The blue-yellows began the EuroBasket 2025 qualification with a defeat to Slovenia
Mentor Ukrainian men’s basketball team Vitaly Stepanovsky commented on the defeat from Slovenia (73:87) in the first qualifying match European Championship 2025.
“Congratulations to Slovenia. A very difficult match. There were two different halves. In the first, they played better, made few mistakes in attack, and acted wisely. We knew that Slovenia was aggressive in defense. We were preparing for this.”
Read also: Slovenia – Ukraine. Video review of the match for February 22
“We looked good mentally and physically. We started the second half poorly, especially the third quarter. There were some stupid decisions and turnovers that led to opponents making shots.”
“Of course, 41 free throws for Slovenia is an interesting moment, but this is a game. Congratulations again to Slovenia. I thank all the fans who came to the hall and supported us. It was very noticeable.”
Stepanovsky was sent off in the third quarter for his second technical foul. The blue-yellows also finished the match without captain Artem Pustovoy, who earned five fouls.
In the next match, Ukraine will play against Portugal. Nominally the home match for the blue-yellows will take place in Riga on February 25. The third opponent of the Ukrainians in Group A is Israel.
European Championship qualification will take place during three windows: 19-27 February 2024, 18-26 November 2024 and 17-25 February 2025. Each team will play two games in each window. To qualify for the EuroBasket finals, the Ukrainian national team must take one of the first three places in the group.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
