On the first night of Group C action, the script was flipped dramatically. Georgia, a team written off after a winless warmup campaign, toppled reigning champions Spain 83-69 and announced that EuroBasket 2025 will not be short on surprises.
For a nation still carving out its basketball identity among Europe’s elite, this was a statement win that reverberated far beyond Cyprus’ new stage as the 28th host country in the competition’s history.
Preparation struggles quickly faded into irrelevance. After dropping six friendlies in the build-up, Aleksandar Dzikic’s side arrived in Limassol focused and fearless.
Spain threw their pedigree, experience, and resilience at them, but Georgia held firm, absorbing runs and hitting back with their own. The defending champions were forced into submission by a performance that combined hustle, size, and belief.
The game’s rhythm swung early and often. Georgia surged ahead with a 10-point cushion in the first quarter, only to see Spain edge in front briefly late in the second.
Rather than panic, the Georgians restored control, stretching the margin back to 57-47. Spain responded with a familiar show of heart, trimming the deficit to 61-58 in the fourth.
Yet this time, there was no escape. Georgia struck with an 11-2 burst, extending the gap to 72-60 and effectively sealing the contest with four minutes still on the clock.
Sandro Mamukelashvili stood at the center of the breakthrough. The NBA forward posted 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, becoming only the second Georgian ever to record a 15/5/5 stat line in EuroBasket competition, following Tornike Shengelia.
His versatility gave Spain constant headaches, but he was far from alone. The collective energy of the team powered them over the line.
The statistics highlighted Georgia’s edge. They dominated the rebounding battle 46-29, including 16 offensive boards that translated into crucial second-chance points.
Spain’s weakness from the free-throw line compounded their struggles; shooting just 6-of-13, they fell below 50 percent from the stripe in only their second EuroBasket game over the last three decades.
The implications are immediate. For Georgia, this win plants them firmly in the race for a top-four spot in Group C, with Italy next on the schedule. A 2-0 start would give them a clear path toward the knockout phase in Riga.
Spain, meanwhile, must regroup quickly. Their clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina already carries a must-win feel. The loss also marked a rare historical footnote: Spain had not dropped an opening EuroBasket game to anyone outside Serbia or Yugoslavia since 1983, when Italy pulled off the feat.
The postgame words reflected both celebration and caution.
“It’s good that we beat Spain, it’s better than to lose of course. But we just need to keep our focus on our goal, and that is super hard. But we’ll try,” said head coach Aleksandar Dzikic.
Alexander Mamukelashvili left no doubt about the team’s intent: “We are here to play. We are not here to have fun. We are not okay with just coming out there and go playing. We want to win and get out of the group. This is the right start and we just have to keep going.”
Goga Bitadze emphasized the spirit behind the victory: “This is just another game for us. We’ve been saying every single day we are here to win every game. We really stayed together and showed the Georgian soul and all the hard work paid off. The job is not finished, now our confidence is high that we can beat any team.”
Veteran forward Beka Burjanadze kept things in perspective: “We have had these beginnings of tournaments but at the end they did not go so well for us. We just reminded that fact to ourselves. But it doesn’t mean we are not happy with this victory, especially against such a great team like Spain.”
From Spain’s side, frustration was clear. Head coach Sergio Scariolo admitted: “It was my fault not being able to show and convince my team that this team is much bigger and more physical than us and we needed to make a super extra effort to match that physicality and we didn’t do that.”
Juancho Hernangomez echoed his coach’s bluntness: “They were more ready than us. They wanted it more than us. They had more desire. They went for 50-50 balls. We knew that they play really physical but we weren’t ready in our mind or body. It’s a long tournament and we know how to win.”
On a historic night in Cyprus, the champions stumbled, and Georgia seized their chance to shine.
Georgia take down the reigning #EuroBasket champs! 🇬🇪https://t.co/U8hHIHTvaZ
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) August 28, 2025
