s the first time since 1977 that La Roja fails to qualify for the final phase of an EuroBasket.

Spain comes back, but misses horrible 2/8 free throws at the very end

Greece took control from the start thanks to a three-point shooting festival. Tyler Dorsey scored 14 points in the first quarter, allowing the Greeks to make an impressive 14-0 run to lead 30-14. The Hellenic team converted 8 of their first 10 long-range attempts, immediately putting Spain under pressure.

Despite a Spanish comeback (38-33), Greece responded with a sharp 13-2 run at the end of the first half to reach halftime with a comfortable 50-36 lead. Spain never gave up and managed to tie it 71-71, then take the lead 84-82 in crunch time.

That’s when Giannis Antetokounmpo stepped up. After a quiet first quarter offensively (2 points but 4 assists), the NBA superstar eventually exploded with 25 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists, nearly achieving a triple-double. His two decisive baskets gave Greece back the lead in the final minutes while Spain finished 2/8 from the free throw line in the last seconds.

Tyler Dorsey was the other architect of this historic victory with 22 points on 6/10 three-pointers, 5 rebounds and 4 assists. Kostas Sloukas contributed with 12 points and 6 assists. On the Spanish side, Jaime Pradilla (14 points), Mario Saint-Supery (13 points) and Santi Aldama (12 points, 6 rebounds) tried to keep their team afloat, but the missed free throws in the end cost La Roja dearly.

This elimination marks the end of Spanish dominance over Greece that had lasted for years. Spain led 19-7 in head-to-head matchups and had won 7 of the last 8 duels since 2006, including in the 2006 World Cup final and several EuroBasket final phases. Greece’s qualification for Riga also allows Georgia to secure their ticket to the finals.