Casketball European Championship
Germany turns thriller – and is in the semi -finals
Updated on 10.09.2025 – 10:17 p.m.Reading time: 3 min.
The quarter -finals developed into a thriller. Germany was a long time ago against the 2017 European champion. Then the team turned up.
The German national team is in the semi-finals of the SEM basketball. In the Latvian Riga, a competitive duel against Slovenia around superstar Luka Dončić developed, which the reigning world champion won 99:91 (45:51) after a long behind. Germany will meet Finland again in the round of the last four (Friday, from 4 p.m. in the T-Online live ticker). In the other semi -finals, Greece and Turkey face each other (from 8 p.m.).
For the day exactly two years after the sensational World Cup triumph in Manila (Philippines), Franz Wagner was in the German team, despite the weak quota with 23 points, that made a big comeback in the heated game.
In addition to 39 points, Dončić from the Los Angeles Lakers also came to ten rebounds and seven assists, but received too little support from his team, especially after the break. Germany has so far won all seven games at the European Championship and is considered the gold medal as a top favor after the end of Serbia and France.
Co-coach Alan Ibrahimagic had warned before the game: “Luka will score his points, we have to look at ourselves and stop Slovenia as a team.” He said: “It would be a big mistake to just look at Luka.”
And yet everything was about the Slovenian playmaker right from the start. Dončić quickly acted two fouls, but then took over the scepter and ensured that the Isaac Bonga responsible for his defense also had two quick fouls.
Dončić marked ten points in front of 9,038 spectators in the first quarter. Since other players that have not yet been particularly convincing in the tournament have increased at his side, Germany was left with eleven points after the first ten minutes (21:32).
In the days before the duel with Dončić and Co., there had been an unusually plenty of unrest in the German camp. At first attempts had been made to change the team hotel, since the accommodation in the Latvian capital was too loud and, above all, the food was not good enough. For cost reasons, a move did not come about.