In Slovakia, one of the most significant youth tournaments of the year is underway — the U-20 EuroBasket. The Ukrainian national team, led by Dmytro Zabirchenko, has made another strong move, convincingly defeating Portugal in the semi-finals. This victory was decisive: Ukrainian basketball players have guaranteed their return to the elite Division A.

Dominance from the First Minutes

The match began with high intensity. The Ukrainian team immediately set the tone, causing serious problems for the opponent right from the first quarter. Although the "yellow-blues" led by only four points at the end of the first period, the Ukrainians completely seized the initiative in the second ten-minute segment. By halftime, Zabirchenko's team had established a solid lead — 42:25.

Game Control and Confident Finish

The second half of the match proceeded under the dictation of the Ukrainian national team. Despite the Portuguese attempting to narrow the gap in the third quarter, Ukraine maintained control over the flow of the game. Before the final quarter, the lead reached 20 points. The task for the concluding segment was crystal clear: do not allow a collapse and maintain the advantage. The task was successfully completed.

The final score of the match — 81:61 in favor of Ukraine.

Heroes of the Match

Several team leaders played a decisive role in the victory. The absolute MVP of the match was Kryshchuk, who recorded a double-double: 23 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 steals, and 2 assists. Susykin also made a significant contribution, scoring 19 points (with 4 turnovers). Emu also made it into the top three scorers, adding 15 rebounds and 5 assists to his 8 points.

Romanitsa (12), Gogulenko (6), and Korol (6), who started the game, also scored points. Upyr added 3 points, while Nik Marchenko and Sytar remained without points in this match.

Final and Prospects

The victory over Portugal was the Ukrainian team's seventh consecutive win at the tournament, as they had not lost a single match prior to this. In the final showdown, the Ukrainian national team will face Iceland, which defeated Sweden 84:76 in the other semi-final. The battle for gold is expected to be fierce, but the Ukrainians approach the decisive match as favorites, boasting impeccable statistics from both the group stage and the playoffs.