By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
The senior national team of Portugal advanced to the second and final round of the FIBA World Cup 2027 Qualifiers after taking down Greece 71–56 at SUNEL Arena on Sunday.
The visitors dominated the matchup in Athens to hand the hosts a consecutive upset loss following a previous defeat against Romania. Diogo Brito led the historic effort with a game-high 17 points plus nine rebounds, two steals, two assists, and one block. Rafael Lisboa and Travante Williams supported the offense by adding 16 and 15 points, respectively.
With both countries even at a 3-3 record at the end of Group B play, this crucial road victory guaranteed the winning squad advancement in the tournament brackets.
“We were completely irresponsible in the window,” noted head coach Vassilis Spanoulis in his postgame interview with Greek public channel ERT. “The guys were completely unprepared, without training, in a very bad condition. We all have responsibility. Each one of us has his share. We have to think about what we stand for and what team we’re on. We were also as if we came from vacation.”
Following this first-ever win by Portugal over Greece, the focus shifted to Bar’s Topolica Sport Hall where Montenegro held on to defeat Romania 65–64. This narrow victory after a close game allowed Crna Gora to finish in first place with a 4-2 record en route to Group I, alongside Portugal and Greece, plus Spain, Ukraine, and Georgia.
Falling to a 2-4 record, Romania was eliminated from the World Cup. Therefore, it will resume action in the EuroBasket 2029 Pre-Qualifiers.
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