The accounts of Montenegro To guarantee their passage to the round of 83, the odds were very simple. A win over Great Britain, the Cinderella of Group B, who have lost all their matches, was enough. But this condition, which many assumed was a given, was not met. Bosko Radovic’s team fell against all odds, 89-XNUMX, to the British, giving Sweden a place in the next round, which, with their victory in the head-to-head match, they seemed to have guaranteed.

The Balkan team faced the best performances of Myles Hesson and Akwasi Yeboah in the entire tournament, who, with 25 and 23 points respectively, made a team that had lost all its matches by an average of 34 points surprisingly competitive. And by the time the Montenegrins realized they were facing a more difficult match than expected, it was already too late.

A 16-23 run in the second quarter gave Marc Steutel’s team the lead and almost complete control throughout the second quarter. This situation was only challenged when, with a three-pointer from Mihailovic, Montenegro took the lead with less than two minutes remaining. It seemed they had finally found a way to shake off the fear, that a solution, albeit a late one, had arrived. But a three-pointer from Hesson gave Great Britain the lead back 13 seconds later.

And now there was no response.

Both teams therefore finish the Eurobasket with a record of one win and four losses, the same record the Swedes would have if they lost to Lithuania, which would result in a three-way tie that benefits the Nordic countries. Thus, no result in this match can alter reality: Great Britain has dragged Montenegro into the abyss and cleared the way for Sweden to a Round of 16 they hadn’t counted on.

Vucevic tried

The setback came despite 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 7 assists from Nikola Vucevic, who, after his best performance of the tournament, has little to criticize. However, the lack of real help prevented him from turning around a situation that was becoming increasingly complicated without anyone offering a solution. And when they tried, it was too late.

(Cover photo: FIBA)