Muut

Sweden powerless to stop Germany cruising to victory at EuroBasket

Dennis Schroder top-scored as Germany ran out winners
Dennis Schroder top-scored as Germany ran out winnersČTK / DPA / Matthias Stickel
World champions Germany secured a second comfortable win in as many EuroBasket 2025 Group B outings by beating winless Sweden 105-83 at Nokia Arena in Tampere, Finland.

Sweden came into this match dealing with a tight turnaround following Wednesday's opening night loss to Finland, in which they came up short, 93-90, in a thrilling derby. Germany not only had a few hours extra rest but did not need to hit top gear in their 106-76 thrashing of Montenegro.

There was further setback for Sweden before tip-off when it was confirmed both Simon Birgander and Miami Heat's Pelle Larsson would miss the match through illness.

Germany looked set for another comfortable afternoon when they raced into an 8-0 lead with less than three minutes played, but once Melwin Pantzar hit a three-pointer to get the Swedes on the board, he became the driving force that saw the Blagult cut the gap to one, at 13-12.

But Germany stamped their authority on the game in the final minutes of the first, going on an 11-2 run that helped them end the first 10 minutes with a 27-17 advantage.

Threes from Maodo Lo and Justus Hollatz at the start of the second period put the match at risk of turning into a rout, but the likes of Ludvig Hakanson and Tobias Borg kept chipping away at the scoreboard to keep Sweden between 10 and 16 behind in a high-scoring quarter.

But a 5-0 run to finish the half for Germany handed them their biggest lead of the match right before the break, going in 17 points clear at 59-42 for their highest half-time lead in a EuroBasket game.

In the second half, coach Miiko Riipinen had clearly given his team one main instruction to utilise on offence, as 18 of Sweden's 24 points came from beyond the arc, with two three-pointers each for Pantzar, Hakanson and Barra Njie.

That allowed Sweden to go toe-to-toe with Germany for the 10-minute period, but the world champions still edged the quarter, 25-24, as the Swedish defence struggled to deal with Dennis Schroder and Franz Wagner.

Schroder and Oscar da Silva took advantage of a tiring Swedish side in the fourth quarter, taking Germany past the 100-point mark for the second time this EuroBasket. The final word went to Borg with another three, but that made little difference as Germany ran out 105-83 victors.

23 points for Schroder made him the top scorer in the game, two clear of Wagner, while Pantzar's 18 was the best for the Blagult. Six rebounds for Tristan da Silva was one better than Wilhelm Falk's total, as Njie and Schroder tied with seven assists apiece.

Tomorrow, Sweden take on Great Britain as they continue their search for a win, and Germany will be hoping to all but secure a place in the next round when they meet Lithuania.

Follow EuroBasket 2025 on Flashscore.