A Greek National Team that played exceptionally well for most of the game, with focus and players diving for every ball as if their lives depended on it, withstood Finland’s big comeback and achieved the great goal: a return to the medals, prevailing 92–89 in the EuroBasket 2025 third-place game!

The spirited Greek team endured Finland’s pressure in the final minutes and claimed the bronze medal at Arena Riga.

A team that faced enormous doubt, that many believed its ceiling was the quarterfinals, that endured endless criticism after the semifinal elimination by Turkey, once again lifted Greece onto the podium for the first time in 16 years!

“Greece, we love you, and tonight we’ll wear the bronze!” shouted the “Pelicans” from the stands. And Vassilis Spanoulis’ players wrote the perfect ending in Latvia, celebrating the bronze as if it were gold!

Greece–Finland: The Game

The Men’s National Team had a tremendous first half against Finland, scoring 48 points with strong outside shooting and great defense, showing dynamism and toughness! Greece was dominant from the opening minutes, with Kostas Papanikolaou playing excellent defense on Lauri Markkanen, not allowing him to find any rhythm to shoot.

Tyler Dorsey shot well, Giannis Antetokounmpo entered the game with 4/4 free throws and impressive playmaking, while Papanikolaou was everywhere for the National Team, which appeared determined, tough, and well-prepared! Kalaitzakis’ three-pointer stretched the lead to +9 (20–11). Accuracy from beyond the arc opened up the floor, and Giannis found room to operate, dishing out incredible passes! Toliopoulos’ triple made it 24–15 at the end of the first quarter for Greece, which had imposed its rhythm.

The entrance of Mika Murinen, however, changed the game, with two spectacular dunks, a hard foul on Papanikolaou, and an unsportsmanlike foul drawn from Kostas Antetokounmpo. Quickly, the margin dropped to a single possession (27–24), thanks to a two-minute stretch of total dominance by the 18-year-old Murinen, who gave huge momentum to Finland, which responded with nine straight points.

Even so, Greece found answers, with superb defense on Markkanen (0/4 shooting) and points from Dorsey and Giannis, pulling away again. The defensive work was textbook-level, with all the internationals constantly getting their hands on the ball and putting their bodies into every contact. Giannis pushed the lead to +10 (36–26), while Toliopoulos capped the first half at 48–34 with a three-point play, celebrating passionately!

Finland tried to react, cutting it to 56–49 with a Lauri Markkanen three-pointer. However, Toliopoulos immediately answered with his own triple in the 27th minute, restoring the double-digit lead. Every time Finland attempted to close the gap, Greece found solutions and kept control, with Kostas Antetokounmpo finishing a play with a spectacular dunk for 66–53 at the 29th minute.

Finland made a final push with Markkanen, trimming it to 89–85 with 44 seconds left. Little hit two free throws at 20.3 seconds (89–87). Sloukas drew a foul from Markkanen but made only 1/2. Valtonen drew a foul on a three-pointer with 5 seconds left, sank the first two (90–89), but missed the third! Giannis earned a foul and made both free throws with 4 seconds remaining. Finland missed a three at the buzzer, and Greece prevailed 92–89, returning to the medals for the first time since 2009!

Quarter scores: 24–15, 48–34, 69–56, 92–89.

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The dream of a fourth EuroBasket final ended abruptly for the Greek National Team, as Turkey proved to be an insurmountable obstacle in Friday’s semifinal. But today, we have the chance to win our 5th medal in the competition – and the first since 2009!

With two golds (1987, 2005), one silver (1989), and one bronze (2009), Vassilis Spanoulis and his players are called upon to overcome the disappointment of the lost battle against Turkey and close their EuroBasket 2025 campaign in the best possible way.

“We are in the medal zone after 16 years. We shouldn’t be miserable, but proud. We have a huge challenge ahead of us, the biggest game for me in the last 16 years. To bring the medal to our country, to leave it in history. We are not a country that often wins medals. In the last 35–38 years we’ve only won five. And now that we are in a position to claim one again, there’s no point in talking about disaster,” said the National Coach yesterday, and added meaningfully:
“We have one game ahead of us. It’s like a final, not a ‘small final.’ The medal comes after 16 years, and we don’t know when the opportunity will come again. We must not let it slip away.”

Of course, the opponent’s desire is just as strong, with Finland being the tournament’s big surprise, reaching the final four for the first time and aiming for its first-ever medal in the competition. Markkanen and his teammates are a very athletic team, top in three-pointers per game, with impressive transition speed from defense to offense, and tremendous energy on offensive rebounds — but they lack the experience of our National Team.

Greece and Finland have faced each other 23 times at 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 have already taken their places in the stands, with the atmosphere heating up.