A Men’s senior national team won the Ukraine by 77-79in Riga, in an exciting way!
This is the first triumph of Portugal no qualification for EuroBasket 2025. With this result, and after two rounds, the Portuguese team occupies a qualifying place.
The duel against Ukraine had two distinct parts, as until half-time our national team controlled the operations, performing a high-quality first half.
The Portuguese team appeared to be inspired by their outside shooting, having five triples converted from a total of six shots, and went into the break leading 32-47.
When they returned from the locker room, the roles were reversed, with Ukraine reacting and achieving a 27-15 deficit in the third quarter, eventually taking the lead.
The last 10 minutes were electrifying, with neither team taking off, and the idea of extra time was even in the air.
In our last moments, Travante Williams took the lead, and with a clear throw of two points and a steal of the ball, the matter ended in our favor.
In the statistical chapter, Portugal scored 12 triples and recorded nine steals, and in the individual aspect they stood out Miguel Queiroz (21pts, 5/10 2P, 2/3 3P, 5/6 LL, 6res, 1ast, 1rb) e Diogo Gameiro (12pts, 4/5 3P, 3res, 2ast, 1dl).
In the aftermath of the match, Diogo Gameiro highlighted the importance of this result: “It was an emotional game, but the most important thing was the victory. We had done very well against Israel, we almost won, but this was a really important victory for us. We had an incredible first half. We didn’t start the third quarter well, but we stayed together to achieve this important victory. As in the first game against Israel, in which nothing was lost, today nothing is guaranteed or won. It was a very important step to be in Eurobasket. That is our objective, we will continue to fight to have all the victories possible”, he stressed.
Mário Gomes, national coach, who celebrates his 67th birthday this Sunday, analyzed the match as follows: “We played very well in the first half, but this often happens in basketball. The players feel a certain euphoria, because everything is going well and, after that, it is difficult to react. There was also merit from Ukraine, because they fought, showed that they are a good team and have character. In the end, there was a hint of luck that we didn’t have last Thursday. On Thursday I left that game with reinforced confidence that we will achieve our objective. Regardless of today’s result, I would maintain the same state of mind. This will be until the end. We have no idea what will happen in nine months, that’s the difficult part of this competition. It’s about continuing to work seriously as you have until now. Until relatively recently we were unable to discuss games with these characteristics against teams of this level. We are fighting on equal terms, we are not exactly playing against weak teams”, he left the note.
All in all, the National Team has one victory and one defeat after two rounds and is third in group A. Qualification returns on November 22, with Portugal receiving the Sloveniawhich this Sunday hit Israel by 88-79.
At the end of the game, the president of the Portuguese Basketball Federation, Manuel Fernandes, did not fail to congratulate the Portuguese triumph in Latvia: “Congratulations to everyone, technical team, directors, medical-sports support, remaining staff and obviously our players. With this result, we took a first significant step towards qualifying for Eurobasket. From the beginning we said what we were saying, here we are, deeply determined to beat Ukraine. The competition was intense, but your commitment, your ambition, your unmistakable attitude, was clearly evident in the image we saw on RTP2. With a heart full of joy and the good feeling of a duty accomplished, now is the (short) time to savor it. A peaceful and relaxed trip back to your homes, in Portugal and Spain.”
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Athletes | Competitions | Selections 25 FEB 2024
2024-02-26 09:00:00
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