Germany’s impressive second-half surge against Montenegro in Tampere was overshadowed by a scare, as 25-year-old Isaac Bonga had to leave the game with 5:53 remaining in the fourth quarter due to a left knee injury.
The timing was unfortunate, coming just as Germany had started to assert control and pull away on the scoreboard.
“To be honest, I haven’t talked to him yet. I talked to the doctors. They are not sure yet. I hope he will be OK. We don’t know yet,” said interim head coach Alan Ibrahimagic after Germany’s victory on Wednesday, reflecting the uncertainty surrounding Bonga’s condition.
His status for the next game against Sweden on Friday is now considered questionable, alongside head coach Alex Mumbru, who is also listed as doubtful for the same fixture.
Before the injury disrupted Germany’s rhythm, the team had built a commanding lead in the second half, largely thanks to sharpshooter Andreas Obst, who took over from beyond the arc.
“We didn’t have to say a lot,” the 29-year-old described the locker room discussions at halftime. “Offensively, we were fine. We missed many times to get the stops. They had some easy scores. We needed to be more physical, a little bit more energy, and more communication in defense; that was the main thing in the first half. We knew what we needed, and we went out and showed everybody.”
Montenegro, meanwhile, struggled to respond after the break. Head coach Bosko Radovic expressed his frustration in the postgame press conference.
“A lot of my players just stayed in the locker room. We stopped playing basketball. We stopped playing defense, offense,” he said. “Germany was just playing its game. And we let them play their game,” the 46-year-old Montenegrin added, highlighting the team’s inability to adjust under pressure.
Germany now faces the rest of Group B with both momentum and caution. While the victory demonstrated the team’s offensive depth and tactical awareness, the uncertainty surrounding Bonga and Mumbru could prove crucial in the upcoming matches, particularly against Sweden.
