Turkey advances to quarter-finals after major scare against Sweden

It took until the 25th minute for Turkey to take the lead against Sweden this Saturday, September 6, in the opening of the EuroBasket 2025 playoffs. Annoyed by the early schedule (12pm local time) of this first round of 16 match, the team that finished first in Group A of this Euro, with five wins in as many games (including a last one against Serbia on Wednesday night), was challenged by Sweden in Riga. The Scandinavians never gave up, coming back from -11 to tie in the final quarter. But Alperen Sengun took matters into his own hands to finally make the difference at the end of the game.

From the start, former Antibes player Viktor Gaddefors (2.01m, 32) gave the Swedes a 6-point lead after 1 minute 33 of play (0-6). This boosted the confidence of Mikko Riipinen’s selection, which has a bright future ahead with its young backcourt pair composed of NBA player Pelle Larsson (1.96m, 24) and former Monaco player Melwin Pantzar (1.91m, 25), future Malaga player. The third foul in the first quarter by Cedi Osman, who already had 11 points, was another reason for this first half favoring the Swedes, who also limited the impact of the 1-5 axis Shane Larkin – Alperen Sengun. Badalona’s center Simon Birgander (14 points on 6/12 shooting, 13 rebounds and 4 assists for a 27 efficiency rating in 31 minutes) also had a considerable impact in his team’s strong performance.

From -11 to tie, Ludvig Håkanson equalizes twice for Sweden

Trailing at halftime (37-42), Turkey imposed its iron defense in the third quarter (26-13) to take the lead after 4 minutes 30 of play and build a gap shortly after (63-55). Much better equipped at all levels, they thought they would pull away for a comfortable win after taking an 11-point lead. But against a team capable of catching fire, nothing was settled. That’s how their point guard Ludvig Hakanson (16 points on 5/7 shooting and 5 assists for a 20 efficiency rating) tied the game twice, with 6 minutes and less than 3 minutes remaining, on two three-pointers. But Alperen Sengun (24 points on 8/16 shooting, 16 rebounds including 9 offensive and 6 assists for a 34 efficiency rating in 35 minutes) made several key plays on both ends of the floor to secure a narrow victory.

After this close call, the Turks will face the winner of Poland – Bosnia-Herzegovina this Tuesday evening, still in Riga.

In Riga,