Belgium defeat Georgia in EuroBasket opener
The International Basketball Federation noted in its highlights the “aggressive” play of Belgium squad, which recorded the first six steals of the game as they built a first half lead. They also added “ultimately, Georgia turned the ball over 20 times as Belgium's defence prevailed”.Photo: Georgian Basketball Federation Facebook.
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The opening match of EuroBasket for the Georgian national basketball team ended in a defeat to Belgium on Thursday, with the fate of the game decided in extra time.
A three-pointer by Jonathan Tabu three seconds from the end of the game gave the Belgian side a win with the score 79:76.
The International Basketball Federation noted in its highlights the “aggressive” play of Belgium squad, which recorded the first six steals of the game as they built a first half lead. They also added “ultimately, Georgia turned the ball over 20 times as Belgium's defence prevailed”.
Photo: Georgian Basketball Federation Facebook.
Georgia’s Goga Bitadze was injured in the course of the difficult encounter, with FIBA saying he had “fought bravely, however, limped off the court late in the fourth”.
Georgia’s head coach Ilias Zouros said his squad had “tried hard” and fans in the stands had given them energy, but noted the team had made many mistakes. “Tactically we didn't follow some of the things we had prepared”, he pointed out.
Great team effort yesterday night, thank you for the support!
— ILIAS ZOUROS (@ZourosIlias) September 2, 2022
Let's focus on our next game tomorrow against Spain.#coachzouros #geosoul #Eurobasket2022 pic.twitter.com/PNJVmzBSFw
Sandro Mamukelashvili, who was noted for his contribution to the game, also said the game had been “tough”, adding his squad now had to “keep heads up".
The Georgian team will play their next match on Saturday against Spain, which defeated Bulgaria 104:87 in the first round.
Hosted at the Tbilisi Arena complex, the opening match of the tournament was attended by Georgian Prime Minister, Minister of Sport, the Chairman of the ruling Georgian Dream party and other Georgian officials.
The Georgian Basketball Federation has issued a condemnation of “provocative actions” by Ergin Ataman, the head coach of the national team of Türkiye, after their EuroBasket game against Georgia on Sunday, as the match has also been followed by a controversy sparked by a technical timekeeping error.
Ilias Zouros, the Georgian national basketball team head coach, on Sunday talked about the “pride of the nation” in the squad after its first win of the EuroBasket competition over Türkiye on Sunday.
Tbilisi Arena complex will host a decisive EuroBasket qualifiers match on Sunday evening, with Georgia and Türkiye facing each other.
The Georgian national basketball team will play the first match of this year’s EuroBasket competition with a fixture against Belgium on Thursday, with the newly completed Tbilisi Arena in capital Tbilisi to host the opening game.
Georgia’s national basketball team defeated the Netherlands in the second round of a match for the 2023 World Cup Qualifiers on Wednesday at the newly completed Sports Palace in capital Tbilisi.
Tbilisi will be at the centre of the world’s attention during its co-hosting of the FIBA EuroBasket 2022, the European continent’s major basketball event, for the first time between September 1-7. Games of the competition’s Group A, between the national teams of Georgia, Spain, Türkiye, Belgium, Bulgaria and Montenegro, will be held in Tbilisi Arena in the Georgian capital.
The official, “unforgettable”, fan zone of the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 officially opened on Wednesday at Rike Park in the centre of Tbilisi, with the opening ceremony featuring a special program and a concert, the Georgian Basketball Federation said.