The fairytale clash of underdogs took center stage on Wednesday night in Arena Riga, where Finland and Georgia met in a battle of Cinderella stories after both teams had shocked the basketball world with Quarter-Final upsets – Finland taking down powerhouse Serbia, and Georgia eliminating perennial contender France.
Lassi Tuovi reacts to Lauri Markkanen-led Finland stuns Georgia.
With history on the line, it was Finland who rose to the occasion, delivering a commanding 93-79 victory to secure their first-ever trip to the EuroBasket Semifinals.
The win marked a historic milestone for Finnish basketball, celebrated by thousands of traveling supporters who turned the Latvian capital into a sea of blue and white. Finland will now face the winner of Germany vs Slovenia on Friday for a place in the final.
The game itself reflected the clash of two distinct philosophies. Aleksandar Dzikic’s Georgia wanted to slow things down, pound the ball inside, and control the pace.
On the other side, Finland’s head coach Lassi Tuovi pushed his squad to run, shoot, and relentlessly keep up the tempo. For six minutes, the game stayed balanced at 12-12, but Finland then unleashed a blistering run to close the first quarter, capped by Mikael Jantunen’s buzzer-beating three-pointer that gave them a 28-15 lead.
The cushion quickly grew to 20 points, forcing Georgia to expend enormous energy chasing the game.
Still, Georgia refused to fold. Sandro Mamukelashvili brought his team within six points with a thunderous dunk midway through the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to 73-67.
But just when momentum seemed to shift, Miro Little answered with a long three, Goga Bitadze committed an unsportsmanlike foul, and Olivier Nkamhoua drilled a corner triple to push Finland back up 81-67. That sequence effectively ended Georgia’s comeback hopes.
The TCL Player of the Game honor went to Mikael Jantunen, who followed up his strong defensive showing against Nikola Jokic in the Quarter-Finals with an offensive breakout. He scored 19 points on efficient shooting, including three triples, while also collecting five rebounds.
Finland outscored Georgia by 12 points with him on the floor. Remarkably, it was his second 19-point performance of this tournament, having set his career high earlier against Lithuania.
While Jantunen shone, Finland’s collective performance told the bigger story. Lauri Markkanen chipped in 17 points, six rebounds, and four blocks, once again proving himself as the team’s leader.
Elias Valtonen knocked down two clutch threes in the final quarter, earning praise from Tuovi: “He’s capable to make those shots, and even more important, he knows the guys have the confidence in him to make it.”
Finland’s three-point shooting was devastating, particularly in the first half, when they buried 10 of their first 15 attempts from deep.
That offensive firepower reflected Tuovi’s philosophy since taking over in 2022 – his team has now scored over 50 points in a first half on four separate occasions during EuroBasket games.
Before his tenure, Finland had only done it once in the entire history of the tournament, way back in 1955. For Tuovi, the moment was about more than just basketball.
“This should give hope for all sports in Finland,” he said, emphasizing the significance of this achievement beyond the hardwood.
Jantunen also reflected on the close-knit nature of the group: “It’s been the same group for a long time, and we got just one new guy who wasn’t there for the last EuroBasket. It’s a very tight group, like coming back and playing with your friends. That’s the kind of basketball culture in Finland.”
Georgia, despite the loss, also made history by reaching the Quarter-Finals for the first time. They were roared on by around 1,000 fans who traveled to Riga, proudly cheering every basket even as the deficit grew.
Tornike Shengelia finished with 18 points, five assists, and four rebounds but was ejected late after consecutive fouls. Coach Dzikic and his players nevertheless left the court to a standing ovation, having elevated Georgian basketball to unprecedented heights.
As for Finland, the dream continues. Tuovi summed up the mentality heading into the Semifinals: “I’m extremely excited to play do-or-die games with this crew.”
The message was clear – getting to the last four is historic, but this Finnish team isn’t content to stop here.
HISTORY FOR FINLAND 🇫🇮
— FIBA EuroBasket (@EuroBasket) September 10, 2025
Finnish basketball is one of the last four standing at #EuroBasket Semi-Finals!
