Turkey went against Germany in the 2025 EuroBasket final on Sunday. As many fans had expected, the German team, spearheaded by Franz Wagner and Dennis Schroder, trampled every opponent in its way and reached the biggest stage of the FIBA tournament.
Germany had a perfect record, starting from the group stages. The Germans did not lose a single game in Group B, finishing at the top with a 5-0 record.
They defeated every team that stood in their way in the Round of 16 and went against Luka Doncic-led Slovenia in the quarterfinals. They defeated the Slovenians 99-91 and crushed Finland 98-86 in the semifinals to be one game away from the European championship.
On the other hand, Turkey, led by Alperen Sengun, has been the underdog of the tournament. Once the tournament started, it surprised many. Turkey had a similar run to the Germans, finishing Group A with a 5-0 record and then knocking out Nikola Jokic-led Serbia in the Round of 16.
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The EuroBasket final tipped off at 2 p.m. ET. The Turkish team immediately went on the offensive as soon as the game started. It kept the pressure up for every possession and did not let the Germans get into their rhythm. However, the Germans caught up and ended the quarter with a 24-22 lead.
The second quarter started with both teams showing great intensity. Sengun feasted on passes from his teammates in the paint as the Turkish overtook Germany and entered halftime with a 46-40 lead.
In the third quarter, both teams picked off where they left. The Turkish continued to challenge every possesion while the Germans found ways to divert the pressure with ball movement. The period ended with Turkey leading by a single point, at 67-66.
The fourth quarter of the 2025 EuroBasket final was up there with some of the best games in history in terms of its intensity.
With 1:15 left on the clock, Germany's Dennis Schroder made a driving layup to turn the lead in favor of his team. He followed with a jumper with 0:19 left to increase the lead to six points.
In the final moments, with only eight seconds left, Schroder drew a foul and made both free throws to win the game for his nation. Germany became the 2025 EuroBasket champion by beating Turkey 88-83.