---
title: "Ukraine Beats Greece in Riga: Kovliar's 18 Points Make Him the Game's Top Scorer in 2027 World Cup Qualifiers"
description: "Ukraine's basketball team beat Greece 82:76 in Riga in the first match of the second stage of the 2027 World Cup qualifiers. Oleksandr Kovliar was the team's top performer with 18 points."
date: 2026-08-28T18:50:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/ukraine-greece-82-76-2027-world-cup-qualifiers-basketball
tags: [basketball, ukraine-national-team, greece, world-cup-2027-qualifiers, ainars-bagatskis, alexander-kovliar]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Ukraine Beats Greece in Riga: Kovliar's 18 Points Make Him the Game's Top Scorer in 2027 World Cup Qualifiers

![Ball battle between a Ukraine national team player and a Greek basketball player in the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifier](https://xab.info/media/2026/08/29/ukraina-gretsiya-82-76-otbor-chm-2027-basketbol/ukraina-gretsiya-82-76-otbor-chm-2027-basketbol-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Ukraine beat Greece 82:76 in the first match of the second stage of the 2027 World Cup qualifiers in Riga
- Ukraine's top scorer was Oleksandr Kovliar — 18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists
- Maksym Shulga added 14 points, Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk 13
- Next match: on August 31 Ukraine will face Montenegro

Ukraine's national basketball team opened the second stage of the 2027 FIBA World Cup qualifiers with a victory over Greece. The match, played in Riga, ended 82:76 in favor of the blue-and-yellow side coached by head coach Ainars Bagatskis. The team took a firm lead in the first quarter (24:19) and, despite several runs by their opponents, held on to their advantage until the final buzzer. Ukraine's top scorer was Oleksandr Kovliar, who tallied 18 points.

### Game flow: runs and counter-runs

Early in the second quarter, Greece tried to close the gap, but two free throws by Vyacheslav Bobrov allowed the Ukrainians to pull ahead by seven points. The response was a 7:0 run by the Greeks that brought the game back to equilibrium. After a timeout, Ukraine attacked with fresh legs: Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk and Maksym Shulga scored consistently, securing a 40:37 lead at halftime. In the third quarter, the main problem for the team on defense was Tyler Dorsey, but every time he scored, Kovliar and Shulga answered in kind, and with a minute left in the period Mykhailiuk hit a three-pointer to restore an eight-point lead.

### Heroes of the game

The fourth quarter began with two successful three-pointers by Andrii Voinalovych, after which the lead reached eleven points and was never relinquished. The final score was 82:76. Ukraine's top performer was Oleksandr Kovliar (18 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists), and Maksym Shulga also contributed with 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists. In the starting five also featured Tkachenko (6 points, 3 rebounds), Mykhailiuk (13 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists), Bobrov (9 points, 5 rebounds), and Skapynets (7 points, 6 rebounds); Voinalovych added 11 points, Lukashov 2 points and 3 assists, Novytskyi 2 points, and Kobzisty did not score.

### Conflicting data

Public sources contain discrepancies in the figures and in how the game is described. In particular, the headline of one article (obozrevatel.com) lists a score of "62:54," which does not match the final 82:76 recorded in the main match chronicle and in the headline on sport.rbc.ua; this likely refers to a snapshot from the online broadcast rather than the final result. Moreover, the source ua-football.com describes the win as "hard-fought," whereas the base chronicle calls it "convincing." The confirmed final result of the match is 82:76 in Ukraine's favor.

### What's next

Ukraine's second match of the second stage of the 2027 World Cup qualifiers will take place next week: on August 31, Ainars Bagatskis's team will face Montenegro. Thus, the coach's players have started the new stage of the qualifying campaign with a win and have kept their momentum ahead of the upcoming away test.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Ukraine's basketball team beat Greece in the 2027 World Cup qualifiers](https://sport.rbc.ua/ukr/basketball/zbirna-ukrayini-basketbolu-peremogla-gretsiyu-1787942806.html) - Подтверждает факт победы Украины над Грецией в отборе на ЧМ-2027; совпадает с базовой хроникой по итоговому результату.
- [Ukraine – Greece. Preview and prediction for the World Cup qualifier match](https://sport.ua/news/901775-ukraina-gretsiya-prognoz-i-anons-na-match-kvalifikatsii-kubka-mira) - Подтверждено по источнику sport.ua
- [Ukraine – Greece – 62-54: online broadcast of the 2027 World Cup basketball qualifier. Video](https://www.obozrevatel.com/sport-oboz/ukraina-gretsiya-vse-podrobnosti-matcha-otbora-chm-2027-po-basketbolu.htm) - Заголовок содержит промежуточный счет 62:54, не совпадающий с финальным 82:76; учтено как расхождение версий.
- [Ukraine's team secured a hard-fought win over Greece in the 2027 World Cup basketball qualifiers](https://www.ua-football.com/sport/basketball/1787938541-sbornaya-ukrainy-oderzhala-tyazheluyu-pobedu-nad-greciey-v-otbore-na-chm-2027-po-basketbolu.html) - Подтверждает победу, но характеризует ее как «тяжелую» в отличие от «уверенной» в базовой хронике.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: What was the final score of the Ukraine – Greece match in the 2027 World Cup qualifiers?
**A:** The match ended 82:76 in favor of Ukraine.

### Q: Where was the match held and who is the head coach of the Ukrainian team?
**A:** The match was held in Riga, and the team is led by Ainars Bagatskis.

### Q: Who was the top scorer for Ukraine?
**A:** Oleksandr Kovliar, who scored 18 points, along with 6 rebounds and 4 assists.

### Q: When and against whom will Ukraine play its next qualifier?
**A:** On August 31, Ukraine will face Montenegro.