Spain – Finland 100:90, the Spaniards are eleventh in a row in the semi-finals of the European Championship, Markkanen did not stop them

The reigning Spanish world champions, who already have to do without the previous supports of the Gasol brothers and Sergio Rodríguez, are attacking for their fourth European title. German basketball players will play the semifinals of the European Championship after 17 years.

In the beginning of the playoffs, the Finns managed to beat Croatia, mainly thanks to Markkanen’s 43 points, and they also played the match against Spain excellently. After Mikael Jantunen’s shot from his own half of the field with the horn, they won the first quarter 30:19 and led by as many as 15 points in the second.

However, the tide began to turn in the second half. In addition to the New Orleans pivot Hernangómez and his brother Juancho from Toronto, who were the best Spanish scorers, veteran Rudy Fernández also deserved it with a combative performance. The 37-year-old scored 11 points, including three triples and five steals.

“Rudy is playing the best tournament of his life. He’s amazing. And his back hurts, his neck hurts, his knee hurts, everything, but he goes into everything with no fear. He throws himself on the court like he’s eighteen. He leads by example in the best way. He’s a tremendous leader ,” Spanish coach Sergio Scariolo praised Fernández.

He flatly dismissed questions about whether the Spanish captain would end up in the national team after the European Championships. “Why would he quit? When he’s healthy, I reckon he’ll continue. He has a different role in the team than he’s ever had. And that’s great, because he’s experiencing something completely new,” he said.

The Spaniards also managed to hold on to Sasu Salina’s two three-point baskets. The Finnish shooter, who converted five in the Round of 16 against Croatia, finished the championship with 22 three-pointers, currently the most of any player. Thirty-eight-year-old Shawn Huff and four years younger Petteri Koponen said goodbye to the Finnish jersey. “There was a time when we only wanted to play in EuroBasket and now we are in the top eight. My body has had enough, but Finnish basketball is on the rise. I am not worried about the future,” Koponen told the Eurohoops website.

The match between Germany and Greece was balanced for a long time, although the German players significantly outnumbered the opponent from the start in shooting from a distance. The end of the first half belonged to the Greek players. Tyler Dorsey turned the score to 58:57 and Kostas Slukas, despite being surrounded by two opponents, hit a siren basket shot across the half court.

The home team broke the opponent in the third quarter, which they dominated 26:10. Both main stars did not finish the match. Five minutes before the end, Janis Adetokunbo committed a second unsportsmanlike foul, and a moment later Dennis Schröder, who contributed to Germany’s win with 26 points and eight assists, followed him prematurely to the locker room.

“It was an extraordinary evening, the likes of which German basketball has never experienced. It’s almost unbelievable,” said Andreas Obst, who contributed 19 points to the victory. The Germans can still dream of repeating the medal success of 2005, when Dirk Nowitzki led them to silver. The former NBA star applauded the performance of his followers right in the Berlin hall.