An enthusiastic crowd had little effect as the home side were soundly beaten by an impressive Turkish team, with the final result (73:93) giving a fair reflection of the run of play.
The loss in the first game is disappointing but does not greatly diminish the Latvians’ chances of making it to the top four in the six-team group, as Türkiye were always going to be among the strongest opponents.
The Latvian national team will play four more games in the group stage of the European Championship – on August 29 against Estonia, on August 30 against Serbia, and on September 1 against Portugal, as well as on September 3 against the Czech Republic. The four best teams in the group will advance to the round of 16.
The group stage of the European Championship final tournament will feature 24 teams divided into four groups, playing a round-robin tournament in Riga, Tampere, Katowice and Limassol. The top four teams from each group will advance to the knockout stages, which will be held in Riga. The champions will be announced on September 14.