Germany showed why they are world champions, the Greeks held on for only 25 minutes

If the result at the World Championship in Manila could be considered a kind of surprise, the current results are far from that description. The current champion perfectly navigated the group stage and continued in the same style through the quarterfinals, where they routinely defeated Greece (76:63).

Greece managed to keep up with their opponent and be at least an equal rival for two and a half quarters, but the last portion revealed the real difference in class. After the Germans shifted into a higher gear in the middle of the third quarter, a turnaround followed, with the Germans going from a five-point deficit to a seven-point lead, setting the stage for the dominance that followed in the final ten minutes.

The lively Germans, led by Franz Wagner, the Orlando Magic star, with 18 points, supported by Dennis Schröder who scored five less, pulled away to a double-digit lead, which they then maintained quite routinely, securing their place in the semifinals, where they will face the winner of the match between France and Canada.

The victory of the world champion turned out to be quite routine, but the opening quarter hinted at a significantly different outcome. The Greeks converted their initial initiative into points, entering the second quarter with a ten-point lead. Although the Germans showed a reaction in the second period, it was only at the end of this period that they managed to make up the deficit and bring back some suspense to the scoreline.

The main star of Greece, Giannis Antetokounmpo, led his team with 22 points, hitting nine out of 14 attempts from the field. The Milwaukee Bucks star tried to trouble the Germans and at least put up a tough fight, but he lacked more substantial support from his teammates, with significant scoring contributions only coming from Walkup with 12 points and Papanikolaou with 10 points.

The collapse in the final stage of the match confirmed the limits of the Greek team, which was on the brink of elimination even in the group stage. Thus, the campaign of Vassilis Spanoulis' squad in Paris ended with a record of three losses and only one win - against Australia.

Germany, which previously defeated Japan, Brazil, and France, will learn their semifinal opponent later in the afternoon, after the match between France and Canada, which starts at 7 PM.

PARIS OLYMPICS - BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

Quarter-finals

Tuesday

Germany 76 - Greece 63

15:30: (1.45) Serbia (16.0) Australia (3.65)

19:00: (3.70) France (16.0) Canada (1.35)

22:30: (-) Brazil (-) USA (-)

***odds are subject to change***