Greece presented itself as it should for about 27 minutes but the fatigue and the limited solutions due to the injury of Larentzakis in the first half (he returned despite the pains), were not enough to overcome Lithuania.
The Baltic country played very good basketball, found many solutions from the 6.75 line, and had everything they needed to win 92-67.
Greece was excluded from the quarter-final stage, and the match with Montenegro acquired a procedural character in contrast to the game with Lithuania, who qualified for the Final eight and are waiting to know their opponent.
They knew ๐โโ๏ธ๐คฆโโ๏ธ#FIBAWC pic.twitter.com/lY2BQngABj
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 ๐ (@FIBAWC) September 1, 2023
Thanasis said โฮฯฮน ฯฮฎฮผฮตฯฮฑโ ๐
(๐ฐ๐ณ โ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ๐ฅ๐ข๐บโ ๐ง๐ฐ๐ณ ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฏ๐ฐ๐ฏ-๐๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฌ๐ด)#FIBAWC x #WinForAll pic.twitter.com/5f16BmQY9B
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 ๐ (@FIBAWC) September 1, 2023
On Sunday (11:40), Greece plays against the also indifferent Montenegro to complete its presence in the Philippines.
After the match with Lithuania, Dimitris Itoudis spoke to ERT about the game and the team's future.
"Congratulations to Lithuania; I wish them luck in the future. We didn't start the match well but had a better picture afterwards. We scored 43 points in the first half. I want to single out one moment, at 61-55, for them. We made a bad shot and missed the three-pointer from Motiegiounas. This phase hurt us. Lithuania scored three points in the second half and killed us psychologically. They made shots at the end of the attacks and got a psychological boost to win the match.
"Overall, we didn't qualify for the quarter-finals, but we still have one match. We will try to play with pride on Sunday. We thanked the people who travelled and gave them a round of applause at the end. You don't compete to be eliminated; the team showed character in the tournament. We were down 7-0, but we didn't rush or take a timeout. These players showed character. You have to have continuity, not for a quarter or three.
"Whoever wears the national team jersey wants the best. We are blessed by those who come. We must continue. We have will; we are proud people and love basketball and sports. I'll look at Sunday's match and answer you about the national team's future. I have said that this team has shown character, overcome obstacles, stuck together and fought together.
"We wanted to qualify for the quarter-finals. From such defeats, you can become stronger, smarter, and tougher. That's why I stand next. We have to be dedicated to helping our country to be good teammates. We had that this year. Everyone wants to win, but only some people love what they do. I am proud of my players. This team has a future. We want to be healthy, and we are looking at the next challenges."
READ MORE: UEFA Ranking: Greece remains 19th but there are 24 matches to change that.
