The world champion is also a European champion. Two years after the sensational World Cup triumph from Manila, Germany’s basketball players also put on the European crown. In an electrifying final, the team around NBA professional Franz Wagner in Riga prevailed against Turkey with 88:83 (40:46) and thus celebrated the second European title after 1993. Most recently, Spain had the World Cup and the European Championship title.
The best German throwers were in front of the eyes of Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier Isaac Bonga with 20 points and Franz Wagner (18). This Monday, the German team will be received after returning to Frankfurt am Main. From 11.30 a.m. a public party is planned at the headquarters of the top sponsor Ing. Dennis Schröder and Co. had also celebrated in the main metropolis two years ago.
Again weak German start
“It is a great opportunity to put the German basketball back on the map and experience a historic summer again,” Schröder said before the final and one year after fourth place at the Olympics. “So far we have played a good tournament, but we also have potential to increase,” announced Franz Wagner.
But the German team was initially far from an increase. As in the previous games in Riga, the German team slept down, while the Turks simply continued their intoxicating game from the semi -finals against Greece. The coaching fox Ergin Ataman’s team started furiously and quickly moved to 13: 2.
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But the German team remained calm and fought back into the game in the first quarter. At 14:14 Schröder equalized from the free -wire line, shortly afterwards Tristan da Silva put the world champion in the lead for the first time (19:16). After ten minutes, Germany was just ahead with 24:22, but had to deal with foul problems early on. Both Daniel Theis and Isaac Bonga acted early fouls and had to hold back from now on.
Schröder appears inhibited
That was noticeable in the second quarter. It was also striking that Schröder was surprisingly back in the very intensive game in the first two quarters. The captain, unlike in the KO games, was not aggressive at all, and only took his first throw out of the field in the middle of the second quarter.
So it was Wagner who came to 16 points until the break, and Tristan da Silva with important threes that gave Germany in the game. At the break, the world champion was only in the back with six points. In addition, the Turkish NBA star Alperen Şengün already had three fouls on his account after 20 minutes.
Germany and the adversities
Schröder had apparently injured his elbow early in the final and did not seem to be in full possession of his strength. But the German team had so far defied all adversities. Even before the tournament, the team had to cope with the cancellations of world champion Moritz Wagner and NBA champion Isaiah Hartenstein.
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Schröder hits 18 seconds before the end
And this time the world champion defied the setbacks. After the break, Schröder got better, sank his first three, the German team took the lead with 50:49. The role players around Bonga, since Silva and Johannes Thiemann contributed to staying on the strong Turks.
But Turkey, driven by thousands of Turkish followers in the arena – kept bitter against it and took the lead again with 61:55. Even the still weakened Mumbru tried to get the team back on course from the sidelines.
In the final quarter the Turkish fans whistled and booed even louder, their team led with six points. But Germany defended itself and took the lead three and a half minutes before the end. It went back and forth to the end – then Schröder converted the decisive throw 18 seconds before the end.