Greece U18 beats Serbia 78‑77 to reach EuroBasket pre‑quarterfinals
Greece’s under‑18 men’s basketball team defeated Serbia 78‑77 in the round of 16 of the FIBA EuroBasket U18 tournament in Italy, securing a place among the final eight. Greece erased a ten‑point deficit in the second half, with Chrysostomos Hatzilambrou leading the scoring with 21 points, supported by Dimitris Poulos (16) and Alexandros Thomakos (12).
Serbia entered the match without injured forwards Danilović and Živojinović, and coach Saša Ocokoljić was ejected after a protest. Despite a strong first‑half showing, Serbia could not hold its lead and fell short in the closing minutes. Greece’s victory guarantees a pre‑quarterfinal clash against the winner of the Spain‑Bulgaria tie.
Greek players hailed the win as a step toward the tournament’s semifinals, with Hatzilambrou noting the team’s focus and motivation after past defeats in other youth competitions.
Entities: Chrysostomos Hatzilambrou · Croatia U18 basketball team · Croatia U18 national basketball team · EuroBasket B Division 2026 · EuroBasket U18 2026 · Eurobasket U18 · FIBA · Gal Čop · Greece U18 basketball team · Greece U18 national basketball team · Greece under‑18 national basketball team · Hungary U18 Basketball Team
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Croatia U18 basketball team defeated Romania 88‑83 in Rijeka (Croatia's win was reported in the match summary.)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The matches are part of the FIBA U18 European Championship (Both games are under the FIBA U18 competition.)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Zdravko Perić scored 18 points for Croatia in the win over Romania (Perić led Croatia's scoring in the match.)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Slovenia U18 basketball team defeated Bulgaria 88‑66 (Slovenia secured a comfortable victory over Bulgaria.)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Igor Stjepanović scored 14 points for Slovenia in the win over Bulgaria (Stjepanović contributed significantly to Slovenia's win.)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Gal Čop scored 19 points for Slovenia in the win over Bulgaria (Čop was Slovenia's top scorer in the match.)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Croatia began the tournament with three wins and needs a win over Montenegro to guarantee advancement (Croatia's early success leaves a crucial final group game.)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Slovenia finished second in Group C and will face Latvia in the round of 16 (The group standing set up Slovenia's next opponent.)
- [● 5 SOURCES] Greece U18 defeated Serbia U18 78‑77. (All articles)
- [● 3 SOURCES] Vasilis Hatzilambrou scored 21 points for Greece. (multiple)
- [● 8 SOURCES] Greece U18 defeated Serbia U18 78‑77 in the EuroBasket U18 round of 16. (multiple)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The match was decided by a one‑point margin. (multiple)