By Cesare Milanti / info@eurohoops.net
Riga, Latvia – Sweden put up a 40-minute hard-fought battle but had to surrender to Turkiye in the country’s first-ever Round of 16 participation at FIBA EuroBasket 2025.
One of the Swedish national team’s veterans, Simon Birgander, put up a crazy losing effort of 14 points and 13 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to avoid the 85-79 loss to Alperen Sengun and teammates.
“Turkiye is a great team. We saw it two days ago when they beat Serbia. I think we fought very good. I’m super proud of the boys. Unfortunately, at the end of the game, we couldn’t close it, but we’re inexperienced. It’s normal,” Sweden’s center opened in the mixed zone.
“They have Shane Larkin, a two-time EuroLeague champion, and Alperen Sengun, an NBA superstar. We don’t have the experience that they have, and it shows at the end of the game.”
Joventut Badalona’s 27-year-old touched down on what it meant to go up against the Houston Rockets star, who finished with a propelling outcome of 24 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 assists.
“He’s super tough. I think we had a good game plan with him. You can see he’s just an amazing player. He gets points. He’s probably one of the best players I’ve ever guarded. He goes with his speed and everything. He can shoot. He’s an amazing passer. He’s an overall great player,” Birgander added.
Sweden had Pelle Larsson on their side; the Miami Heat gem stepped up. “He played a great tournament, doing what we expected him to do. We saw him in practice before the EuroBasket, and we saw what he could do. He could be the main scorer for us,” he said about his teammate.
“He can close out, shoot threes, but also defend. That’s the thing that a lot of superstars don’t do. They don’t defend, but he does it on both sides. I’m super proud and happy for his good EuroBasket.”
Now, Simon Birgander will go “back home”, as he made his official return to Joventut Badalona. “It’s like I’m going back home again. I’ve been there for 6 years before I went to Murcia. I’m super happy with that,” the 27-year-old Swedish center commented. He will have countryman Ludde Hakanson with him.
“I’m super happy that Ludde came back with me. He’s never been there before, so I will show him the ropes around. I know how the club works and everything. We’re expecting a good season.”
“We have a lot of good players. It will be amazing to play with Ricky Rubio. I will share minutes with my friend Ante [Tomic] and we’ll help each other out. We also have Sam Dekker. I hope we’ll have a great year,” Birgander concluded on the black-and-green Spanish side, ready to compete in the BCL.
PHOTO CREDIT: FIBA